Opinion: Many people go into side jobs to maximize their talent, tap into their full potential and earn extra income
A nixer is the practice of having a second job outside of working hours. The second job may or may not be related to the first job. For example, John makes a nixer if he works 9 to 5 as a lawyer and works part-time as a law professor. Louise does nixer if she works as a sales person for a company during the day and has a YouTube channel teaching car driving at night.
According to the Revenue Commissioners, the term ‘nixer’ in the context of tax and social protection refers to part-time work which an individual undertakes when the income is not declared to the relevant authorities. Nixer initially implied that the payment was not declared for tax purposes, but now refers to any work that is not part of his regular job.
Moonlighting, after-hours work, hustles, underground economy, duplication, and passion projects are some of the other terms used to describe this practice. The second job is usually taken after normal working hours and is usually an evening job, so it is associated with the rising of the moon and is called moonlighting.
According to researcher Deborah Sussman, moonlighting is a booming way of life. People engage in moonlighting to meet current household expenses, pay off debts, buy something special, save for the future, gain experience, start a business, or simply enjoy the work of the second job. Many employees engage in moonlighting to maximize their talent and realize their full potential.
The biggest challenge employees face when moonlighting is fatigue. In this era of working from home, physical fatigue may not be very severe in the short term for white-collar workers, but mental fatigue still exists. For blue-collar workers, it’s both physical and mental fatigue.
Undeclared work can adversely affect an employee’s performance in their primary job. Another major downside of moonlighting can be a disrupted work-life balance. The main reason behind promoting a compressed working week (four-day work schedule) is to allow for a better work-life balance, but moonlighting in another job might run counter to the very purpose of a compressed work week.
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Many companies are strictly against duplication. These organizations believe this could lead to conflicts of interest, loss of primary job productivity, as well as data breaches and loss of reputation. For example, if a teacher takes modeling as a second job to earn extra income, the school might complain about a loss of reputation.
Moonlighting policies are a common feature of many companies. These indicate whether or not an employee can have a side job and whether they must get pre-approval before accepting a second job. These policies are usually contained in the employee handbook or employment contract.
Work ethics require adherence to company policy, as does the psychological contract between employees and employers. Employees should beware of the possible dangers of moonlighting. A Birmingham nurse has been struck off after she was caught moonlighting as a religious radio presenter. She got sick leave from her employers after telling her bosses she was suffering from shoulder pain. She was later found guilty of dishonestly undertaking paid work while on sick leave and failing to state that she was working elsewhere.
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While many companies prevent employees from moonlighting, others are fine if employees request permission in advance or if the second job has no impact on the main job. Some employers allow moonlighting because it helps their employees earn extra money, which can ease the pressure on them for a raise.
Allowing employees to pursue passion projects that they find personally fulfilling can make them more satisfied. In these cases, moonlighting functions as a retention tool for the company and reduces employee turnover.
There is no specific legislation prohibiting or allowing moonlighting, so some employers are likely allowing moonlighting just to stay on the right side of the law. An important court case that should be mentioned here is Transdev Ireland Ltd v Caplis. After Luas operator Transdev Ireland discovered that their train driver, Mr Caplis, was moonlighting at night as a taxi driver, they dismissed him for gross misconduct. Mr. Caplis’ contract with Transdev clearly prohibited him from exercising any other salaried activity without the authorization of his employer.
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Mr. Caplis filed a wrongful dismissal complaint with the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). Transdev protected his dismissal decision by emphasizing the safety critical nature of a Luas driver’s role and the WRC agreed with Transdev. Mr. Caplis appealed this decision to the Labor Court in 2019. The Labor Court overturned the WRC’s decision and ordered the immediate re-employment of Mr. Caplis. Transdev, the operator Luas appealed against this decision before the High Court (Tribunal). The tribunal de grande instance rejected Transdev’s appeal and confirmed Mr. Caplis’s rehiring.
Today, there are multiple opportunities to moonlight as many online platforms offer part-time jobs or project-based jobs. The work-from-home model, which has become popular thanks to the pandemic, can only promote moonlighting, as employees no longer have to spend time and energy traveling to workplaces. . The temptation to monetize that extra time may be too much for many to resist.
Then there’s the growing popularity of “silent quitting,” where an employee doesn’t quit their job outright but works to reign in set hours. The silent shutdown may give new impetus to the practice of moonlighting The move to a four-day work schedule, often referred to as a “compressed workweek”, is likely to further encourage some employees to opt for the nixers. With moonlighting likely to play a bigger role in work in the future, maybe it’s time to have well-defined rules and laws around this practice?
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
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