Swiggy’s moonlight policy is not a bright idea

Moonlighting has been linked to double employment, a practice that can easily result in job termination. But earlier this month, food delivery platform-Swiggy shocked the HR community by seeking to legalize the practice by allowing its employees to work elsewhere while continuing their jobs at the SoftBank-backed company.

“Swiggy employees can take on external projects for pro-free or economic consideration based on internal approval. This may include activity outside office hours or on weekends which does not affect their productivity at full time job or conflict of interest is not Swiggy’s business in any way,” the company said in a public release.

Prima facie the move looks progressive: employees are not required to work slyly with another firm. Ideally, employment benefits should include health benefits and inflation-indexed wages. But not many companies can afford such HR policies, and most are ruthlessly cutting costs to stay afloat. When employees bear the brunt of health care expenses in a pandemic, their family members lose their jobs and the conflict is exacerbated by rising cost of living, less-than-sympathetic employers offer their employees an alternative source of income. sources can be traced.

But is it going to revolutionize the jobs market?

In many Western countries, it is common to have more than one job (unless the company prohibits). Swiggy’s new policy could have been path-breaking if it was likely to usher in a new corporate culture in which employees had a real chance of holding more than one job which could be permanent, temporary or a combination of gig.

However, other organizations are unlikely to follow suit or revolutionize workplace policies. Swiggy is unfortunately not going to make moonlighting an accepted practice. Mint held discussions with various senior HR officers and they prepared a list of reasons for this. Here’s what they say:

Does the moonlight policy only apply to employees on the payroll or will it be allowed for third party employees such as the delivery workforce?

Most of the delivery workforce is not on the payroll. This policy is available to all full-time employees of Bundle Technologies, including subsidiaries, affiliates, affiliates and group companies. Delivery executives working in the gig economy still have the option of taking on projects of their choice and working in multiple locations.

Will the conflict of interest clause play a big role in thwarting all attempts at another job?

It is difficult for an employee to earn any income from work other than his core skill set. If he is a sales executive, he is more likely to be employed in a rival firm or a similar role in another field than earning as a music teacher. He may be a good musician but will always stand against those who have taken up music as a profession.

In its release, like a cautionary disclaimer, the company said that the final approval would be given after comparing the two jobs and their similarities. “Projects that pose a high risk of conflict of interest or interference with employee duties for Swiggy are subject to an approval process,” Swiggy said.

Who will track the productivity of the employee knowing that he is doing more than one job?

Assuming the employee gets approval from his line manager, any drop in his productivity or absenteeism adds up to side hustle. This is a tough question from line managers who are trying to meet deadlines, run out of backfill and get new business that requires extra working hours, including weekends.

Now, when working from the office is again becoming the norm for many profiles, there will be added pressure on the boss to keep an eye on the teams. In search of some additional income, the employee will have a tight tread, which can lead to panicking around.

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Can moonlight be repeated hierarchically?

The IT, ITeS and e-commerce sectors have given a red flag to the increasing cases of moonlight, especially among junior and middle management. For a policy to be successful, it needs to be easily adopted across the company’s hierarchy and the human resources fraternity is unsure whether it will achieve success beyond the company’s lower ranks. Unless the seller accepts, they may not be able to take on more than the rescheduling jobs on third-party payrolls.

impact on common goal

What binds a company and its employees together is a common goal and sense of ownership. Today, India Inc is struggling to rebuild equations with its employees after two years of work from home and virtual calls. Hanging out to meet the KRA (even for a few hours) of another job can lead to a more robotic work culture devoid of blissful breaks with coworkers.

Hence moonlight, a term that originated when people took night jobs after their day’s office, might struggle to see the dawn.

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