Outside Employment and Business Interests

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Policy Category and Number: Executive

Responsible Officer: Chief Human Resources Officer 

History: Outside Employment or Business Policy, 2016; 9/26/25 updated Policy, 2016 

Responsible Office: Human Resources 

Purpose

This policy is intended to provide guidance for Wentworth Institute of Technology (university) employees who engage in outside activities which may interfere with their obligations to the university.  

Scope/Applicability

This policy applies to all faculty, staff, and affiliates of the university.  

Legal

N/A

Policy

Faculty, staff, and administrators are encouraged to participate in outside activities as a means of improving not only their own competence and prestige, but the prestige of Wentworth as well. However, these additional activities must not interfere with their primary commitment to Wentworth nor create a conflict of interest or commitment. 

Definitions

Outside Activities: An activity in which a person utilizes their knowledge, skills or other abilities and for which a person may or may not receive pay, benefits, or recognition. Examples include but are not limited to: employment at an outside business, consulting activities, volunteer work, and professional associations. See Procedures for additional information.  

University Resources: All university equipment and materials, including university email, university social media accounts, university equipment and materials, intellectual property, and workforce (time of other university employees)  

Significant Use of Wentworth Resources: Means extensive or non-routine use. Many WIT resources are routinely used, including resources such as the library, WIT-owned computers, whiteboards, photocopiers, office supplies, and telephones, and students also routinely use labs, studios and other maker spaces as part of employment. Routine use of such resources or equipment generally will not constitute Significant Use of WIT resources. In contrast, extensive use of such resources or equipment outside scope of employment, non-routine use of such resources or equipment, or inordinate use of labs, studios and other maker would constitute Significant Use of WIT resources. 

Conflict of Interest: Conflict of interest is a situation in which an employee or their family member's external financial, professional, or other personal consideration may directly or indirectly affect, or have the appearance of affecting, the employee's professional judgement in exercising any university duty or responsibility. For more information, please see the Conflict of Interest Policy.  

Conflict of Commitment: A potential conflict of commitment exists when a Wentworth employee’s external professional or personal activities have the possibility (either in actuality or in appearance) of: 

  • Conflicting with the employee’s work hours for the University;
  • Interfering with that individual’s ability to perform, or effectiveness in performing, the full range of responsibilities associated with their position at Wentworth.

Examples would be;

  • performing work for another employer during the hours the employee is scheduled to be working for Wentworth.
  • publishing work or submitting grant proposals without proper acknowledgement of Wentworth
  • Engaging in activities that would be considered in competition with Wentworth goals.  

De Minimis Use: In very limited circumstances, university resources may be used if:

  • there is little or no cost to Wentworth
  • use is brief or infrequent (e.g., 5-10 minutes occasionally or every once in a while);
  • the use does not interfere with the employee’s official duties;
  • the use does not disrupt other Wentworth employees;
  • the use does not compromise the security of Wentworth property, information or software.  
  • Does not present a conflict of commitment  

Procedure(s)

General Requirements

All Wentworth employees must disclose any outside activities, as defined above, on an annual basis and/or prior to the decision to add an additional outside activity based upon the category that best describes each activity:

  • Category 1: Requires prior approval by supervisor and divisional leader and annual approval thereafter.  
  • Category 2: Requires annual disclosure.
  • Category 3: No disclosure required.
  • Category 4: No disclosure required.

All faculty and staff members will be subject to Wentworth’s scheduling needs, regardless of any requirements related to outside activities. 

While engaging in outside activities, Wentworth employees have an obligation to avoid ethical, legal, financial, and other conflicts of interest to ensure that their outside activities do not conflict with the interests and purposes of Wentworth. For example, engaging in business or employment with an organization that is a supplier of goods or services to the Institute will be considered a conflict of interest. Making use of a person’s status with Wentworth to further outside business interests or associating Wentworth with a product or service offered by an outside organization in which the employee has a business interest will not be approved. It is the employee’s responsibility to disclose such activities to their supervisor prior to engaging in these activities.

Engaging in a conflict of interest or a conflict of commitment is prohibited and appearances of either should be minimized. 

  • Staff and faculty should not accept for themselves, or others any payments, loans, services, favors involving more than the ordinary social amenity, or gifts of more than token value from any person or organization doing or seeking to do business with the Institute.  Staff and faculty should not perform work or services outside the course of their normal employment by the Institute, for an organization doing or seeking to do business with the university.  
  • For faculty, to eliminate appearances of a conflict of commitment, the time spent on outside activities should not exceed the equivalent of 1 day per week. This includes any outside activities included in a faculty member’s plan of work.  
  • Employees should avoid employment or other personal commitment that interferes with an employee’s commitment to the furtherance of the Institute's mission during the course of their employment.

Any use of university resources, other than de minimis use, is prohibited unless included as part of a faculty member’s plan of work or prior official approval.

Outside activities will not be considered an excuse for poor job performance, tardiness, absenteeism, leaving early, refusing to travel, refusing overtime, refusing to work alternative hours if required by your job description, or other reasons for being unable to sustain your agreed-upon work hours.    

Employees are prohibited from using any Wentworth tools, computer programs or applications, materials or equipment or using any confidential information about Wentworth for the benefit of a third party without prior official approval. In addition, employees are not to solicit or conduct any outside business during working time.    

Categories of Outside Activities

Category 1

  1. Teaching, research, or administration of a grant (other than those submitted on behalf of a professional society) at an educational institution, trust, organization, government agency, foundation, or other entity outside of the University;  
  2. Employment outside of the University;  
  3. Assuming a founding or a co-founding role of a company;  
  4. Assuming an executive or managerial position outside of the University other than positions within professional societies.
  5. Current or pending acceptance of an honorary, visiting, adjunct, or other institutional appointment (either compensated or uncompensated) at an outside institution of higher education, research institute, or medical center affiliated with an outside institution of higher education, non-U.S. government, or other entity.  
  6. Current or pending participation in, or application to, talent recruitment programs (specifically designed to recruit science and technology professionals or students) 

Category 2

  1. Additional University-compensated teaching outside of assigned workload, including summer programs, professional education and workforce development.  
  2. Consulting or testifying as an expert or professional witness;  
  3. Providing outside consulting services or referrals or engaging in professional practice as an individual or through a single- member professional corporation or sole proprietorship;  
  4. Serving on a board of directors outside of the university;  
  5. Providing or presenting a workshop for industry;  

Category 3

These are considered within the scope of university employment.  

  1. Serving on government or professional panels or committees or as an officer or board member of a professional or scholarly society;  
  2. Reviewing manuscripts; acting in an editorial capacity;  
  3. Attending and presenting talks at university/academic colloquia and conferences;  
  4. Developing scholarly or creative works;  
  5. Accepting honoraria for scholarly, intellectual, educational, outreach work within the course and scope of employment; and,  
  6. Receiving prizes, defined as gifts in recognition of personal achievements and not for services rendered. 

Category 4  

  1. Other volunteer and or public service not associated with job duties. 

Enforcement

Employees who violate this policy will be subject to discipline, up to and including termination of employment  

Additional Information & Related Documents

Conflict of Interest Policy  

Interpretation & Revision

Any questions of interpretation regarding this policy shall be referred to Human Resources. They will be the final authority regarding the interpretation of this Policy.

This policy shall be reviewed every three years, however minor changes and updates can be made at any time.  

Wentworth will typically apply the policy in place at the time it receives a report concerning the respected policy.

Additionally, in instances where two or more policies are implicated, a case-by-case determination will be made to determine what policy will be used.

Review and Revision History

This policy was drafted by representatives from Academic Affairs and Human Resource. It was reviewed by Cabinet and approved by the President on 09/26/2025.

This policy replaces the Outside Employment or Business Policy, 2016