Skip to main content

Ethical Moonlighting: The Future Of Professional Workforce

 

The news is abuzz with leading dailies reporting about employees that have been moonlighting, or ‘two-timing’ their employers, so to speak, after it came out that a Noida-based IT employee was working for as many as 7 different organizations—at the same time!

In fact, a study by ResumeBuilder.com states, 69% of remote workers have a second job; 37% of them have a second full-time job while 32% have a side hustle. From running an independent small business to picking up contract-based work from multiple organizations, one job no longer seems to be enough for a majority of the workforce in 2022.


Technically Speaking, What Is Moonlighting?

You know that clause in your employment contract that prohibits you from working with another company, part-time or full-time? Moonlighting breaks this very clause.

Moonlighting basically means you have a ‘second job’ or are gainfully employed by more than one company at the same time. Usually the second job is done after hours, ie, at night, which is why it is colloquially called ‘moonlighting’.

Now, moonlighting is not a new idea. The likes of doctors, lawyers, and in fact, the entire gig workforce of freelancers, blue collar job professionals, and contract employees have been moonlighting for their entire careers. So why is it making headlines?

Moonlighting: The Preferred Way Of Working Post 2020

As the pandemic hit in 2020, many gainfully employed professionals lost their jobs at every level—the layoffs were not restricted to freshers and middle management, but impacted CxO level roles too. Companies downscaled their working staff and even rolled out pay cuts as severe as 60%-75%. This left many highly-skilled, experienced and talented professionals with a meager primary source of income and bills to pay that were aligned with their original salaries. The only way to bridge the gap and meet their expenses was to take up a second job.

In fact, some companies, while not on paper, allowed their employees to work as freelancers and take up other gigs as they converted full-time employees into contract workers at renegotiated (lower) salaries.

Work from home was the new normal and companies could no longer judge the productivity of their resources through clock in-clock out time sheets, which was never an effective tool to begin with.

What also gave a boost to moonlighting is the lack of supervision, the independence to manage your time, and the performance-driven work culture, all of which were a consequence, and a boon, of remote working.

Ethical Moonlighting: The Way Ahead

No longer a stop-gap measure, many companies and employees have embraced the benefits of moonlighting, as long as it is done ethically. If you convert your full-time employees into gig workers, the cost-benefit ratio shoots up significantly. Through COHIRE, companies can hire workforce strategically for outcome-oriented projects where the deliverables, scope of work, and time-frame is pre-defined. And, this can be done all the way up to the CxO level, which opens up the talent pool for startups and new businesses, manifold.

In fact, we’ve set the tone for a new way of working where the employer benefits from the expertise of a skilled professional without having to bear the cost and overhead that comes with onboarding them full-time. As for the employees, they’re able to use their core skill to accelerate the growth of multiple companies at the same time, while earning handsomely from both parties if the job is well done.

Interim CxOs and high-mobility middle management can catalyze new business launches, drive needle-moving initiatives, and company growth like never before. And as far as the concerns around sharing information and data breaches go, these are easily restricted given our thorough vetting process and water-tight contract hiring. And if you’re happy with the performance of our resource, you can always roll out full-time employment and absorb them on company rolls.

Companies like Tata Steel, Microsoft, and Meta have already announced that they won’t be going back to the work from office model a 100% of the time. This boundaryless approach is the future of employment where remote and hybrid working, global talent pools, performance-oriented compensation, and project-driven hiring will soon become the norm, not the exception. And COHIRE is at the forefront of this revolution.

 


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Why is digital marketing important for Medium and Small Enterprises ?

One of the key differentiators of the success of a business is the number of customers that it can reach as more customers mean more sales volume.   One of the technological innovations that helps a business in this direction is digital marketing . It is indeed a boon for MSMEs as it lets you reach your target audience with ease, simplicity and at very low cost. Cost is always a concern for most MSMEs. Why would anyone not want to use the power of the internet with over 3 billion users to further the cause of their own business? But it is a fact that deploying digital marketing for their own benefit seems a herculean task for many MSMEs as they feel that they are not adept nor attuned for the digital world, they also tend to think that they will not reach their target market or they simply do not have adequate information, lack sufficient human resource and tools to manage the digital world. Here is where organisations like Outsourced CMO can help these MSMEs bridge ...

The Future of Work: How Fractional Executives Are Shaping Leadership Culture

  The way we work is undergoing a seismic transformation. Remote work, evolving market demands, and the rise of the gig economy are reshaping traditional notions of employment. As businesses adapt, leadership models are also evolving to meet these new challenges. Fractional executives have emerged as a vital force in this transformation, driving a leadership culture that changes with time.  The Changing Landscape of Work Workplace dynamics have shifted dramatically in recent years. Remote work has become a standard practice, enabling companies to tap into global talent pools. The gig economy has normalized project-based work, emphasizing outcomes over hours clocked. Businesses are now prioritizing specialized skills and adaptable leadership for better culture and outcomes. These changes have redefined leadership. Traditional, full-time C-suite roles are giving way to flexible models that align with the modern workforce’s demands. This shift is not just about cost-saving,...

The ROI of Fractional CXOs: Leadership That Delivers

  Having the right leadership can transform a business, but finding and affording top-tier executives full-time isn’t always feasible. Fractional CXOs offer a smarter alternative: access to expert leadership on-demand, without the commitment of a permanent hire. Let’s dive into the ROI of Fractional CXOs and why they’re becoming a go-to solution for businesses seeking impactful results. Immediate Value Without Delay Time is critical, especially when your business is facing challenges or pursuing growth opportunities. Fractional CXOs step in quickly and start delivering value from day one. Their ability to hit the ground running means your business can address key issues without waiting months for a hire to settle in. Specialized Expertise Without Long-Term Commitment Hiring full-time leadership is a big commitment, both in terms of cost and time. Fractional CXOs solve this challenge by offering deep expertise tailored to your specific needs—whether it’s scaling operations,...