THE TEMPTATIONS OF MOONLIGHTING

˜How'd you like to make some extra money? says the voice on the other end of the telephone.

What immediately springs to mind? Oh no, another multi-level marketing scheme? Or, like many (most?) people in the public relations business who receive calls like this from time to time, do you recognize when someone wants you to use your skills to do paid work outside of your regular job? In other words, how do you respond to offers to moonlight?

One of the great advantages of the field of public relations is the kind of flexibility that's afforded in the job market. This translates into many opportunities to find your own little niche and be an entrepreneur if you choose, or to do extra work when someone needs your expertise. And I hardly know a PR practitioner, myself included, who hasn't dabbled in outside work from time to time. This is another of those true personal decisions, but, what, if any, are the ethical issues involved?

Why moonlight?

The reasons people in public relations moonlight are as individual as the people doing it. Some of the most common include taking advantage of opportunities to enhance a portfolio or to gain experience in areas that might not be part of the ˜day job. In addition, those who are considering self-employment often use this approach to ease into that self-employment without loss of a regular pay cheque. Others do it because they don't really like their regular jobs and are exploring other areas and making new contacts before taking the final step of moving on. Perhaps the most common reason is to make extra money. And while there is nothing inherently wrong in making extra money or gaining more experience, there are some moral boundaries over which an ethical practitioner dare not step.

The ethical quagmire

The big question here is not if you can moonlight (there are plenty of opportunities for those who seek them), but rather should you?

Just as with all other ethical questions, there is no black and white answer. It's not a simple matter of yes you should, or no you should not. It's more a matter of examining the ethical problems and looking at the varying situations, some of which pose more of an ethical problem than others.

Here are some of the potential pitfalls:

• Conflict of interest : Will the work for, or representation of, a particular client in any way put you in a conflict of interest situation with your current employer? If this potential client is a competitor, for example, you will have access to information on both sides that is not yours to share. Indeed, even if you vow never to use such information, remember what we always say about journalists ”there's no such thing as ˜off the record. Even the appearance that you may be in a conflict situation is enough to make this a morally unacceptable choice. You might want to review our discussion of conflicts in Chapter 10.

• Truth telling : Do you feel that you'd have to hide what you are doing from your employer or colleagues at your regular job? By hiding your activities you may be deceiving by omission at the very least. If your response to this is that you are entitled to do what you want on your off hours, consider why you are so vehement about this. Your motivation may be the real key to your discomfort with openness.

• Stealing : Yes, stealing. This can take many forms. Will you be doing any of this work on your employer's time? Will you be using any materials or equipment at your office (computer, software, postage , paper, photocopier)? This all constitutes stealing and is unacceptable for an ethical practitioner. If you are using your employer's time or resources for private gain, you are not behaving professionally or ethically.

• Harm to others : Is there any possibility that anyone will be harmed if you do this? This is a tough one for many. Who could possibly be harmed? Your daylight employer, clients and colleagues spring immediately to mind if your off-duty work causes you to be less sharp and focused on the job. You can only spread yourself so thin. In addition, are you violating any part of your contractual arrangements with your employer ”have you agreed not to do certain kinds of outside work?

Perhaps one of the most important steps you can take to avoid any possibility of falling into ethically treacherous territory and still fulfil your desire to moonlight would be to ensure that your employer is clear about the kind of work you are doing outside work hours, and is agreeable to this.

Codes can help

The codes of conduct produced by most professional public relations associations can provide us with a bit of guidance. The code of the Canadian Public Relations Society ^{[ 4]} is especially helpful in setting up ethical parameters for such outside work:

• One useful tenet of the code says, ˜A member shall deal fairly with past or present employers /clients, fellow practitioners and members of other professions . You deal fairly with your employer by ensuring that your outside work does not interfere with the work you have contracted to do during the daylight hours.

• Another principle says, ˜Members shall be prepared to disclose the names of their employers or clients for whom public communications are made and refrain from associating themselves with anyone who would not respect such policy. Being able to disclose the names of your outside clients keeps the work and your reputation transparent and above reproach.

• The code also says, ˜A member shall protect the confidences of present, former and prospective employers/clients and

• ˜A member shall not represent conflicting or competing interests without the expressed consent of those concerned , given after a full disclosure of the facts.

Personal ethical decisions are just that ”personal. Sometimes it seems like it's just you against the world, but often if we look outside ourselves , we see that there are others who have faced similar decisions and have lived to tell the tale and to prosper .

^{[ 4]} Canadian Public Relations Society [accessed 10 July 2003] Code of Ethics. http://www.cprs.ca/english/membership/e_membership_code.htm