When Wipro Chairman Rishad Premji tweeted that moonlighting was cheating, it caused a furore in the tech industry. Premji’s August 20 tweet put the matter in the spotlight and sparked chatter about the practice and employee rights. In the two months since, some IT companies have walked the distance from slamming the practice to framing a policy around it.
Moneycontrol reported on October 20 that Infosys sent out an email to its managerial-level staff, permitting employees to take on external gigs, making it the first large software services company in India to do so. Infosys said employees can take up gigs with the prior consent of their managers and HR. These gigs should be done on their personal time and should not compete with either Infosys or its clients.
Infosys did not use the term ‘moonlighting’ in its gig-policy email. Dual employment will continue to be prohibited – as it always has been and as is standard across companies.Welcome moveProfessionals welcomed the decision by Infosys to allow external gigs, hailing it as a clear policy for employees.It is a “brilliant move” on Infosys’ part, said TN Hari, cofounder of Artha School of Entrepreneurship and former head of HR at BigBasket.“The policy is clear and avoids using terms like moonlighting, which can be interpreted differently by different people. This is an attempt to embrace the change that is sweeping the world of work,” he said. He added that by allowing employees the freedom to pursue gigs as long as there is no conflict, the company has “ensured that employees learn, earn, and fulfil their need for professional upgradation. This policy will also bridge the trust deficit that was created by the earlier stand that was myopic and confrontational.”Aditya Narayan Mishra, chief executive officer of CIEL HR, called the move “highly sensible.”“This is significant in the current environment where so much fire has been spewed at people who preferred burning the midnight oil to give expression to their ambition,” Mishra said.The Infosys email also attempts to clarify what is unethical and unacceptable, he said.“All progressive companies should do this and put an end to the debate. The early movers will strengthen their employer brands,” he said.Former Infosys HR head Nandita Gurjar said the policy is a mature approach to accept that some employees would like to work on their skills in their spare time. "It could be another job or work on an idea or startup. Once organisations understand the nature of this work, they can structure the employment contracts accordingly," she said.
A policy such as this opens up the opportunity for people to be part of a startup idea or contribute to gig services like interview as a service, training and assessment, teaching, or doing something they are passionate about outside work hours, said Sriram Rajagopal, cofounder of Diamondpick, a talent solutions company. This could include running a restaurant, clothing/design, urban farming, and mentoring other developers.He agreed with Infosys on the issue of dual employment, calling it a non-compete issue.Backlash concernsWhile the move has been welcomed, concerns have been raised over managers who may not be supportive of team members taking up external gigs. Any such change, especially when transformative in nature, takes time for the rough edges to be smoothened, said Rituparna Chakraborty, cofounder of TeamLease Services.“However, when there is an atmosphere of transparency where both parties are aware and in sync with the choices being made, the organisation has to provide ample safety net to minimise any bias,” she said. The best way to go about this is to engage in inclusive conversations before it is put in place.“It’s important to bring everyone on board through ample communication and opening up channels for grievance handling. It won’t be easy. However, one has to get started,” Chakraborty said.Artha’s Hari suggested that one way to avoid this concern would be to have a compliance team, and not individual managers, handle such requests. These requests, he said, should be evaluated against guidelines that have been laid down in the policy and cleared within a defined timeline.“Managers need not be told that so and so from their team is doing an approved gig. Managers should continue to manage and evaluate their team members against deliverables and outcomes required of them,” he said.Start of a trend?The move by Infosys comes after Swiggy introduced a policy that allowed employees to take up external gigs after clearing an internal approval process.
A survey by Kotak Institutional Equities found that 65 percent of respondents either picked up part-time jobs while working from home or were aware of a co-worker who had.Infosys had also said it is creating opportunities for gig work internally through its Accelerate platform. The programme allows managers to list gigs that employees can take up. Chief executive officer Salil Parekh said about 4,000 people apply each quarter and 600 are selected on average.The move by Infosys may also help ease its attrition rate, which came in at 27.1 percent in the quarter ended September 30.
Most companies explicitly prohibit employees from taking up a second job or doing other work. Companies have approached law firms for a relook at employment contracts after they found employees working in multiple jobs and have reached out to employment verification and forensic companies.Experts at a Moneycontrol Masterclass on moonlighting said that while a second fulltime job is unacceptable and a violation of trust, one cannot control what employees do in their free time.
The panellists called for an employee engagement policy that outlines the guidelines for ethical moonlighting in a way that benefits employees and employers.Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
Find the best of Al News in one place, specially curated for you every weekend.
Stay on top of the latest tech trends and biggest startup news.
