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