
Ask HN: Letting your employer know before contracting / freelancing - throwaway129093
Hey folks,
Youngling here with only a few years into my career. I live in the bay area and working at a mid-size decent startup. Recently, I got an opportunity to freelance a few hours. I am currently working full-time as a salaried employees and my full-time contract says that I have to let the company know before I start contracting.<p>1. Should I let them know? Do I have a legal obligation to do so?<p>2. Will they find out if I don&#x27;t tell them?<p>3. Ok, assuming I have to tell them, any thoughts &#x2F; ideas on how to approach this conversation with my manager? HR?
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welder
> 1\. Should I let them know? Do I have a legal obligation to do so?

No and no.

> 2\. Will they find out if I don't tell them?

No they won't find out.

> 3\. Ok, assuming I have to tell them, any thoughts / ideas on how to
> approach this conversation with my manager? HR?

Not applicable because you aren't required and should not tell your employer.

Some things to know when moonlighting:

* Don't work for your employer's competitors or vendors.

* Don't moonlight if you're here on a visa.

* In CA your employer can't forbid you from moonlighting, but you can always be fired for any reason (for ex: poor performance) so just make sure moonlighting doesn't get in the way of your salary employment.

* Don't tell your employer, they have no right or reason to know. Do you ask permission or notify your employer before taking a weekend trip to Tahoe? No of course not, so don't ask/notify them when you do anything else on your own time.

I verified all this before starting a side-project back in 2013 after work and
on weekends (wakatime.com/about)

