Moonlighting gets a strong backer in Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar

At a time when Wipro has sacked 300 employees for moonlighting and most IT firms have voiced their opposition to such practices by staff members, minister of state for IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar has supported the practice, saying companies should not put a lid on employees’ dreams. However, the minister said moonlighting should not be in violation of any contractual obligations.

Chandrasekhar said the days when employees signed up with big tech majors and spent their lives on the job are long gone. “Today’s youngsters have every sense of confidence and purpose about wanting to monetise, create more values out of his or her own skills. So, the efforts of companies that want to pin their employees down and say that you should not work on your own startup or consulting are doomed to fail exercise,” he said while addressing the 9th Annual Forum 2022 of the Public Affairs Forum of India, on Friday.