Any actions that conflict with such obligations would warrant disciplinary action against that employee,” he added.“There is a culture shift about taking up side gigs. Companies are aware that they can’t stop people beyond a point. Wipro chairman Rishad Premji who has been a vocal critic, recently said the company had fired 300 employees who were found to have been working secretly for competitors.A consultant, who did not wish to be named, told ET that the potential challenges around moonlighting will create the need for companies to ensure contracts are more watertight and clear boundaries laid down. “This is a classical friction as employee expectations and technology moves faster than regulation,” he said.Some companies are asking law firms to re-examine contracts in a way that their interests are protected while giving employees some flexibility as well.Veena Gopalakrishnan, partner, employment law, at AZB & Partners, said the term ‘moonlighting’ inherently has a connotation of clandestineness associated with it and clients are looking to address that. “In some cases, we have seen even HR teams doing outreach activities to understand gaps between company policies and people’s aspirations so that they can create win-win solutions.

Source: Economic Times September 28, 2022 00:58 UTC