NEW GUY - Color Separator

[Command-Z]

Welcome! Great to have some more art-side folks here.

I agree with DKgrafix... you're in a business where people need to be shown what you can do. It's the Show-Me industry.

[Frog]

Welcome! Great to have some more art-side folks here.

I agree with DKgrafix... you're in a business where people need to be shown what you can do. It's the Show-Me industry.

Yep, here's Dan hustling up business

[colorsepsguy]

I understand completely. I will gladly supply actual shirt pictures,  background, and even files to anyone interested. The only reason I added the statement is I am currently employed and I think they might view me freelancing as a slight. Hope everyone understands.

[Command-Z]

I understand completely. I will gladly supply actual shirt pictures,  background, and even files to anyone interested. The only reason I added the statement is I am currently employed and I think they might view me freelancing as a slight.

That's an understandable concern. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to find out for sure what your employer's policy on that is. It wouldn't hurt to ask your boss what their policy is.

Most employers seem to be okay with it in our business, as long as you're not doing work for the immediate competition. They understand that most artists freelance, and might even be impressed that you ask, so as to avoid any conflicts of interest.

At any rate, good luck to you!

[Denis Kolar]

I'm a graphic designer for a plastic packaging company. They do not have any issues with me freelancing as long I do not touch plastic packaging. I can do cardboard or any other kind of packaging except the plastic bags (not the ones you see behing the cashier in the store).

If you are working for a clothing co, that might be an issue.

[Dottonedan]

I personally feel that whatever you do for work on your own time is none of your days jobs business (unless your working directly for the competition.

One of the places I worked at had a written policy and procedure in place specifically for artist who wanted to freelance. If you asked them, they told you NO, you are not allowed.  You are not allowed to freelance unless you get special permissions. If you wanted to get special permission, they would have to have your immediate supervisor or manager sign off on it as well as the director of my departments. Then, if they approve, you will need to run every job past the legal department. You will need to provide the names and contact information of each customer (and provide a copy of each job you are working on).  They require a list of all of your freelance customers both past and present.

I was also not permitted to show any of my work that I've done for this company in print or online in any type of portfolio at all.
It was in my contract when I was hired. Who reads that right?

No, I'm not kidding. It's true.

[Frog]

With actual screen printing, as well as some other business, one of the dangers of employees moonlighting is the increased risk of theft of supplies.

[mk162]

Dan, I understand that entirely.  Large companies are constantly running everything they can through their legal departments.

My dad was working for G&K, the uniform company, when he started screen printing.  He started printing shirts for fun for the neighborhood and friends and when they found out about it, they canned him.  His boss wanted him gone since my dad was in the running for the job above his boss.  I am glad(and I think my dad is too) that he didn't take that job, he already left the house at 4 AM and got home after 6PM. I could only image how much less we would have seen him.

[Dottonedan]

Never thought of that. 

Back at (that one place) where I worked, about 5 years into it, the goofy director secretly monitored my computer activity for a period of three months. At that time, they were on a witch hunt to see who was doing freelance work (at work). So they set up a sting operation to catch people doing it. It was going on. One poor schmuck was fired because they were doing something for a competitor (ON OUR COMPUTERS). I bet we had a few more but for some reason weren't caught. Probably depends on who you know.  I was recorded for a period of 3 months as well. During my quarterly review, They interrogated me "so to speak". They sorted out screen shots of stuff I worked on during that time and asked questions about 3 of them.  I couldn't see well with the flash light shinning my eyes. (kidding).

1, They had a screen shot of TSPMB and logged my time on it. They asked questions about the site and determined it fell under  educational/training use. Many art departments are able to particiapte in forums that pertained to business of the industry or category we were in. Since we were all salary and as long as you got your work done you were good so that was a non issue.

2, A screen shot of some art (that another artist did in my department) for our own department. It's not even mine. "Honestly, officer, I was just holding it for someone".I pulled it from our server to see how the artist created this file. It was done really well and I wanted to dissect it. They thought since it wasn't a job assigned to my work list that It must be freelance for an outside department. They don't even permit that.

3, The one thing I did was The Turtle Tracks Newsletter It's a newsletter for the tortoise club that I belonged to and was done during a one hour lunch break. I got the typical riot act for that. YOU CAN'T DO THAT ON COMPANY EQUIPMENT. That was the end of that.

It seems with my act of using company equipment for my newsletter during lunch, I was not the "type" of criminal they were looking for and I was free to go. to live my life a free man.

As it turned out, Once HR found out that they were doing this, (monitoring our computers), our own department heads got in trouble for it. I don't know why for sure. I guess because they did not get HR involved in it and had they, they would have learned that the company does not do that. They can, legally, but they don't. "so they say".

[colorsepsguy]

Those are some great examples of what can happen. In my situation, i would not even be competing with the company. Same industry but on the printing side. But I have a feeling it would be viewed negatively. "What, I don't pay you enough?" I could be totally off-base but have hesitation none the less.
I have done company requested freelance for another company though. Friendly competitor that needed some help. And none was done on company time or equipment. I don't know...hairy situation. I could approach them, but then i'm at their mercy. Who knows, they'll probably find out eventually anyway.

[Command-Z]

I personally feel that whatever you do for work on your own time is none of your days jobs business (unless your working directly for the competition.

I agree totally. I think that everything a person does while not on the premises of the employer is off-limits to the employer.

It's a free market and once you are off the premises, you are a free agent and an independent businessman. So is your employer, however, and they can dismiss you at their will as well. What's important is TRUST... key to trust is communication. If you ask your employer what the policy is, you remove doubt. Be honest and up-front about it. Don't go behind their backs. Be professional and you will (hopefully) be treated as a professional. If they do indeed ask the immature question "what, you don't get paid enough?" then be honest about that too...

And even if the answer is "yes, go ahead and freelance to whomever you want" (which, fortunately, has usually been the case in my employment history) whatever you do, DON'T use the computer or supplies of your employer! That's theft any way you look at it.

Here's a curious observation I've made that relates to this subject. Every full time position I've held, after I left that company to move onward and upward, in almost every case, I ended up continuing a business relationship with that employer as a freelancer. Usually, there is a noticeable change in how I was treated... as an employee, I was a subordinate. No matter how well I was treated by the employer, there was always that underlying, subconscious understanding that there were two distinct castes. As a freelancer, I was an equal.... a businessman, a peer. The difference is often subtle, but noticeable.

I guess my advice then would be, 1. Be professional, 2. Be honest, 3. Don't burn bridges.

[sportsshoppe]

Welcome to the board. Dan needs a little compitition. But if ya gonna compete with Dan ya better be on you P's & Q's.