»Shopify requires your undivided attention!«

Shopify got itself into a lot of trouble with this memo. (Symbolic image; photo by Roberto Cortese on Unsplash)

Shopify is a Canadian e-commerce software. With the help of the software, small and medium-sized retailers can easily create online shops. Now the CEO has made a critical statement that offends many employees.

What is it about?

According to Business Insider, Tobias Lütke addressed his employees in a leaked company-wide memo.

In other words, he wants to avoid his employees taking on part-time jobs. This statement is very critical because it implies an indirect ban.

In Germany, contractually agreed part-time job bans can only be legally effective in special cases. In principle, Article 12 of the Basic Law applies, which guarantees freedom of occupation.

A blanket ban is ineffective in this country. Although secondary employment must be reported, precise information about the employer does not have to be provided.

Part-time jobs can only be prohibited if the company’s interests cannot be protected and the employee exceeds the statutory maximum working time of 48 hours.

Shopify contradicts its own policies

According to its own statements, Shopify is a company for entrepreneurs. This probably only applies as long as employees work on their own Shopify shops and do not have any other part-time jobs. (Symbolic image; photo by Igor Miske on Unsplash)

Shopify promotes its image as a company for entrepreneurs. This memo came as a surprise to many employees.

Lütke further said that he encourages employees to open their own shops to stay familiar with the product. Even the company’s president, Harley Finkelstein, has his own Shopify store called Fireball Tea.

This is probably the preferred type of part-time job. Lütge said that his criticism was not generally referring to small part-time jobs.

However, he warns against larger additional commitments. They shouldn’t get in the way of Shopify.

Jess Hertz – Shopify’s general counsel – responded to Lütke’s memo and explained that all employees would receive and fill out an email with further details about reporting outside activities.

This approach is a serious infringement on the rights of employees. Shopify has not yet responded to Business Insider’s request.

What do you think? Should companies simply be allowed to decide whether you can do part-time jobs or not? This example shows again why occupational safety actually exists. Have you ever experienced something similar? Feel free to write it to us in the comments.