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Moonlighting refers to the practice
of working a second job outside normal business hours. Therefore, an employee
may work a normal 9-to-5 job as a primary source of income but work nights at a
different job to earn extra money.
Employees who work for private
businesses may be subject to any policies the company has in place regarding Moonlighting.
Certain organizations may not want employees to work additional jobs while
others might not care. Employees for public organizations may need to check
with any agency regulations or federal laws concerning having two jobs.
According to a report by The
Huffington Post in 2016, stated one in two Indians hold more than one job for
extra income or to acquire a new skill. Reasons may vary from earning more
cash, to pay off a debt to learn a new skill or just to put their time to
better use.
Different Perspectives:-
Moonlighting is a challenge for both;
employees and employers. From the employers' point of view, the expectation is
that employees should always put out their best version and will be prompt and
prepared to face any challenges thrown at them.
But, if employees are hustling and
juggling between multiple jobs, sometimes things will slip. Fatigue, lack of
sleep, and poor attentiveness starts taking place. Some employees purposely
perform mediocre work; instead of excellent work at their day jobs, that is
their primary livelihoods.
Some employers welcome moonlighting
as they are cheaper and more flexible than regular full-time employees.
Moonlighting employees are particularly affordable for short-term projects and
work such as inventory, month-end or seasonal rushes, and annual
maintenance. Another major concern is whether the moonlighting may violate
or a majority of times it does violate employees' duty of loyalty to their
primary employers. Employees owe their loyalty toward employers, meaning they
cannot violate confidential information or take advantage of secret information
to moonlight.
Why there should be unambiguous
Moonlighting Policies:
Even organizations that do have
moonlighting policy find it difficult to tackle a situation where employees are
focusing more on the other company. As an entrepreneur/hiring officer here is
why you need to be cautious about the moonlighting policies and practices in
your company.
1. Security- It is possible for the
employee to intentionally/unintentionally give out the company's secrets to the
wrong people.
2. Using resources inappropriately- From
the office space to the High-speed internet connection, the resources can be
exploited.
3. Depreciating working performance -
Juggling from working hours is never healthy. It will make the employee lazy
and lethargic; which will affect working performance.
The most effective clause is
Non-competes:-
In today's world, where data has
surpassed oil, it becomes necessary for an employer to add a non-competes clause
in your employment agreement. This agreement discourages employees from working
with a competitor. It can vary from state to state and depends on a specific
industry, a non-competes clause does not last forever.
Non-competes clause can last during
employment plus a defined period after separation (for understanding the case;
one year after employment ends).
Non-competes are generally for a
position where the employee is handling sensitive information or is involved in
high-level decision making. These types of non-competes generally go to Vice
presidents and manager-level positions.
Best Practices to counter moonlighting:-
1. Let your companies’ moonlight- Unless
your company is engaged in sensitive or proprietary work that can withstand a
legal challenge, it is unwise to restrain your employees from moonlighting.
While employees are at work they should not work on anything other than company
business. After work, employees' time is their time and as an employer, you
should respect that.
2. Have a friendly talk with your
employee- Once you come to know that your employee is moonlighting, stay calm, and talk to them. Enquire the reasons that prompted them to take a part-time
job, try to understand their point of view and assess the situation.
3. Offer alternative solutions- Provide
alternative solutions within the organization. If moonlighting is causing
tiredness at work, add it to the discussion. If an employee has taken up a
part-time job due to a financial emergency, offer them flexible loan
opportunities. This will help you to gain more trust and loyalty in the
employee.
4. Take proactive steps- Let the
workforce know that you understand their dilemma in a bad economy. You
understand that they are trying to make their ends meet. This will help you to
gain employee commitment at such a level that they would not moonlight at all.
The borderline is clear, that you do
not want Moonlighting to affect your operations and reputation; it’s a good idea to communicate that belief to employees and to enhance their job satisfaction
(intrinsic, extrinsic and psychic).
From the employees’ perspective, it
is suggested to be loyal to your multiple jobs. Let moonlighting add value
to yourself, aligning your personal as well as your professional goals.
Being loyal to your multiple jobs,
being true to yourself and doing your work efficiently in your respective job
will result in becoming an asset for your company.
Written by - Soham Upadhye
Edited by – Bushra Makhdoomi
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