~ While additional source of income remains the main reason, gaining new experiences and mental engagement out of office are also few of the reasons cited for individuals to engage in moonlighting ~
Genius Consultants Limited, one of India’s leading Integrated HR Solutions providers, conducted a survey across all sectors weighing the pros and cons of moonlighting, a phenomenon of taking a night job along with the permanent jobs. The survey was designed from the point of view of the employees and was conducted in the month of October 2022 with over 1308 individuals participating.
The trend of moonlighting created a sense of threat due to consumption of work hours for other ‘outside office work’, possibility of breach of confidentiality for employers. As most companies have included a stringent clause of either absolutely no engagement beyond the job contract or prior intimation of any such agreement, the practice of ‘Moonlighting’ is considered to be unethical by many of the employers across the world. Contrary to this belief, a convincing 76% of participants consider moonlighting as an ethical practice and hopes that employers have a shift in the current perception that it affects the productivity at their full-time job; while almost 77% urges the employers to allow it officially. The most obvious reason to engage in moonlighting is having an additional source of income and a solid 72% of participants of this survey agree to it. A majority of 60% are confident that employees can devote equal time and effort to both their jobs although the rest 40% agree that dual employment can affect efficiency and dedication. An almost equivalent response was generated while considering if moonlighting affects the overall productivity required for one’s permanent workplace – where 52% disagreed to it and remaining 48% supported the same.
The survey also considered other reasons for moonlighting like mental engagement out of office or creative satisfaction which received meek agreement of 24% and 4% respectively.
Commenting on the same, R P Yadav, CMD, Genius Consultants Ltd. said, “Every company can benefit from conducting these surveys to assess ongoing trends. Several individuals have lost their well-paying jobs due to moonlighting. It has certainly impacted employees who were reliant on dual jobs to sustain their lifestyle. However, with changing times, a few organizations are now permitting their employees to have multiple jobs. This is certainly a step towards creating stronger bonds between employees and their employers. It can eventually result in a better understanding amongst them, thus, sustaining the employee’s appeal to stay loyal to the company.”
Post the pandemic and the call for Work from office increased, a conflict interest between employers and employees is visibly growing, leading to massive layoffs, especially in the IT Sector. The strong reaction created an uproar in the Indian Inc and asks for a transformation.
The survey was conducted on all social media platforms – Official GCL pages of LinkedIn, LinkedIn Polls, Twitter, Facebook & Instagram post plus stories, Google Free Sites (Survey Monkey, Type form, Google forms, etc.).
