Recently many companies have fired their employees from the organization. There are many reasons behind this like cost cutting, AI, and bank collapse but one of the major issues is moonlighting. Almost all the big companies have very strict policies against moonlighting. Wipro, an Indian tech giant fired 300 employees from work because they were moonlighting. Chairman of Wipro Aziz Permji called moonlighting – “Cheating”. Later on in clarification, they said employees can moonlight but not for competitors. Working professionals want to earn more money along with the job and there is no better way than moonlighting. Later in this moonlighting topic, you will find out the pros and cons of moonlighting.
Meaning of Moonlighting
Moonlighting is when an employee starts doing extra jobs other than their main job. Moonlighting is not something new it has been there for a long time some of the major startups are the result of this. Recently this become quite popular and has gained the attention of stakeholders. They are not happy with this due to obvious reasons. As per The Desklog, almost 60% of employees moonlight to earn extra money for their startup. Ministers, cricketers, and Bollywood actors are doing business that also comes under this category.
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Pros of Moonlighting
- One of the major advantages of moonlighting is it allows employees to earn more money. Inflation is rising and for the betterment of the future, they want to earn more and more money so moonlighting is a good option.
- It makes people skilful as they acquire new skills for different projects and learn how to make money on their own.
- With moonlighting a person can pursue their hobby or passion along with a job and earn money from that. Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh left a copywriting job to become an actor and Tapsee Panu left a software engineering job for an acting career.
- Many successful startups are the result of this like the Flipkart founder who used to work in Amazon before building this e-commerce business.
- If a company fired an employee then they have a chance to earn money from their second job.
- Almost everyone does some kind of moonlighting such as investing money, celebrities opening businesses, CEOs investing in other companies, and Farmers selling dairy products.
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Cons of Moonlighting
- It has been found that instead of focusing on both jobs employees start giving focus to second work.
- Employees doing work for extra hours may feel tired in the office and this will lead to less productivity.
- There is a chance of data breach if they work with sensitive data and also work for a competitor in the same domain.
- Employees use the loopholes and drawbacks of one company to create their startup which is ethically not right.
- Working too much and taking too much work stress will lead a person to poor mental health.
- Employees in some cases use the office resources for their gains.
- Many founders and CEOs think moonlighting is not a legal issue but an ethical issue.
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Legal Aspect of Moonlighting
- There are no laws against moonlighting in India and this means it’s completely legal to do moonlighting.
- If there has been a written contract between the employer and employee that restricts an employee from moonlighting and the employee has agreed to it. In this scenario, it becomes a legal interest, and breaching this will lead to legal action mentioned in the agreement.
- As per the Industrial Employment Rules (Standing Orders) 1946, an employee can work against the employer’s interest or take any work that harms them.
- Factories that are governed by the Factories Act 1948 might have restrictions on dual employment.
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Conclusion
Moonlighting happens at almost every level in India. If it’s not impacting your main job performance and employer directly or indirectly then it’s ok. Employees need to make sure they do not work for the competitor and need to clear all the details with their employer first. This practice will ensure transparency and employers will know that employees are not violating the the laws and regulations. It is the employer’s responsibility to communicate all the messages clearly to employees and make an agreement about this. Also, employers should not stop employees from working for different industries. Infosys allows employees to do second job but with the permission of the manager.
References
- https://labour.gov.in/sites/default/files/Industrial-Employment-Standing-Orders-Act-1946.pdf
- https://labour.gov.in/sites/default/files/factories_act_1948.pdf
- https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/wipro-fired-300-people-for-moonlighting-how-did-the-company-catch-these-employees-2284309-2022-10-12
