Harsh Goenka backs Wipro, says IT firm can't be compared with food ordering delivery

RPG Enterprises Chairman Harsh Goenka has backed Wipro for its stand on moonlighting for which the IT giant fired 300 employees earlier this week, triggering a fierce debate on the new trend. He said Wipro, one of the top IT services providers, can not be compared with Swiggy.

"Moonlighting: Wipro vs Swiggy - they just can't be compared. Wipro deals with Fortune 500 clients for whom data secrecy is sacrosanct. If the customer finds even a remote chance of data compromise, it will not be tolerated," he said.

Moonlighting: Wipro vs Swiggy - they just can't be compared. Wipro deals with Fortune 500 clients for whom data secrecy is sacrosanct. If the customer finds even a remote chance of data compromise, it will not be tolerated.

Some companies like the online food ordering and delivery platform Swiggy have allowed their employees to take up a job outside before or after office hours and on weekends that does not impact their business.

However, IT companies like Wipro, Infosys, and IBM have taken a position against dual jobs. The debate gained momentum when Wipro chief Rishad Premji in a tweet on August 20 said there was a lot of chatter about people moonlighting in the tech industry. "This is cheating - plain and simple," he said.

There is a lot of chatter about people moonlighting in the tech industry. This is cheating - plain and simple.

After him, many top executives echoed his views and said if an employee signs a contract, he or she should not violate it and that the person should work for the company only. Infosys recently shot off an email warning its employees that dual employment is not permitted and that any violation of contract clauses will trigger disciplinary action "which could even lead to termination of employment". It said: "No two-timing - no moonlighting!"

Earlier this week, Premji informed that Wipro had terminated 300 employees after they were found to be working for competitors. Shocked at the move, many employees called it a "very harsh decision".

Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar backed moonlighting but cautioned employees against contract violations. He said that the companies should understand the structural shift in the industry and that captive work models would fail if applied.