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Rediff.com  » Getahead » ASK HR GURU: Is it okay to moonlight?

ASK HR GURU: Is it okay to moonlight?

By MAYANK RAUTELA
Last updated on: November 01, 2022 09:23 IST
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Moonlighting can be against your contract, warns HR Guru Mayank Rautela.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com

Dear Reader, are you just starting out in your career and want to know the right steps you need to take?

Not sure how to prepare for your first interview? Or your first online interview?

Struggling with office politics? Or with working from home?

Have a bad boss? Or a colleague who is undermining you?

Nobody seems to listen to you at meetings?

Have you hit a dead-end at work and see no way out?

Please send in your concerns to our HR Guru Mayank Rautela at getahead@rediff.co.in (Subject: Ask Mayank).

 

Dear Mayank,
I am 38 year old Bcom graduate who have not found a proper job yet.
I started working at age of 22 in office (was undergraduate at that tym) no scope of growth as I was undergraduate.
Now after completing Graduation I still not getting good job offer.
Request you to please enlighten me and show me path.
Regards,
Vishal

Dear Vishal,

Your career path will be decided by your interest and skills and not so much by your commerce degree.

So, if you are good in accounting, then you can look for a job in finance.

If you are good with organising and coordination, then admin is a good option.

If you have skills for sales, then that is another great career option.

 

Hi Mayank.
I am working as team lead for IT ERP team in my company from last 15 years, Recently my Boss was changed and new boss who is not from IT experience of my technology. So during course of working we are having opinion difference in handling of projects. that effecting our relations , he is not that mature enough to take it as professional way. and try to avoid me in assignments and not letting me to involve in projects. in this situation what would be the better way to handle the situation so that i should hold my stakes achieve my KRA & KPA.
How about if i discuss with my top bosses on this and explain the situation ?

Hi.

You can take 2 immediate steps.

First, get your KPI and goals clearly defined in writing so that you have clarity as to what you need to do.

Secondly, since you have been in the job for 15 years, you will have good connections in the organisation. Speak to your seniors keeping your manager in the loop.

I am sure a solution will come out and your manager will need your expertise for the team's success.

 

Dear Mayank,
I work as a consultant and have applied for a new role at two different organisations. One is offering me a good compensation but I will have to relocate to a remote continent for two years. The other organisation is offering me lesser compensation but will require me to travel at least 3-4 days a week (but within the country and it can be quite exhausting.) I am confused because both jobs are exciting in their own way but will require me to stay away from my family. Pls help.

Hi.

You will first need to evaluate which job is providing you better learning opportunities and what competencies you will develop in each role.

Also, your personal preference is very important along with the brand of the organisation.

Many of us have to sacrifice our personal life to build a strong career, so be prepared for that.

 

Hi Mayank.
I am 28 and work as a digital marketing professional with a leading MNC. I handle a team of 7 which includes 4 interns working remotely from different cities in India. There have been several times when all 4 of them have remained absent stating health reasons. I don't know if this is deliberate but their sudden absence puts a lot of pressure on the rest of the team. How to address this concern?

Hi.

You have achieved a lot at a young age so and it will be a challenge to you to maintain the momentum. Look at it at a challenge and keep going.

Have a clear discussion with the interns; it cannot be a coincidence that they are all falling sick on the same day.

See if it's a trend, it could be in the beginning of the week after a long weekend or at the end of the week if they want to take a long break.

Ask them to submit a medical certificate if they say the leave has been taken for medical reasons.

As you are a young manager, setting expectations is very important.

 

Hi Mayank.
Moonlighting has triggered a debate ever since Wipro’s executive chairman slammed the practice, equating it to "cheating."
But in the dynamic world of career and opportunities, do you think employers should welcome the disruption in the ways we work and allow the aforementioned practice, with requisite transparency?

Hi.

If one is a full-time employee and has agreed to work in one organisation as per the letter of appointment, then moonlighting would be against the contract

Also, as per Indian law, dual employment is not permitted.

  • You can read all of Mayank Rautela's columns here. 

Mayank Rautela is the chief human resources officer at Care Hospitals.

He is a management graduate from the Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies and holds a master's degree in labour laws from Pune University.

He has over two decades of experience in the field of general management, strategic human resources, global mergers and integrations and change management.

He has held various leadership positions across marquee companies, including the Piramal Group, the Tata Group and multinational healthcare organisations like CR Bard and Becton & Dickinson.

Please send in your workplace concerns to HR Guru Mayank Rautela at getahead@rediff.co.in (Subject: Ask Mayank), along with your name, age, where you work (eg, Mumbai, Lucknow, Agartala) and job profile. Do let us know if you wish to keep your question anonymous.

Please Note: The questions and answers in this advisory are published to help the individual asking the question as well the large number of readers who read the same.

While we value our readers' requests for privacy and avoid using their actual names along with the question whenever a request is made, we regret that no question will be answered personally on e-mail.

This column is an advisory and not a recruitment service.

All content herein is written and published online for informational purposes only. It should not be relied on as your only source for advice.

If you choose to rely on any information provided herein, you do so solely at your own risk. Opinions expressed herein cannot necessarily provide advice to fit the exact specifics of the issues of the person requesting advice.

Similarly, information received via an external link embedded in an article cannot be relied on as your only source of advice.

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MAYANK RAUTELA