Infosys cracks whip on moonlighting, tells employees, 'Remember - No two-timing, no moonlighting’

As the moonlighting debate in the IT sector intensifies, Indian software giant Infosys has warned its employees against taking up secondary employment in an email sent out by the HR department.

The email reads, “Remember - NO TWO-TIMING - NO MOONLIGHTING.” The email stresses on clauses of the employment contract which restrict employees from taking up secondary employment. 

“At Infosys, dual employment is not permitted as per the employee handbook and the code of conduct. As clearly stated in your offer letter, you agree not to take employment, whether full-time or part-time as director/partner/member/employee of any other organisation/entity engaged in any form of business activity without the consent of Infosys. The consent may be given subject to any terms and conditions that the company may think fit and may be withdrawn at any time at the discretion of the company, ” the email stresses.

Business Today had reviewed the employment contract of Infosys last month to find out that the company discourages ‘moonlighting’. Employees can only take up secondary employment or side gigs after taking consent from the company. The employment contract reads, “You agree not to undertake employment, whether full-time or part-time, as the Director / Partner Member/Employee of any other organization/entity engaged in any form of business activity without the consent of Infosys. The consent may be given subject to any terms and conditions that the Company may think fit and may be withdrawn at any time at the discretion of the Company.” This is a compulsory condition of employment.

Infosys is not the only Indian IT company which has expressed its distaste for moonlighting. The employment contracts of other Indian IT giants like TCS, Wipro, Tech Mahindra, and HCL Technologies also do not make it easy for employees to take up secondary employment. 

Even leaders of these IT sector companies have publicly voiced their dislike of moonlighting. Wipro’s executive chairman, Rishad Premji, tweeted last month that “There is a lot of chatter about people moonlighting in the tech industry.  This is cheating - plain and simple.” N Ganapathy Subramaniam, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Executive Director at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) told Business Today at India@100 Summit last month that employees might lose out in the long term if they chase short-term gains via moonlighting. 

He said, “Moonlighting is an ethical issue, we need to inculcate the ethics and the idea of being right and if we make something like this for short-term gains, in the long-term we will lose out.”

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