Moonlighting is the term used to describe an individual taking up a second job or multiple other work assignments besides his full-time job.
it is practice of working for multiple organizations while committing to one primary workplace has been taking place without the employer’s knowledge.
Moonlighting is popular in the IT industry as working from home became a norm during COVID-19 pandemic.
This has been opposed by companies as it might affect the employees’ productivity.
Companies like Infosys warned their employees against this practice without letting them know, failing which could result in the termination of the employment.
However, moonlighting could be considered cheating if the employee’s contract specifically calls for non-compete and single employment. The is mentioned in majority of conventional employment contracts.
Under the Factories Act, 1948, dual employment is banned. However, IT companies are exempt from this rule in several states across India.
There is no specific statute concerning moonlighting in the Indian labour laws.