Tech Mahindra To Allow Employees To Take ‘gig’ Jobs, Set To Unveil Moonlighting Policy This Month

Tech Mahindra To Allow Employees To Take ‘gig’ Jobs, Set To Unveil Moonlighting Policy This Month

November 16, 2022: IT service provider Tech Mahindra is evaluating allowing side gigs as long as they don’t disrupt work at the company and are only short-term.

Amid the controversy over moonlighting, a practice already employed on other jobs, major information technology (IT) companies including Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys and Wipro have cracked down on their workers as they try to eliminate moonlighting. Fear that employees will share corporate secrets with competitors.

IT services provider Tech Mahindra is all set to unveil its moonlighting policy for employees this month, according to the company’s Global Chief People Officer Harshvendra Soin.

The Bengaluru-based Mahindra Group company is evaluating allowing side gigs as long as they do not interfere with work at Tech Mahindra and are only for short periods, such as weekends or two hours a week, ET quoted. Says Soin, who is also its marketing head.

In August this year, food delivery startup Swiggy introduced a moonlighting policy to allow its employees to take up external projects after work hours under certain conditions.

Tech Mahindra will be one of the few companies with a formal moonlighting policy. Recently, IT major Infosys, which had earlier warned employees about juggling between two jobs, softened its stance, allowing employees to take up “gig” jobs on the side with the prior consent of managers.

Many industry experts believe the move could help IT majors deal with attrition challenges, as it allows employees to take on an additional source of income.

Recently, Rishad Premji, executive chairman of Wipro and former chairman of IT industry body Nasscom, raised concerns about employees taking up side gigs to work on more than one job at a time, calling it a ‘fraud’ in a Twitter post.

In this context it is important to mention that Tech Mahindra’s moonlighting policy will include certain principles such as work cannot be in competition, and must adhere to the main service agreement or customer agreement, require written permission from the company and cannot infringe on the interests of the company.

“One needs to be open about it. If you come and take written permission, it is valid, but there is a process to be followed,” Soin told the financial daily.

Earlier this month, in a post-earnings conference call, Tech Mahindra Chief Executive Officer (CEO) CP Gurnani said the company has not yet formulated a policy on moonlighting as it has to be something that complies with over 90 local laws. Countries where it had operations.

Gurnani added that employees should not hide such instances as sometimes these can also add value to their CV. However, in cases where employees may enter moonlighting without prior permission, then a ‘No Tolerance’ policy will be followed.

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The company has taken strict action against those who do not disclose their side hustles, Soin said.

The publication quoted him as saying, “For example, if you’ve applied for a job and we think you’re currently moonlighting, we obviously won’t hire you. We have actually stopped a significant number of people from coming in.”

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