Can You Do Fractional Work While Employed Full-Time?
What Senior Women Need to Know
The Short Answer (And Why the Real Answer Is “It Depends”)
Yes — many senior women do fractional work while remaining employed full-time.
They do it ethically.
They do it safely.
And they do it without blowing up the careers they’ve spent years building.
But the real question isn’t whether you can do fractional work.
It’s how you do it.
Most of the risk people worry about doesn’t come from fractional leadership itself — it comes from:
- unclear boundaries
- informal “helping out”
- assumptions about contracts
- and lack of structure
Fractional work done thoughtfully is not reckless.
Fractional work done casually often is.
What Usually Creates Risk (And What Actually Doesn’t)
Let’s separate myth from reality.
What cancreate genuine problems
- Working with direct competitors of your employer
- Using your employer’s time, tools, or IP for outside work
- Vague, informal advising with no scope or agreement
- Hiding work instead of structuring it properly
- Taking on contracts when your full-time employment specifically prohibits it.
These aren’t fractional-specific risks — they’re boundary risks.
What usually doesn’t create problems
- Advising companies outside your employer’s market (provided your contract doesn’t prohibit this)
- Clearly scoped, time-boxed leadership work
- One or two clients sourced from your existing network
- Work focused on strategy, direction, or leadership, not execution
The Contract Question: What You Actually Need to Look For
This is where many of us either panic — or procrastinate.
You do not need to become a lawyer overnight.
You do need to read your contract properly.
Pay attention to:
- Non-compete clauses (often narrower than assumed)
- Outside business interests language IP ownership and use of company tools or materials
Two important things to remember:
- Many contracts are written broadly but enforced narrowly
- Assuming the worst is not the same as understanding the risk
If you’re unsure, a short legal review can be clarifying — and far less scary than imagined.
Why Informal Advising Is Riskier Than Structured Fractional Work
Here’s the part most women don’t expect:
The riskiest version of “fractional work” is often the one that isn’t named.
Saying yes to:
- “Just a quick call”
- “Can you advise us?”
- “Could you look over this?”
…without scope, boundaries, or clarity.
This is where:
- time leaks
- expectations creep
- authority blurs
- and value goes unpaid
Structured fractional leadership — with defined outcomes and limits — is often safer than informal helping that lives in grey areas.
Structure isn’t rigidity.
It’s protection.
That isn’t to say that the first work won’t come from a (very helpful) bit of advice that you give someone. But as soon as you spend more than a few hours with an organization the work needs scoping properly.
How to Explore Fractional Work Safely (A Simple Framework)
If you want to explore fractional leadership while employed, think small, scoped, and intentional.
A safe starting framework looks like this:
- Start with your existing network
Former colleagues, trusted founders, known organisations - Define the role clearly
Strategic advisor, fractional leader, scoped engagement — not “extra help” - Time-box it
A 90-day engagement is ideal - Separate everything
Time, tools, email, devices — keep clean boundaries - Review before expanding
Treat this as an experiment, not a commitment
This is how we test entrepreneurship with training wheels — without unnecessary risk.
For many women, this safe exploration begins with someone they already know. In fact, your first fractional client is far more likely to come from your existing network than from marketing or cold outreach.
What This Looks Like in Real Life
Here are three common (and realistic) examples:
- A VP advising a startup in a completely different industry, one afternoon a month, on strategy and scaling
- A director supporting a former colleague’s company through a defined 90-day leadership transition
- A senior leader taking on one fractional client to test fit before making any broader career changes
None of these require quitting.
All require clarity.
When It’s Not the Right Time
It’s also important to say this clearly:
There are times when waiting is wise.
For example:
- You’re in the middle of a sensitive internal transition
- Your role involves highly confidential or regulated work
- You don’t have the capacity to protect boundaries right now
Pausing isn’t failure.
It’s discernment.
Good leaders choose timing as carefully as opportunity.
The Real Question to Ask Yourself
Instead of asking:
“Am I allowed to do this?”
Try asking:
- What do I want to test, not decide?
- What am I hoping to learn?
- What would “safe” look like for me?
Fractional leadership doesn’t demand certainty.
It rewards intentional exploration.
A Calm Next Step (If You Want One)
If this article has surfaced curiosity — or relief — you don’t need to figure it out alone.
I offer a limited number of personalized strategy calls each month for senior women exploring fractional leadership and portfolio careers while still employed.
We look at:
- whether fractional work makes sense for you
- safe, ethical starting points
- how to explore options without risking your current role
No pressure.
No push toward quitting.
Just clarity.
👉 Book a discovery call here.
Your experience hasn’t expired.
It’s simply ready for a different shape.
NOTE: This article is not legal advice and should not be considered as such. If in doubt ensure that any agreements and employment contracts are reviewed by a suitably qualified person.
