Infosys allows employees to take up gig work with managers' prior consent

Amid the entire buzz around moonlighting, India’s second-largest IT firm Infosys has allowed its employees to take up gig work in their personal time, after getting the prior consent of their manager.

According to an internal email addressed to managers at Infosys, the company has notified its managers about the company’s guidelines around gig work.

“Any employee, who wishes to take up gig work, may do so, with the prior consent of their manager and BP-HR, and in personal time, for establishments that do not compete with Infosys or Infosys’ clients,” the email reads. The IT major has added that it was supportive of the employees learning new skills and gaining experience by taking up additional projects.

Moonlighting is doing two or more jobs simultaneously. India’s IT and software industry is divided on whether companies should allow their employees to do so even after their work hours. Cases of moonlighting increased during the pandemic, as companies shifted to remote working.

Several IT companies including Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), HCLTech, IBM, and Wipro have opposed moonlighting, calling it an ethical issue as well as a breach of employee code. The debate heated up after Wipro sacked 300 employees after finding them working for its competitors.

“We count on our employees to ensure that this does not impact their ability to work with Infosys effectively. In addition, as per the Infosys employment contract, the employee may not work in areas where there is an actual or potential conflict of interest or by accepting dual employment… When employees have a discussion with their managers about such projects before taking them up, much of this can be addressed,” says the email sent by Infosys.

The new guidelines came days after Infosys’ previous email to employees titled “no double lives” was cited in media reports, in which the company had clarified that dual employment was not permitted as per the Employee Handbook and Code of Conduct.

Before Infosys, Tech Mahindra allowed its employees to take up side projects. C P Gurnani, chief executive officer (CEO) of Tech Mahindra, has said moonlighting was all right if employees kept up their efficiency and productivity.

Infosys’ internal email also adds that it has created several opportunities for gig working internally – through its accelerator program that enables managers to list gig jobs for employees based on their skills.