The stress of losing a job has forced employees to take up secondary jobs during the lockdown
This practice of taking up secondary employment (also called moonlighting) has triggered a discussion about its legality in India
WFH model helped employees to hide their dual employment from their employers, but now with companies calling back their employees to offices, the concern is expected to ease soon
The pandemic has opened doors to gig work opportunities as everything moved online
There was a huge demand for gig workers in different sectors, especially in the information technology, financial, and e-commerce sectors
Recently, Infosys and IBM warned their employees against moonlighting. In the last month, Wipro Chairman Azim Premji also described moonlighting as cheating in a tweet
However, Swiggy’s recent policy is in contrast with the statements made by the IT giants as it made clear that its employees can take up the secondary jobs
Human Resource legal experts say a company can restrict an employee from taking up a second job
IT companies previously raised concerns about the possibility of employees sharing valuable and confidential information with other companies, especially with their competitors
The other concerns include the exploitation of company resources and a drop in the performance of an employee
An employee must read clauses mentioned in the employment contract and comply with companies’ policies and procedures