BALTIMORE — A Baltimore City government employee resigned last year after their supervisor learned they were working two full-time jobs at the same time.
Details were revealed in a newly released Inspector General's (IG) report.
The employee in question worked as a web administrator for the Mayor’s Office of Minority & Women-Owned Business Development (MWOBD), from November 2017 to October 2022.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March of 2020, the employee was assigned to work remotely full-time from their home.
In October of 2021, while still earning a full-time salary with the City, the employee applied for a position within the Baltimore City Public Schools System under the Office of the Chief Technology Officer. The employee allegedly told the school system their work with the City was coming to an end, which turned out to be false.
After being hired in March of 2022 at an annual salary of $116,743, the employee worked physically from the school offices Monday through Friday until at least May.
From that point on, they switched to a hybrid schedule which allowed for telework from home two-days a week.
This whole time the City was under the impression the employee was working at home only for them, when in reality they were going into another work place collecting two checks.
It wasn't until August 2022 when the employee notified the City supervisor about having a second job. The employee insisted it would not interfere with their regular schedule or duties. Two months later is when the City supervisor found out the second job was with the school system, and during the same hours.
After being confronted, the employee resigned from the City job.
Around this time is when the employee came clean with the school system about their continued work for the City.
Overall during the employee's seven months of working both jobs, they received a combined gross income of $104,354.63 (68,688.75 from the school system and $35,665.88 from the City).
One question facing the IG was whether Baltimore City Schools is a quasi-agency of Baltimore City Government.
If so, that alone would've put the employee in violation of City regulations.
But the short answer is no. According to the Inspector General, the City's school system is an arm of the State government, not local.
Still the IG concluded the City's teleworking policy agreed to by the employee relegated them to "account for, and report time spent [working from home] in the same manner as if the employee reported for work at the primary office location."
As result of this incident, the IG says the City is in the process of revising its policies on overlapping schedules.
To read the full report, click here.
