united-states
Etsy Production During Work Hours
<p>A coworker in the same building as me uses downtime to knit at his desk. Apparently he will sell these knittings on Etsy for a good deal of money. (>$8k over the course of a year)</p>

<p>I obviously don't care, but I am certain that he is also getting paid by the company while he works on his for-profit knitting.</p>

<p>All judgement aside, what's the worst or most likely possible punishment he could be subjected to as a result of this activity?</p>

<p>Location Northeast US.</p>

<p>To the best of my knowledge, there is nothing illegal about this. It might be against company policy. The company could fire a person who did another job during work hours, or discipline such a person in some other way. However, if conducted during "downtime" when a person must be ready and available but has not actual duties, and if there is no interference with the person's actual work, the company might well take no action.</p>
