From Tech Mahindra to Swiggy: Companies that Support Moonlighting in India- See List here

The debate over moonlighting never seems to end. Several tech companies, including TCS, Wipro, and Infosys, have been debating side gigs for several weeks. Tech Mahindra CEO C P Gurnani has now added his voice to the debate. Gurnani speaks out in favour of moonlighting.

Gurnani, the CEO and MD of Tech Mahindra, says he supports side hustles. He claims that Tech Mahindra's confidence in supporting moonlighting stems from the fact that it is a digital company rather than a legacy firm.

“Between legacy and digital, we are a digital company. But of course, our, intent is always with boundaries and that does not change," Gurnani said. He further added, "I am happy, if somebody is productive, is complying with all brand guidance, values, customer relationship guidance, and wants to do another job, we are fine. Just take permission and tell us what you are working on," Gurnani added.

Wipro and Infosys stand against of Moonlighting 

While Tech Mahindra supports moonlighting, companies such as Wipro and Infosys have fired employees who moonlight. Wipro fired around 300 employees for moonlighting just a month ago. Moonlighting, according to Wipro CEO Rishad Premji, is "cheating - plain and simple."

Companies to Allow Moonlighting

• Swiggy- First Company to Support Moonlighting 

Swiggy, a foodtech startup, was the first to announce an official policy allowing its employees to take on gigs or projects outside of their regular employment at the company during their off-hours. However, side projects at startups are commonplace.

• Startups Like Flipkart, Zomato Also supports Moonlighting

Several startups launched recently by former executives from Flipkart, Swiggy, Zomato, Ola, and Delhivery were made possible by unofficial moonlighting policies that allowed employees to run side projects. Many of these startups were founded by these executives in stealth mode, and they have since raised multi-million dollar rounds.

• According to Yogita Tulsiani, director and co-founder of tech recruitment firm iXceed Solutions, moonlighting reflects the changing nature of white-collar jobs and could be a great way for people to supplement their income.

• Nova Benefits, a corporate health insurance startup, believes in experimenting with new options and exploring different paths to achieve career agility. “We strongly support this culture and several of our employees are presently pursuing their lines of passion and interest outside of work,” said Saransh Garg, co-founder and CEO of Nova Benefits.