Moonlighting – The Future of Work

A story of two states:

State No.1

I wanna drink, I wanna jive,

I wanna travel and eat, I have one life.

I work n work but the bucks are mighty low,

I’m terribly, terribly short on the dough!

State No.2

I wanna sing, write, travel, and create,

Daily life though isn’t glorious or great..

Mornings at work are mundane,

I use my gift in the evening to stay sane!

What’s your state? What makes you hustle in the evening to achieve your heart’s desire?

Expensive millennium cities,

High standards of living,

Expectations one must live up to,

The wish to live well,

Competition with peers with respect to car, home, and material possessions,

The comparison regarding education and coaching of one's children…

All this, and a job that earns you chump change as monthly remuneration.

What should you do? Something every smart person with a pittance as a salary is doing – Moonlighting.

For the lucky ones who don't know the meaning because they need not know... Moonlighting means working in two or more jobs.

It could be to earn the extra buck to make ends meet.

It could also be that one's passion and talent differ from one's profession, and one craves creative and aesthetic satisfaction and works towards it post-work hours.

Waking up to the news that Wipro gave the pink slip to hundreds of employees for pursuing alternate employment outside office hours was quite shocking.

On the other hand, it was heart-warming when Swiggy announced with swag that it did not mind if its employees indulged in additional vocations subject to reasonable conditions. It exhibited a level of understanding of the challenges its employees face as well as the maturity to realize that what it pays its employees might not be enough to make ends meet.

While Wipro is not entirely wrong as there are data sharing and ethical issues along with breach of confidentiality and non-compliance with the employment contract that come into play when you’re a big company. On the other hand, the same IT companies are ruthless when it comes to showing employees the door in the name of downsizing and surviving in times of inflation and leveling the over-hiring that was done in the wake of the pandemic online hysteria.

Thus, people already mobilized towards doing part-time, freelancing, and contractual jobs during Covid times are continuing to do the same for the sake of freedom, security, extra money, and creative satisfaction. If one is ethical and honest towards the company one is working for, one should be allowed a side hustle, that’s what I, and I’m sure many others think.

Taking note of the changing life and times, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the National Conference of Labour Ministries of states and Union Territories said the future requires flexible working hours and workspaces, as well as a work-from-home ecosystem, while also emphasizing that the country must be aware of growing dimensions of work and “adapt as per the changing scenario”.

Isn’t the same a direct reference to building adaptable, adjustable, and dynamic workplaces in the Amrit Kaal?

It could be a software engineer who writes books that become a rage.

It could be a lawyer who runs a monetized YouTube channel by the night and has an enviable following.

It could be a web designer who works as a voiceover artiste in the second half and is the voice of a character in a popular cartoon.

It could be a Doctor who develops websites in his free time and is mighty good at it.

It could be a teacher who paints like a pro and her paintings created during summer vacations sell like hot cakes.

It could be a system developer who dreams of starting his own enterprise which has the potential of becoming a gamechanger

Infosys, Flipkart, and many other such enterprises wouldn’t have been around if the founders hadn’t conceptualized and worked on their ideas while working with other companies. Moonlighting is not only about making an extra buck; it is also about optimal usage of one’s capabilities and following one’s dreams. Miracles do happen when one works on one’s dreams.

However, undisclosed dual employment in two rival companies, holding two PF accounts, data sharing, using the company’s resources, and compromising on deliverables is something that is unpardonable and must be clamped upon. In such cases, even background checks are justified for the company to safeguard its interests.

Moonlighters are found across diverse age groups, education levels, and Industry types. They will hustle, like it or not. If restricted, they will still hustle, furtively. Company policies need to be friendly and well-defined for the employees to disclose the other vocations/ hobbies/interests they are pursuing.I Spy!

I Spy!

The iconic Mata Hari, Eddie Chapman, Richard Willis, and the like, while swearing allegiance to one Country and serving another passing on secrets and misinformation were immortalized and frozen in time. Did they defect due to a life threat? Or due to switched loyalties?

Or were they plain and simple moonlighting??!!

Well, it’s too late to find out…

However, here’s an ode to all the moonlighters who are fighters and often do all-nighters:

A spy, a teacher,

A doctor, a preacher,

An engineer, a nurse,

Need money in the purse,

If you must sing, dance, sculpt, paint, and write,

Not in old age, now the time is right!

Hustle, bustle, and if you must, tussle,

Show the world your mettle your muscle!

Create something new on the side,

Your struggle, your life, your pride!

(Nipun Dutta, Assistant Editor,Current Affairs)