Keywords

Academic Staff, Employee Performance, Federal Polytechnics, Moonlighting, Southwest Nigeria.

Introduction

Moonlighting occurs when people work a second job in addition to their regular employment or work many occupations (Adebisi, 2019). Prasad, Kalavakolanu, De, and Satyaprasad (2024) opined that there are a number of reasons for engaging in moonlighting which includes personal fulfilment, job growth, economic factors, or financial requirements. Some people work part-time jobs to supplement their income (Garcia & Chen, 2022). For example, a person who works as a senior executive in a TV media company during the week and as a lecturer teaching sales management, media planning, and public relations at a reputable Nigerian institute on weekends may derive satisfaction in knowing that he is shaping young minds, despite the fact that both jobs require equal commitment.

Kisumano and Wa-Mbaleka (2017) argued that many people experience job insecurity in the current economy, and moonlighting may offer an extra source of income as well as a safety net in the event of job loss. This imply that employee intentions to moonlight may also be influenced by job insecurity. Another justification for moonlighting is flexibility because people with flexible jobs may choose to moonlight in order to supplement their income (Kimmel, 1995).

An individual's general welfare, job performance, and work-life balance can all be impacted by moonlighting, both favourably and badly (Prasad et al., 2024). Most workers augment their income by moonlighting in their spare time following their first job (Ashwini, Mirthula & Preetha, 2017). It may present a chance to expand one's professional networks, earn more money, and acquire new skills, but it may also result in burnout and have a detrimental effect on relationships and one's health (Campion et al., 2020).

Conflicts of interest can also arise from moonlighting, particularly if the second employment is related to the primary work (Kamal & Bakare, 2021). Additionally, according to Baldwin and Daugherty (2002), it may result in problems with time management and work-life balance. All things considered, moonlighting may be a great way for people to earn extra money and develop new abilities, but it is important to think through the possible consequences and learn how to properly manage time and responsibilities (Ara and Akbar, 2016).

Problem Statement

The education sector is considered as one of the core pillars that propels a nation to its desired state through the creation of human capital. Serving as a public servant while moonlighting has long been a common practice that has benefited ambidextrous officers (Kamal & Bakare, 2021). Many organisations do not have stringent policies that forbid moonlighting. It is one area that has not been well investigated, even though it is assumed to be negatory in the majority of workforce cultures due to its propensity to create a gap in service delivery (Prasad et al., 2024).

Lecturers tend to take the practice of moonlighting for granted since those who moonlight get away with it. An observation was made by the Senate of a public institution about its most productive instructors flooding other private universities (Kamal & Bakare, 2021). While the parent institution saw multiple sessions of ungraded and extraordinary student outcomes, these professors lectured and graded assignments on schedule, meeting all deadlines.

Without a doubt, moonlighting has improved workers' morale in meeting or attending to their requirements, which has an impact on how well they perform in their core roles and lowers productivity within the company (Akinde, 2018). However, there is a dispute in the research on the extent to which these part-time jobs impact an organization's performance, particularly in Nigerian higher education institutions (Sanjo, Ayo-Balogun, & Odunayo, 2024).

It is against this background that this present study seeks to investigate the impact of moonlighting on employee job performance in Federal Polytechnics in South-West, Nigeria.

Objectives of the Study

a. To determine the reasons why Academic Staff in Federal Polytechnics in South-West Nigeria Moonlight.

b. To ascertain the benefits that comes along with moonlighting for Academic Staff in Federal Polytechnics in South-West Nigeria.

c. To show how moonlighting can help to enhance creativity of Academic Staff in Federal Polytechnics in South-West Nigeria.

d. To discover the benefits of moonlighting to Federal Polytechnics in South-West Nigeria

Research Questions

Based on the objectives of the study, the following research questions have been carefully crafted:

a. What are the reasons why why Academic Staff in Federal Polytechnics in South-West Nigeria Moonlight?

b. What are the benefits that comes along with moonlighting for Academic Staff in Federal Polytechnics in South-West Nigeria?

c. What is the impact of moonlighting on creativity of Academic Staff in Federal Polytechnics in South-West Nigeria?

d. Does moonlighting offer any benefit to management of Federal Polytechnics in South-West Nigeria?

Literature Review

The term moonlighting describes the practice of someone doing two jobs in addition to their full-time job (Vijay, Sultana Ph, & Rajan, 2023), and it has garnered a lot of interest from scholars in recent times. This conceptual framework looks at pertinent ideas and concepts that lay a basis for comprehending this dynamic in order to investigate the link between moonlighting and employee performance.

Typically, there are two forms of moonlighting: involuntary and voluntary (Gamal, Taneo & Halim, 2022). When workers voluntarily look for extra employment to supplement their income, further their careers, or satisfy personal needs, this is known as voluntary moonlighting (Sanjo et al., 2024). In contrast, the need for involuntary moonlighting is usually a result of financial strain or inadequate primary income (Ashwini et al., 2017). As a result of its impact on how much an individual performs in their regular work, the motive for moonlighting is very critical to be understood.

The multifaceted concept of employee performance describes how successfully a person carries out their duties and makes a contribution to the objectives of the organisation (Abdelmegeed Abdelwahed, Soomro, & Shah, 2023). A number of criteria, including productivity, work quality, efficiency, and overall contribution to the workplace, may be used to measure employee performance (Agboola, Aremu, Eze, & Wahab, 2021). The equilibrium between job demands and available resources is said to affect an employee's performance, according to theories like the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model. The demands of the job increases for workers who moonlight, which may have an impact on how well they perform in their day jobs.

According to Resource Allocation Theory, which looks at how people divide their time and effort between various jobs, moonlighting can have an impact on employee performance (Prasad et al., 2024). Employees that moonlight may find it difficult to devote enough time and energy to their regular work because these are limited resources, which could result in low quality performance (Nunnally & Bernstein, 1994). This theoretical framework highlights the significance of comprehending the compromises that workers undertake when handling various responsibilities and the potential effects these compromises may have on their overall performance in their primary position.

Several research studies that have looked at how moonlighting affects employee performance may be found in the literature. The reasons why Czech lower secondary school instructors worked two jobs, one as a paid employee and one as a private tutor, were examined by Ššastný et al. (2021). The results demonstrated that financial considerations account for the majority of male teachers' responses to side work. Sai Manogna and Swamy (2023) examined the impact of organisational commitment attributes on secondary recruiting decisions made by higher education instructors through the use of structural equation modelling research. The study's findings indicate a negative relationship between moonlighting intentions and organisational commitment. It was found in another study by Ara and Akbar (2016) that moonlighting significantly affects workers' job happiness. The study found that employee job satisfaction increase when they were given a supportive work environment in which they could carry out enriching, meaningful tasks that offered a range of challenges, opportunities, and feedback to boost their self-esteem in addition to providing for their families and meeting their salary.

Though there is a wealth of evidence in the literature about the effects of moonlighting on employee performance, there aren't many research that focus on Federal Institutions of Learning in South-West Nigeria. The goal of the current study is to close this gap.

Methodology

The present study adopts a positivist research philosophy. According to Saunders and Bristow (2023), a positivist research philosophy utilises objective data to validate assumptions. It is mostly linked to quantitative research processes. Furthermore, a survey research design was adopted for this study in order to gather dataset from a possible large number of people.

The population of this study comprises of academic staff of Federal Polytechnics in Southwest, Nigeria. The sampling frame is presented in the table 1 below.

Table 1 Sampling Frame
S/N	Name of Institution	No. of Academic Staff
1.	Federal Polytechnic Ilaro, Ogun State	466
2.	Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State	508
3.	Yaba College of Technology, Lagos State	806
4.	Federal Polytechnic Ede, Osun State	420
5.	Federal Polytechnic Ile Oluji, Ondo State	69
	Total	2268

Further, the sample size determination formula by Taro Yamane was applied to determine an adequate sample size from the total population of 2268 academic staff. The formula is given as:

Where

n= sample size

N= population

e= error margin

The study assumes the maximum variability to be 50% ( p =0.5) and taking 99% confidence level with ±5% precision, the calculation for required sample size is as follows:

In selecting the sample, a multi-stage sampling technique was adopted. Firstly, Bowley’s allocation formula was applied to allocate the sample size according to institutions.

The formula is given as:

Where

nh= Allocation formula

Nh = Number of items in each stratum in the population

n= total sample size

N = Population size

Applying the formula, we have:

Federal Polytechnic Ilaro, Ogun State = 466 × 340 / 2268=70

Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State = 508 × 340/ 2268= 76

Yaba College of Technology, Lagos State =806 × 340/ 2268=121

Federal Polytechnic Ede, Osun State =420 × 340/ 2268=63

Federal Polytechnic Ile Oluji, Ondo State =69 × 340/ 2268=10

340

The research instrument adopted for the study is a structured questionnaire. The instrument was validated using both content and construct validity while the reliability was ascertained using Cronbach Alpha test (table 2). The collected data were analysed using inferential statistics. Specifically, objectives one was analysed using percentage method while objective two, three and four were analysed using multiple regression. The analysis of the study was achieved using SPSS version 23.

Table 2 Reliability Test
Cronbach's Alpha	N of Items
.806	30

Results

The reliability of the research instrument in obtaining the necessary information from respondents on the subject matter is demonstrated by the Cronbach alpha reliability test, which yielded a result of 0.806. This result implies that the research instrument is highly reliable in eliciting the impact of moonlighting on employee performance in the study area.

Test of Hypotheses

Hypothesis One

H₀: There are no reasons why employees moonlight in Federal Polytechnics in South West Nigeria.

H₁: There are reasons why employees moonlight in Federal Polytechnics in South West Nigeria.

The data displayed in the table 3 below presents how the respondents’ opinion was dispersed across various factors that influence their decision to moonlight.

Table 3 Factors Influencing Academic Staff in Federal Polytechnics in Southwest Nigeria Decision to Moonlight
S/N	Factors	SA	A	U	SD	D	Total
1.	Insufficient income from their primary academic position	152 (44.7%)	120 (35.3%)	3 (0.9%)	39 (11.46%)	26 (7.64%)	340 (100%)
2.	Career Development Opportunities	108 (31.77%)	215 (63.24%)	5 (1.47%)	4 (1.18%)	8 (2.34%)	340 (100%)
3.	Job Satisfaction and Fulfillment	174 (51.18%)	112 (32.93%)	NR (0%)	36 (10.59%)	18 (5.3%)	340 (100%)
4.	Workload Flexibility	125 (36.77%)	198 (58.23%)	6 (1.76%)	7 (2.06%)	4 (1.18%)	340 (100%)
5.	Desire for Diverse Experiences	268 (78.82%)	65 (19.12%)	2 (0.59%)	5 (1.47%)	NR (0%)	340 (100%)

The information in the table 3 above alludes to how the respondents perceived the factors that may influence their decision to moonlight. From the table 3 above, it can be observed that majority of the respondents i.e 152 (44.7%) strongly agreed that their decision to moonlight is influenced by insufficient income from their primary academic position.

Furthermore, the result also revealed that a large percentage of the respondents i.e. 215 (63.24%) agreed that they are influenced by the need for career development to moonlight. Also, the result shows that majority of the respondents i.e. 174 (51.18%) strongly agreed that they are motivated to moonlight due to a need for job satisfaction and fulfilment.

In the same vein, the findings of the study revealed that majority of the respondents i.e 198 (58.23%) agreed that the flexibility of their workload is an influencing factor that fuels their motivation to moonlight. Lastly, the result revealed that majority of the respondents i.e. 268 (78.82%) strongly agreed that desire for diverse experience makes them consider moonlighting.

Therefore, based on these individual results, the study rejects the null hypothesis (H₀) and accept the alternative (H₁). The study therefore concludes that there are factors influencing the decision among Academic staff in Federal Polytechnics in Southwest Nigeria to moonlight. These factors comprises the financial pressures, career development opportunities, job satisfaction and fulfilment, workload flexibility and desire for diverse experiences. This findings is in tandem with the findings of Sai Manogna and Swamy (2023); Abdelmegeed et al. (2023) and Agboola et al. (2021) who found identified similar factors as highlighted in this present study as the factors that influence the decision of employees to moonlight.

Hypothesis Two

H₀: Moonlighting does not offer any benefit to employees in Federal Polytechnics in Southwest Nigeria.

H₁: Moonlighting does not offer any benefit to employees in Federal Polytechnics in Southwest Nigeria.

Decision Rule

Accept H₀ if p-value is greater than 5% and reject H₁. Reject H₀ is p-value is less than 5% and accept H₁.

The result in the model summary table 4 above revealed the contribution of moonlighting to employee benefits. The result of the R² indicates that moonlighting contributes up to 81.6% of benefits enjoyed by employees in the study area while the remaining 18.4% of the benefits enjoyed by employees can be attributed to other factors aside from moonlighting that are not captured by the model.

Table 4 Model Summarya
Model	R	R2	Adjusted R2	Std. Error of the Estimate	Durbin-Watson
					R2 Change	F Change	Sig.
1	.904a	.816	.815	1.54878	.816	529.081	.000	2.373

The data displayed in the table 5 above shows the contribution of moonlighting to the benefits enjoyed by the academic staff in the study area. The information in the table 5 shows that in the absence of moonlighting, the b value of the constant is 0.214 and the p-value is .000 which is less than the acceptable 5% level of significance. This result implies that in the absence of moonlighting, employees enjoy an increase in benefits attached to their job by 0.214 units. This result is also statistically significant. However, the result also indicates that a unit increase in Moonlighting leads to 0.317 unit increase in the benefits enjoyed by the academic staff in the study area. Also, the p-value is statistically significant as it is less than the 5% acceptable level of significance.

Table 5 Coefficienta
Model		Unstandardized Coefficients		Standardized Coefficients	t	Sig.
		B	Std. Error	Beta
1	(Constant)	2.006	.369	0.214	1.712	.000
	Moonlighting	1.462	.053	0.317	2.018	.000

Based on the result, the study rejects the null hypothesis (H₀) and accept the alternative (H₁). Therefore, the study concludes that moonlighting offers benefits to academic staff in the study area. These benefits could be related to the factors highlighted in the earlier objectives. This result is in line with the findings of Kisumano and Wa-Mbaleka (2017) who found that moonlighting is beneficial to employees.

Hypothesis Three

H₀: Moonlighting has no impact on creativity of Academic Staff in Federal Polytechnics in South-West Nigeria.

H₁: Moonlighting has an impact on creativity of Academic Staff in Federal Polytechnics in South-West Nigeria.

Decision Rule

Accept H₀ if p-value is greater than 5% and reject H₁. Reject H₀ is p-value is less than 5% and accept H₁.

The result in the model summary table 6 above revealed the contribution of moonlighting to employee creativity. The result of the R² indicates that moonlighting contributes up to 71.7% to employees’ creativity in the study area while the remaining 28.3% can be attributed to other factors aside from moonlighting that are not captured by the model.

Table 6 Model Summaryb
Model	R	R Square	Adjusted R Square	Std. Error of the Estimate
1	.847a	.717	.700	1.23698

The information displayed in the table 7 above informs on the relationship between moonlighting and employee creativity. The data revealed that the b-value of the constant is 0.326 which indicates that in the absence of moonlighting, employee creativity increases by 0.326 unit and this relationship is statistically significant at 5%.

Table 7 Coefficientb
Model		Unstandardized Coefficients		Standardized Coefficients	t	Sig.
		B	Std. Error	Beta
1	(Constant)	1.897	.150	.326	1.390	.001
	Moonlighting	.462	.053	.592	2.753	.000

In the same, the coefficient (b) value of moonlighting is 0.592 which indicates that a unit increase in moonlighting leads to 0.592 unit increase in employee creativity. Also, the p-value is less than 5% level of significance. Therefore, the study rejects the null hypothesis (H₀) and accept the alternative (H₁). The study therefore concludes that moonlighting has a significant positive impact on employee creativity in the study area. This result is in line with the findings of Campion et al. (2020) who found that moonlighting has a positive impact on employee creativity.

Hypothesis Four

H₀: Moonlighting offer benefits to management of Federal Polytechnics in South-West Nigeria.

H₁: Moonlighting does not offer benefits to management of Federal Polytechnics in South-West Nigeria.

Decision Rule

Accept H₀ if p-value is greater than 5% and reject H₁. Reject H₀ is p-value is less than 5% and accept H₁.

The result in the model summary table 8 above revealed the contribution of moonlighting to organisation benefit. The result of the R² indicates that moonlighting contributes up to 18.1% to organisation benefit in the study area while the remaining 81.9% can be attributed to other factors aside from moonlighting that are not captured by the model. This result implies that moonlighting contributes little to the benefits enjoyed by the organisation in terms of the performance of its employees.

Table 8 Model Summaryc
Model	R	R Square	Adjusted R Square	Std. Error of the Estimate
1	.425a	.181	.0.179	1.0040

The information in the table 9 above revealed the relationship between moonlighting and organisation benefit. The b-value of the constant (0.453) indicates that in the absence of moonlighting, the benefits enjoyed by the polytechnics as a result of employee performance increases by 0.453 units and this is statistically significant at 5% level of significance.

Table 9 Coefficientc
Model		Unstandardized Coefficients		Standardized Coefficients	t	Sig.
		B	Std. Error	Beta
1	(Constant)	2.341	.695	.453	3.682	.000
	Moonlighting	-.994	-.080	-.254	-2.367	.001

However, the coefficient of moonlighting stands at (b= -2.367) is an indication that as moonlighting increases by a unit, organisation benefit reduces by 2.367 units. Also, this result is statistically insignificant at 5% level of significance.

Based on this result, the study rejects the null hypothesis (H₀) and accepts the alternative (H₁). The study therefore concludes that moonlighting does not have a significant impact on the benefits enjoyed by Federal Polytechnics in South-West Nigeria. This result is consistent with the result of Kamal and Bakare (2021) who found that moonlighting causes poor service delivery in public education institutions.

Discussion of Findings

The study's findings reveal several key insights into the factors influencing academic staff in Federal Polytechnics in Southwest Nigeria to engage in moonlighting. The results indicate that financial pressures, career development opportunities, job satisfaction, workload flexibility, and the desire for diverse experiences are significant motivators for moonlighting. These factors align with previous research, underscoring the widespread nature of these influences.

Furthermore, the study highlights that moonlighting provides tangible benefits to academic staff, such as increased income and enhanced creativity, which suggests that moonlighting can contribute positively to personal and professional growth. However, the study also found that moonlighting negatively impacts organizational benefits, potentially leading to reduced overall performance and service delivery within the polytechnics.

The implications of these findings are twofold: while moonlighting can enhance individual employee outcomes, it may undermine organizational effectiveness. This suggests a need for policies that balance the benefits of moonlighting for staff with the potential risks to institutional performance, ensuring that both employees and organizations can thrive.

Conclusion and Recommendations

The study concludes that moonlighting is a prevalent practice among academic staff in Federal Polytechnics in Southwest Nigeria, driven by factors such as financial pressures, career development opportunities, job satisfaction, workload flexibility, and the desire for diverse experiences. While moonlighting offers notable benefits to individual staff members, including increased income and enhanced creativity, it also presents challenges to organizational performance, particularly in terms of service delivery and institutional benefits.

Given these findings, it is essential for educational institutions to acknowledge the dual-edged nature of moonlighting. On one hand, it provides staff with the means to meet financial needs and pursue personal development; on the other hand, it may detract from their primary responsibilities and impact overall institutional performance.

Based on these findings, the following recommendations are put forward:

a. Institutions need to develop clear policies regarding moonlighting, balancing the rights of staff to pursue additional work with the need to maintain high standards of service delivery.

b. Addressing the root cause of financial pressures through salary reviews or additional benefits could reduce the necessity for staff to moonlight.

c. Offering robust career development opportunities within the institutions could diminish the need for external engagements, helping staff achieve their professional goals without compromising their primary job.

d. Implementing a system to monitor the impact of moonlighting on job performance, coupled with support services such as workload management training, could help mitigate potential negative effects on institutional outcomes.

Acknowledgments

For funding this study, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) is gratefully acknowledged by the authors. Also acknowledged for their assistance with the study project are the Federal Polytechnic Ilaro's administration and research team in Ogun State, Nigeria. Finally, we thank the management and employees of the several institutions where the study was conducted, as well as our reviewers for their insightful feedback.

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Received: 21-Aug-2024, Manuscript No. ASMJ-23-15162; Editor assigned: 23-Aug-2024, PreQC No. ASMJ-23-15162(PQ); Reviewed: 02- Sep-2024, QC No. ASMJ-23-15162; Revised: 09-Sep-2024, Manuscript No. ASMJ-23-15162(R); Published: 20-Sep-2024