According to a report in the Economic Times, a multinational company in the IT/ITeS sector, which is in WFH mode since March 2020 in the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, found out this when it recently installed employee productivity software on office computers used by employees, after noticing many workers’ output dipping despite clocking in nine -10 hours a day.

The company discovered that many of its employees were engaged inside activities outside of work. The company discovered that many of its employees were engaged inside activities outside of work.

It prompted the company to take immediate disciplinary action. “There is an increasing group of whitecollar employees who are taking advantage of the remote working setup,” the financial daily quoted as saying Atul Gupta, partner of law firm Trilegal, which is legal adviser to the IT firm.

The ongoing pandemic and resultant WFH being implemented as a long-term plan by organizations have led to several instances of employees breaching exclusivity and indulging in activities deemed as dual employment, the financial daily mentioned citing Anshul Prakash, a partner at law firm Khaitan & Co, who specializes in employment and labor laws.

They work for around 20-25 hours a month to develop small apps. It saves me the higher cost of commissioning a big firm or hiring someone full-time; they make about Rs 20,000-25,000 extra,”. Companies are increasingly cottoning on to the fact that they are being played, say those in the know.