What is Moonlighting?
Moonlighting has all of sudden become a popular term. The term “moonlight,” according to the Online Etymology Dictionary, means to “keep a second employment, especially at night,” hence the name. Moonlighting is the practice of working a second job, typically covertly, according to the Cambridge Dictionary.
Why it’s in the news?
Although the expression is not new, it has recently gained popularity after several Indian IT companies called out the practice of moonlighting unethical and cheating. During the pandemic, even full-time employees took up second jobs — for reasons like earning extra money, and sufficient spare time, which they usually spent commuting, without telling their primary employers and without realising that their employment contracts would have forbidden them. These employees might not have even considered that their company will fire them for using their leisure time to work for someone else.
Please click here to read the full article by Manish Jha, published in ET Insights.
Manish’s key focus area is civil, commercial, and criminal litigation. Manish specialises in arbitration also.