The majority of IT firms have strengthened their opposition to moonlighting and threatened to fire employees who are found to be working two jobs. Moonlighting could be viewed as unfair competition if an employee’s contract stipulates non-compete restrictions and exclusive employment.
Significant IT business, Infosys, has cautioned its employees against accepting a second job without first informing the employer. Infosys recently reminded all of its employees to study their employment contracts before accepting a different job in one of the letters sent to staff members by the HR department. In fact, the employer also issued a warning that if an employee accepted a second job during or after working hours, they risked being fired. The term that IT corporates uses to describe this practice is ‘moonlighting’.
But what is moonlighting?
Moonlighting means taking up a second job or multiple other work assignments apart from one’s full-time job. The practice of working for other organisation while committing oneself to one’s primary workplace, typically without the employer’s knowledge, is termed as ‘moonlighting’. Companies have opposed the practice, saying that employees doing multiple jobs can impact their productivity.
Moonlighting has become a topic of debate in the IT industry as working from home became the normal norm during the Covid-19 pandemic, which is believed to have led to a rise in dual employment.
Businesses disagree with the approach, claiming that having staff perform numerous tasks can reduce productivity. As working from home became the norm during the Covid-19 pandemic, which is thought to have caused an increase in dual employment, moonlighting has come under discussion in the IT industry.
