Moonlighting practices & its implications in HR

Abstract

Before diving deep into the motivation leading to moonlighting, lets discuss the theoretical foundation of relationship between employers and employee, which subsequently answers the need/motivation for Moonlighting. 1. Social Exchange Theory (SET): The most well-known model for elucidating the connection between employees' behavioural responses to organisational norms and how those norms view them is called the SET model. According to SET, a person's social behaviour is primarily the outcome of a process of exchange between two people or between an individual and his or her organisation. When employees are happy at work, they are more inclined to support their employer in particular. In this sense, the SET framework offers a solid theoretical foundation for comprehending the phenomena of employee engagement inside an organisation. One definition of engagement is a mutually beneficial partnership between an employer and employee wherein the latter rewards the former for the resources they spend at work in return for the former's emotional and financial resources. This definition of SET states that when organisations exceed people's expectations, they instantly feel energised about their duties and attitudes in the workplace. Higher levels of organisational commitment, staff engagement, and other desirable behaviours are indicators of this enthusiasm. As a result, it can be inferred from SET that workers who have high levels of job satisfaction also have high levels of organisational commitment and tend to avoid or minimise their intentions to moonlight at other companies or to quit their jobs altogether. 2. Attitudes and Alternatives Model (AAM): This model analyses employee turnover brought on by discontent in its broadest meaning, together with its linked causes (including planning to work extra and looking for alternative job opportunities). Using the above theories, we can infer that employees moonlight due to three major intentions: 1. Job satisfaction 2. Organisational commitment and 3. The organisational commitment's mediation role between job contentment and moonlighting