Part-time work: controversy among technical workers in India

India – Rishad Premji, chairman of Indian tech and consultancy firm Wipro, which recently laid off 300 employees for taking second jobs at competing companies, was blunt about working in the tech industry: “This is a scam – plain and simple,” he wrote. on Twitter.

Although the phenomenon exists in other countries, it is controversial in India, especially in the technology sector. Veena Gopalakrishnan, partner specializing in labor law at AZB & Partners, Bangalore, says that while part-time work is not new in India, it is “becoming more side of the employer and the increase in working hours. and bandwidth for employees to get on with other work.”

Wipro’s layoffs have intensified the conversation on the subject; some companies warn employees not to work for other firms, or try to increase control over employees. Other business leaders are taking a more relaxed stance, arguing that young people are only trying to get ahead. What is clear is that as technology opens up more opportunities for ambitious young workers to sell their skills and increase their income, companies will need to decide what they want and prevent workers from doing what makes sense for both parties.

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Motivation or “cheating”?

It is no secret that some people work part-time in the Indian tech sector. According to a survey conducted by Mumbai-based Kotak Institutional Equities, nearly 65% ​​of IT workers said they or someone they knew had moonlighted or looked for part-time work while working from home.

This is not surprising – this is a young workforce in a large, growing sector. IT companies with huge numbers of employees struggle to create a sense of ownership and loyalty among their employees. In the meantime, young tech workers have completely immersed themselves in the hustle culture; getting ahead financially often requires more money than the job alone pays. Wages are comparatively high in Bangalore, the IT capital of India, but the cost of living is also high. In addition to increasing earnings, many workers also want to improve their skills or do what they love. And remote work has made it easy; workers can adapt a second job to their main job and reap the benefits.