Of late, there has been a lot of chatter on the issue of moonlighting by those working in the tech industry. The latest to join the conversation is Rishad Premji, the executive chairman of Wipro, who took to Twitter on Saturday, and pointed out that this practice was "cheating- plain and simple." He tweeted: “There is a lot of chatter about people moonlighting in the tech industry. This is cheating - plain and simple.”
Moonlighting here refers to the practice of taking up other jobs and assignments while working full-time with an organisation. Most organisations frown upon this practice and many have provisions to prevent this in by placing limitations in the employment contracts.
Despite this, the onset of ‘work from home’ culture, which was ushered in by the pandemic, made it easier for employees to take up side gigs.
However, there may not be too many young techies who agree with Premji.
A 26-year-old working in a leading IT sector company from Pune, talking to Business Today on the condition of anonymity, disagreed with Premji’s take on moonlighting. She told Business Today, “I do not see why ‘moonlighting is cheating.’ The organisation pays for my services for 40-45 hours every week, which I sincerely perform. What I do in my free time should not bother them.”
She further added that moonlighting also helps her in improving her skill-set. She said, “Taking up side gigs helps me learn and polish my skills which are not otherwise used at my full-time job.”
Interestingly, the 26-year-old also added that her side hustle pays her better than her current full-time job.
She explained, “I take up short assignments, that take up 3-5 weeks depending on the work. I get paid 2-3 times more in the same time frame than my day job. Moreover, the exposure I get is extremely valuable.”
Another IT sector employee also stressed on the benefits of moonlighting. He told BT, “Although even my company does not like this practice, it is actually very helpful for my profile.”
The 23-year-old said, “All these projects help me build my profile. If I apply for a master's degree abroad, I can show how I built certain challenging projects.”
The 23-year-old builds bots on Twitter for marketing purposes. “I get Rs 7,000 to Rs 12,000 depending upon the complexity of the bot. The basic code for most bots is same so does not take much time. I build 3-4 bots every month," he explained.
He also plans on funding his master's degree from the money he makes from his side hustle, “I am saving this extra money to fund my master's degree. Higher education is very expensive, especially in this economy.”
But an HR executive highlighted why this practice is frowned upon in most companies. Icha Pathak, an HR manager working in a tech start-up said: “Freelancing in the same industry creates a conflict of interest. Employees might use the company provided tools and softwares for personal causes, which is ethically wrong.”
She further added, “They might also share sensitive information about the company. This is why many companies are adding the condition in employment contracts to stop this practice. In such organisations, if employees are caught moonlighting, legal action can be taken against them based on the contract between employer and employee.”
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