Moonlighting Is A Conflict Of Interest, IBM India Tells Employees

IBM has sent a message across its workforce declaring that gig work or a second job in any capacity is against the interest of the company, according to the report

"A second job could be full-time part time or contractual in nature but at its core is a failure to comply with employment obligations and a potential conflict of interest with IBM’s interest," said Sandip Patel, head of IBM's India and South Asia.

After several IT sector services firms raised their eyebrows on Moonlighting, IBM India has also declared the issue “a potential conflict of interest,” reported by Livemint. The report said that IBM has sent a message across its workforce declaring that gig work or a second job in any capacity is against the interest of the company.

"A second job could be full-time part time or contractual in nature but at its core is a failure to comply with employment obligations and a potential conflict of interest with IBM’s interest," said Sandip Patel, head of IBM's India and South Asia, said in a note to employees.

Moonlighting is a situation where the employees are engaged in additional jobs outside their regular employment without the knowledge of the primary employer.

In India, Infosys is the first company among IT firms to acknowledge the gig workforce and has set up a platform called 'Accelerate' to allow workers to participate in initiatives and activities beyond their primary jobs.

Quoting a source privy to the development, Livemint reported that accelerate projects are small tasks posted by managers on the platform which can be taken up by employees who want to utilise their free time. Events are being organised to make employees aware of the platform. 

According to the report, Infosys is assembling a human resources team made up of delivery and legal professionals who will develop the regulations needed to make this initiative successful. However the company has stated that moonlighting is not acceptable.

Wipro’s Executive Chairman Rishad Premji, recently called the moonlighting habit "cheating". Premji’s remark sparked debate and highlighted the long-festering problem of dual employment. Wipro also fired its 300 employees who were found working double shifts for competitors. TCS shares Wipro's views on moonlighting and calls it an "ethical concern."

"We don't support dual employment while working for HCL Tech. Everyone who signs up to work with HCL Tech is signing up for a contract that needs exclusivity, and has rules around confidentiality and non-solicitation," said Ramachandran Sundararajan, chief people officer, HCL Tech, raising concerns about moonlighting.