As moonlighting gains traction, most employees feel it is unethical: Report

With moonlighting gaining traction in the country, most employees (81 per cent) interviewed said they do not wish to indulge in it and feel that it is unethical, according to a report.

Less than one out of five employees (19 per cent) surveyed wants to moonlight while a majority of the workforce (81 per cent) said they do not wish to take up another job alongside their current work and cited it as unethical, according to global site Indeed's quarterly hiring tracker.

Most moonlighting situations that may require an employer to develop a moonlighting policy occur when the moonlighting employee has a 'primary' usually full-time position and a 'secondary' or part-time position, it added.

This Indeed report is based on a survey by Valuvox among 1,281 employers and 1,533 job seekers and employees between July and September 2022.

The survey respondents were segregated into cities and further categorised into large, medium and small organisations and sectors.

Moreover, the report revealed that safeguarding against job loss (37 per cent) is one of the top reasons employees moonlight followed by supplementing incomes (27 per cent).

However, employers have a different view of this tendency as 31 per cent of the employers believed that employees moonlight because they are not adequately engaged in their work, and 23 per cent of the respondents said that employees have ample time on hand for a second job, the report stated.

Similarly, quiet quitting is another rising trend due to employee stress and burnout, the report noted.

According to the report, in quitting workers gradually disengage from doing anything beyond the minimum needed to keep their job.

Interestingly, 33 per cent of the employers surveyed believed that low general job satisfaction, including boredom and lack of challenges, were cited as some of the reasons for the growing trend of quiet quitting, and 21 per cent believed it is a lack of commitment to jobs.

However, 29 per cent of employees surveyed believe the feeling of burnout or being overwhelmed with work and 23 per cent believe a lack of support by managers or bosses, has led to the growth of this trend, it added.

"What people want from work has changed forever. It is not just about just clocking in hours and going back home. The pandemic has made employees step back and re-evaluate priorities. In an era where talent is valued more than ever, employers are shifting from a focus on employee experience to employee life experience - more open paid time offs, flexibility at work, and a movement towards hybrid work among others," Indeed India Head of Sales Sashi Kumar said.

With recent reports on layoffs, it is important for employers to re-look at their workplace culture and address the underlying issues driving such trends, he noted.

"The world of work is transient right now, and we might see more such trends play out as we acclimate to the new normal of work," he added.