Introduction to the Global Paradigm Shift

The world encountered a phenomenal change in December 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic spread globally and resulted in the loss of any semblance of routine in our lives. The world was suddenly thrust into an unprecedented lockdown to stop the spread of this epidemic and to perform immediate damage control due to the loss of millions of lives. The work-life balance was shattered as human beings slowly started adjusting to the less popular concept of working from home.

The Adaptation to Remote Work Culture

One must commend the unparalleled conscientiousness of mankind, as not even a global pandemic was able to stop us from doing our work well. The changes occurring in our surroundings were taken in stride as we blended our homes into our workplaces.

The Dual Nature of Remote Work: Boons and Banes

The work-from-home culture granted us freedom, convenience, and flexibility. People could incorporate their leisurewear wardrobe in important meetings, the work hours became flexible, and one could multi-task domestic chores along with their jobs. Home-to-office commutes stopped being an issue, and an increase in productivity was observed as well according to statistical studies conducted by various news outlets due to the absence of the occasional annoyances of office life like interruptions, loud co-workers, and incessant chatter.

Working from home provided some much-needed time and rejuvenated energy to white-collar workers which they could utilize to learn new skills to add to their skill set as well as ameliorate their existing ones. Working from home teaches a person to be self-reliant, along with how to motivate oneself, discipline oneself and enhance one’s focus and concentration. Remote work leaves no room for people that are not up-to-date with communication tools and hence, out of necessity one must learn how to be savvy in the various types of communication tools.

Erosion of Work Ethic in the Virtual Space

However, the advantages of working from home were accompanied by certain drawbacks as well. With the sudden upsurge in working from home, the work-from-office culture started to lose its prominence and became increasingly obscure. Many job-holders also started experiencing issues regarding their mental health after being cooped up inside their houses round the clock and feeling isolated from the outside world. The strain of domestic work became a pressing issue for employees who not only had to deal with the responsibilities of holding their office but also take care of their families at the same time. This led to elevated levels of stress in the workers and a sharp spike was also observed in work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The workers frequently felt burnt out due to being unable to clock out at an appropriate time and maintain a suitable balance between their personal and professional lives.

Working from the office gave leeway to many casual collaborations that are difficult to replicate within the four walls of our houses; be it picking up on the favourable and productive habits of our colleagues or having an instantaneous brainstorming session to find a solution to any problem that we may face, working from home is unable to offer us the often-desired office environment.

Moonlighting: Unmasking Unethical Practices

This drastic change brought about by the lockdown caused due to the pandemic has contributed towards the degradation of the work ethic of people. Many employees took advantage of the sudden shift in their work scenario from offline to virtual by not taking their work codes and principles seriously and turning to dishonourable and deceitful methods as well as indulging wildly in unprofessionalism by completely foregoing appropriate work attires and having a barrage of excuses at their disposal to justify any tardiness, incompetency, or inadequacy in their tasks. Due to such ignoble employees, the various sectors of employment suffered a steep lowering in their standard of work which in many cases turned out to be of inferior quality, unsatisfactory and lamentable.

The unscrupulousness corrupting the diligence of workers can be explained better if we take the example of moonlighting. Moonlighting refers to having a second job, informally addressed as a side gig, in addition to one’s regular employment, without the knowledge of the primary employer. It is typically the unethical practice of working a second job outside of normal business hours for a greater income and to enjoy other financial benefits than what is offered by one’s main job.

Corporate Responses: Lessons Learned

Recently, Wipro Limited, a leading technology services and consulting company, sacked around three hundred of their employees because they found their workers indulging in the dishonest practice of moonlighting. Media reports suggest that Wipro tracked down these reprobate employees by using their Universal Account Number (UAN) from the employers’ portal of the Employees’ Provident Fund and did the needful by firing these workers who used such underhanded methods and even worked with rival IT companies behind their back.

Tata Consultancy Services, another dominant name in the sector of IT companies believe that moonlighting is an ethical issue, which is against their core values and culture. To counter this, they need to inculcate proper moral ideas and values for long-term gains. They refrained from taking any harsh actions against the employees found to be moonlighting and instead gave a strict warning to the same.

Digitalized India: A Double-Edged Sword

Digitalised India has given rise to a beautifully unified and integrated system where it is extremely difficult for a person to create a secondary identity regarding their finances or demography, hence it is implausible for employees to implement and execute moonlighting without being intercepted.

With all its pros and cons, work-from-home has evolved from an unsettling way of life to a part of our daily routine now. It helps us maintain better relationships with our family members and if utilized industriously, it leads to better performance and productivity-oriented results. As long as we make sure to keep up a healthy work-life balance and perform our tasks diligently, it may very well become the new work culture of humankind and the new normal in the upcoming times.