I caught my employee secretly working a second remote job. Here's why I decided to fire them — and why I think overemployment is unethical.

Patrick Synge

This as-told-to essay is based on an email conversation with Patrick Synge, the cofounder and CEO of the business process outsourcing and remote recruitment company Metrickal. The business is headquartered in Barcelona and has 10 full-time, fully remote employees, in addition to over 200 contractors worldwide. The following has been edited for length and clarity.