I am amazed by how often I hear contractors mention that they have to
notify their employers if they perform any other work for a client
other than their own. This is one of the single-most prohibitive
practices in our work today. What is the best way of handling this
sort of situation?

It sadly seems that it is impossible to make enough money to make ends
meet. If it is not daily expenses, it’s taxes, retirement funds, insurance,
equipment, and so on. For sundry reasons, many of us like to work with
concurrent clients. This is not always a question of money; refusing a
client can mean losing a client (don’t want that, no). Other times, a short
project arrives that is exciting and a challenge (that’d be great).

In your contract, make sure that you are not required to “disclose” any
other current projects or clients. Incidentally, this is the type of clause
that should be stricken from any proposed contract. (You did
review the contract
with your attorney
right?) As a freelance professional, you agree to provide quality work to
the best of your ability. Obviously, you would never let one project
interfere to the detriment of another.

If you are the guilty type, you should resist any urge to seek one
client’s approbation before taking on another. Similarly, could you
imagine a plumber only working with one client and not accepting
another until the current client’s work was completed?

Bunco sez: Frankly, it is your business — and yours alone — as for whom
you work. No client should claim any sort of imperial domain over your
workload or your business. Exclusivity is for marriage, not the office.
However, as a professional, you should be smart and mature enough when to
say when and not put a paying client in danger by being greedy.