Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. There has been much froth and foam across rooms and boardrooms regarding the ethics, legality and appropriateness of the practice of working for one organization while also taking up extra responsibilities and jobs with another. As a trend, it is becoming commonplace in the IT and ITeS space. This is welcome. It makes sense to encourage more flexibility to employees if these firms want to move up the value chain. So, employers should accept the reality and use it to their advantage. But genuine concerns against 'side-hustles' must be addressed. During the pandemic, the IT sector swiftly adapted to work from home (WFH), and professionals furthered their professional practice. Many preferred continuing WFH. But that raised the suspicion of many employers about workers taking up a second job to earn more. Meanwhile, a sharp rise in demand for IT professionals with new skills, and their shortage, widened the demand supply gap. Those who could not cope with the expectations at the entry or middle levels - were fired. But the gig economy provides choices and added competition to both employer and employee. Trust is a core issue. Conflicts of interest and intellectual property rights violations are non-negotiable. Other aspects - fatigue impacting productivity, short-term vs long-term engagements in two jobs, skill acquisition, difficulty in monitoring beyond delivery of a defined output, the challenge to objectively measure output for a given compensation, peer-pressure, industry trends in employment contracts - also influence the attitude towards moonlighting. But IT professionals can't be treated as captives. The industry must set the bar for high performance and productivity, yet in trusted working conditions that rewards fairly and recognizes performance and skills in a transparent way. A fair and broad-based definition of moonlighting must be included in the employment contract. A sound HR policy anchored in ethical management principles will ensure that there is no need to howl at moon-lighting.
As per the given passage, those employees who could not meet the skill gap were.
Discharged
Analyzing the Passage for Employee Outcomes Due to Skill Gap
The question asks about the fate of employees who, according to the passage, could not meet the skill gap or expectations.
Let's examine the relevant part of the passage:
The passage states: "Meanwhile, a sharp rise in demand for IT professionals with new skills, and their shortage, widened the demand supply gap. Those who could not cope with the expectations at the entry or middle levels - were fired."
- The passage explicitly mentions a "demand supply gap" for IT professionals with new skills.
- It then directly addresses what happened to "Those who could not cope with the expectations at the entry or middle levels".
- The outcome for these employees is stated as "were fired".
The term "fired" is synonymous with being terminated from employment or "discharged".
Now let's look at the given options:
- Demoted: The passage does not mention demotion.
- Trained: The passage mentions the need for new skills but not that those who lacked them were trained.
- Transferred: The passage does not mention transfer.
- Discharged: This is synonymous with "fired," which is what the passage states happened to employees who could not cope with expectations/skill gaps.
Therefore, based on the direct statement in the passage, employees who could not meet the skill gap were discharged.
Revision Table: Understanding Employee Outcomes
| Concept | Explanation from Passage | Outcome Mentioned |
|---|---|---|
| Skill Gap in IT Sector | Sharp rise in demand for new skills, shortage of professionals. | Widened demand-supply gap. |
| Employees Unable to Cope | Those not meeting expectations at entry or middle levels. | Were fired (discharged). |
| Gig Economy Impact | Provides choices and added competition to employers and employees. | Influences attitudes towards moonlighting. |
Additional Information: Employment Practices and Skill Gaps
The passage touches upon several critical aspects of modern employment, particularly in the IT sector:
- Moonlighting: Working multiple jobs simultaneously. The passage discusses the ethical, legal, and practical implications, including trust, conflict of interest, and productivity concerns.
- Work From Home (WFH): The adaptation to WFH during the pandemic raised employer suspicions about moonlighting but also allowed professionals flexibility.
- Skill Shortages: Rapid technological change creates demand for new skills, leading to shortages and a "skill gap". This increases competition for skilled professionals.
- Employee Expectations: The passage highlights that employers have expectations regarding skills and performance. Not meeting these expectations can lead to negative consequences for the employee.
- Gig Economy: This model offers flexibility but also increases competition and changes the traditional employer-employee dynamic.
- Employment Contracts: The importance of clearly defining terms like moonlighting in employment contracts is emphasized to avoid disputes and build trust.
Addressing skill gaps can involve training, reskilling programs, or different hiring strategies. However, the passage specifically mentions the outcome for those *unable to cope* in the context of a skill gap and rising expectations.
Important Questions from Business Ethics
Given below are two statements:
Statement I: To exist and be successful in a competitive world a business has to be ethical.
Statement II: An ethical organisation can be recognized on the basis of its corporate excellence and not on its relations with the stakeholders.
In light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below
The practice of 'moonlighting' is
Moonlighting encourages
A. Commitment for the organization.
B. Flexibility to employees.
C. Adding skills.
D. Employee turnover rate.
E. Work from home.
Choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:
Given below are two statements:
Statement I: The practice of moonlighting is increasing because IT professionals are not being rewarded fairly.
Statement II: The contents of employee contract have precisely defined the moonlighting.
In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below:
The practice of working for one organization while also taking up extra responsibilities and job with another requires:
A. Trust
B. Conflict of interest.
C. Stagnation of employee growth.
D. Employees adding limited value to their parent organization.
E. Intellectual property rights.
Choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:
