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What is Moonlighting? Is it something you can take up?

Moonlighting allows you to carry on with your full-time job and pursue a side hustle, most preferably during the weekend or after your work hours. Many professionals enjoy the flexibility and freedom of being able to choose what they do each day to make their work meaningful, while others see it as a way to earn additional income.

Is it ethical in India? What do companies have to say about this trend?

There have been many articles written on the growing trend of moonlighting and there are different perspectives on the same. Here’s what decision makers and companies have to say: Wipro Chairman Rishad Premji is clear about his take on this. “There is a lot of chatter about people moonlighting in the tech industry. This is cheating - plain and simple," he earlier tweeted.

Mohandas Pai the former director of Infosys disagrees with Premji and does not consider moonlighting as “cheating”. “Employment is a contract between an employer who pays me for working for them for 'n' number of hours a day. Now what I do after that time is my freedom, I can do what I want," Business Today quoted him as saying.

Swiggy recently announced that it supports its employees to moonlight and pursue other career aspirations along with their current full-time job as long as it doesn’t affect their productivity in their full-time job.

So, what’s the takeaway from all this?

Moonlighting Is the New Black. A review of the ongoing discourses indicates that currently there isn't an overarching legislation that makes all dual employment illegal. A person may work many jobs without breaking a law, as long as he/she isn’t causing a conflict of interest with their permanent job and doesn’t go against any clauses in the employment contract.

At the same time, certain labor laws provide restrictions on dual employment under specific cases in India. The Factories Act prohibits a worker to work in another factory. Also, some states’ Shops and Establishment Act have certain restrictions on dual employment. So before you jump in, be very careful that you are doing it right.

And Here's How to Do It Right

There are some things you should know before you dive into the world of side hustles. Make sure to run a career analysis to understand what else you might be good at and enjoy doing. You should never feel pressured to do anything you don’t want to do. Second, think about how much income you can generate from your side hustle. There are many different ways to make money, and if you choose one that doesn’t pay well, you might find yourself working long hours without getting paid very much at all. Consider a flexible job. Some jobs require you to be available during certain times of the day, while others allow you to work around your schedule. Finally, Make sure you’re willing to put in the effort required to succeed. If you’re going to take on a new career path, you’ll need to devote a good amount of time and energy to learning everything you can about it.

Things to mandatorily cross-check before stepping into the trend

One of the most important factors to consider before starting moonlighting is to check your current employment contract (full-time job contract) for any restrictive guidelines against moonlighting. Many companies expect their employees to be fully devoted to pursuing their current job without taking up a side hustle.

Also, make sure that you check and talk to your employer/reporting manager so that they are fully aware of you taking up moonlighting (even if your contract is silent on this aspect). Keep in mind that your side hustle shouldn't conflict with your current job. Transparency is very crucial so that you do not get into a situation where your employer considers this a breach of trust.

Disclaimer: At GigVistas, we aim to enhance the lives and livelihoods of professionals by providing access to meaningful short-term and flexible projects in various categories like web development, creative & media arts, content writing, sales & marketing & much more. We do not encourage anyone to take up assignments that are not permitted under their existing employment contract or that are illegal as per local laws.