Several workplace trends like moonlighting, quiet quitting and tang ping have gathered momentum since the start of the pandemic. In fact, most young workforce believes going above and beyond at work isn't in their best interest, a new hiring tracker survey claimed.  

A new survey by Indeed laid out the causes of the latest workplace trends and how businesses and employees may retain top talent and grow.

Moonlighting not equally widespread across sectors

Moonlighting is one of the trends that has been heavily debated in the last few months. Employee moonlighting is a situation in which an employee works more than one job. Usually, the moonlighting employee has one full-time job and one part-time job, though some use the term to refer to any situation in which a person works for more than one company.

The study showed that less than one out of five employees (19%) want to moonlight in India with a large majority of employees (81%) saying they do not wish to take up another job alongside the one they currently work in, citing it as unethical. 

The top reasons why employees moonlight are: 

• To safeguard against job loss (37%).
• To supplement their incomes (27%). 

However, employers have a different view of this tendency. 31% believe that employees moonlight because they are not adequately engaged in their work, and 23% believe that employees have ample time on hand for a second job. 

Quiet quitting caused by burnout and lack of support

Quiet quitting rejects the idea of intentionally attempting to exceed expectations at work. Instead, workers gradually disengage from doing anything beyond the minimum needed to keep their job. 

Interestingly, 33% of the employers surveyed believe that low general job satisfaction (boredom, lack of challenges, etc.) is the main reason for the growing trend of quiet quitting, and 21% believe it is a lack of commitment to jobs. 

Employees cite a different set of reasons. 29% of employees surveyed believe that the feeling of burnout or being overwhelmed with work and 23% believe that lack of support by managers or bosses, has led to the growth of the trend.

Hustle culture gaining prominence 

89% of job seekers surveyed were hired during the July-September 2022 quarter, indicating a healthy market for Indian jobseekers. Interestingly, there is a rise in hustle culture. 43% of employers believe monetary considerations (earning more and leading a better lifestyle) are the reason for the popularity of the hustle culture. 

On the other hand, employees say that earning more, repaying loans (37%) and career growth (29%) are the reasons for hustle culture.