OnlyFans Revealed - What you really need to know about your employees side hustle
The world is digital, we work from home, kids and dogs invade Zoom calls with happy regularity, the world of work is better for it in many respects but with the lines between personal and professional lives often blurred where do employers stand when it comes to the involvement of their employees in platforms like OnlyFans.
Navigating these situations is a balancing act, your employees have a right to a personal life and individual choice but where is the line when it comes to upholding company values and to represent your organisation and brand.
What’s OnlyFans anyway?
We’re going to assume you haven’t been living under a rock and thus are aware of the content subscription service which has boomed in popularity over recent years but for the purpose of the reader who may not be familiar we’ll explain further. It allows creators to earn money from users who subscribe to their content which can range from artistic content creation to something well a bit ‘more adult’. In short it has the potential to be a great side hustle for the content creators, you can’t swing a cat (or anything else for that matter) without seeing an article about someone raking it in from OnlyFans. The problem is when that someone is also your employee.
If you’re thinking well this sounds like a delicate and potentially awkward situation you’d be dead right, it raises questions around privacy, professionalism and where exactly the line is between personal and professional identities.
The big question then, how do you handle this one?
It’s essential to approach the situation with sensitivity and professionalism (even if you’re possibly dying a bit inside). Here are some things to consider:
Respecting Privacy; Bit of a weird one as although they might be flaunting it on a platform on the internet, they still have the right to privacy and autonomy over what they do when they’re not at work. If they are not a public face of your business, nor they can be linked backed to your brand, you may be limited in what you can do. While you may know, if they are discreet about this then you may have to avoid intrusive questions or judgemental attitudes.
Review Company Policies: Pay particular attention to sections on social media usage, code of conduct and professional behaviour. You may find you need to update policies as a result of the review and it’s a worthwhile exercise, the side hustle and your employees digital lives becoming ever more present.
Have an open conversation: Provide options for employees to discuss any concerns or questions they may have around their online activities and the potential impact on their professional lives.
Avoid Discrimination: Sounds like a no-brainer but this isn’t your average HR issue and you may well have some ‘thoughts’ about your employee engaging in this type of activity. Time to check those thoughts at the door and stick to the rule book ensuring fairness and equity.
What about any potential legal issues
Well as you’d imagine there are a couple, depending on the nature of the content and the industry in which you operate there may be reputational risk and damage to consider. As an employer, you will also need to consider issues related to discrimination, harassment and privacy laws when handling a HR matter like this one.
Maintaining a balance between respecting employees' personal lives and protecting the interests of your business takes on a new challenge with the complexities of online platforms and digital identities, it’s an area which is only set to grow so whilst it might not be an issue in your workplace right now it’s a reality that it probably will be in the future.
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