Moonlighting is a Double-Edged Sword – Is It Really Legal in India?
The recent announcement of Moonlighting policy by Swiggy has caused an upheaval! There are opinions ranging from ‘two-timing’ and ‘cheating’ and
about ‘increased employee morale!’ Moonlighting essentially means the pursuit of a job carried out by an employee of a company after his regular office hours.
This is not even Freelancing as freelancers work for many companies simultaneously and are not permanent employees of a certain company.
Moonlighting can emerge from a hobby, or an interest and it can be monetised
or can be pro bono.
However, the employee has to declare to his company about the same and there should be no conflict of interest. Moreover, the
external projects should not impact the productivity of the main employment.
With the onset of the Pandemic, moonlighting has gained momentum.
A lot of people who take up secondary jobs are only trying to satisfy their appetite for growth, learning and doing what they love.
There are a number of portals which extend the opportunity to work part-time and earn extra income. This
is probably GIG working with a twist! It is important to understand the
intersection of Gig Economy, Millennials & GenZ (GEMZ).