The term moonlighting has been the center of attention after Wipro it fired its 300 employees for taking side jobs. Since then, the world is busy debating whether this practice of earning extra money after work hours is correct or not. While this discussion will continue for some time to come, health experts say that working 11 to 12 hours can be detrimental to your physical and mental health. People who work 11 hours or more are 2.5 times more likely to develop depression than those who work normal hours. (Also read: What is ‘moonlighting’, the practice Infosys warned its employees against)
According to research published in the National Library of Medicine, long working hours contribute to psychological stress Y work stress and working 10 or more hours per day, 40 or more hours of overtime per month, and 60 or more hours per week tended to create stressful feelings. The study also found an association between long hours and depression and said female workers are at higher risk of experiencing depression and anxiety than men when working the same number of hours.
“Moonlighting has become a fairly common phenomenon among employees after Covid. There is a sudden increase in this trend of having a second job because the pandemic caused wage cuts and loss of employment and income. To earn more, employees choose two jobs,” says Dr. Jyoti Kapoor, founder and senior psychiatrist at Manasthali, explaining what moonlighting is.
However, having a dual job has some real negative consequences on our mental health. A study of long working hours has found that those who work more than 11 hours a day are 2.5 times more likely to develop depression than those who work regular hours. They also have trouble sleeping.
“Sleep deprivation can negatively affect our moods, impair our judgment, and weaken our defenses against illness. Because these people do not achieve work-life balance, they are more likely to suffer from adverse health problems, including neck, back, or chest pain, stroke, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and anxiety,” says Dr. Kapoor, explaining the negative impact of moonlighting on our overall health.
“It is said that too much of anything is not good and can be detrimental. Maintaining work-life balance is in itself a big issue that people are still trying to tackle and without harming their physical and mental health. However, even though people go for moonlighting.Moonlighting involves taking a second job or various other work assignments in addition to full-time work.Companies have opposed the practice, vehemently asserting that employees who participate in various jobs can affect your productivity,” says Dr. RC Jiloha, Sr. Consultant Psychiatrist, Paras Hospitals Gurugram.
Dr. Jiloha says that moonlighting can have adverse effects on an individual’s physical and mental health.
“Moonlighting can invariably affect a person’s mental health and therefore affect their productivity. While there are no such specific data, treating employees correctly with the right kind of compensation and job satisfaction will significantly reduce the rate moonlighting and he/she will remain loyal to the company as well as to their own well-being,” says the psychiatrist.
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