Work From Home is proving to be a double-edged sword for corporates. On one side it is saving a lot of time and energy in travel and infrastructure maintenance, on the other side, it is leading to lesser control over valued human resources. Because there is no watchdog in the WFH setting, it is all coming down to the honesty and authenticity of people while gauging their productivity at work. And it seems like many white-collared employees are taking advantage of loopholes in the system and are working for multiple companies at the same time.
Many IT professionals are taking up gig projects, earning a double paycheque
According to a report, a bunch of white-collar professionals in the IT sector are milking the opportunity to earn dual income by taking up gig projects. This is a major reason why many large IT companies are planning to bring their employees back to offices by November-December.
The report mentions a multinational company in the IT/ITeS sector, which is in WFH mode since March 2020(because of the pandemic, duh), found out about this malpractice when it recently installed employee productivity software on office computers used by employees. The company had noticed the output of many workers dipping despite clocking in nine to ten hours a day.
The company found out that many employees were involved in side activities outside of work. While some of these were fairly innocuous, there were a few who had signed up with freelance websites and were accepting gig projects on the side.
Many employees, particularly those at the junior level, using their free time — in the evening, during weekends, or even during regular work hours — are juggling other projects and assignments and make some extra money on the side
Employers are looking to bring their employees back on campuses
“They work for around 20-25 hours a month for me developing small apps. It saves me the higher cost of commissioning a big firm or hiring someone full-time; they make about Rs 20,000-25,000 extra,” an employer said on the condition of anonymity.
Rahul Belwalkar, CEO of SecUR Credentials has been getting feedback from IT companies that during the WFH period, they’re aware of people doing double jobs — or moonlighting as contractors on the side. “In fact, you will notice how many IT majors have now changed their narrative — they’re not talking about how a hybrid WFH and physical presence is the future — they’re talking about how they want to get their people back by December and January. This ‘two timing’ is apparently one of the biggest drivers for that change,” he added further.
So by taking out of proportion advantage of the current situation, IT employees might be killing the goose that laid golden eggs.
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