News and analysis Hot topic
Hot topic
We know this isn’t an entirely new patter n. You’ve always had
actors who work in McDonald’s in between roles. The vast majority
are not doing it because one is the dream job and the other is
‘bread and butter’. This is now about people trying to patch
together a livelihood from whatever means they can
The Association of Independent Professionals and the
Self-Employed (IPSE) recently found that 320,500
self-employed people now have two or more jobs.
Does this rise of the ‘slashie’ signal a more creative
autonomous way of working, or are multiple jobs a
sign that people are struggling to make ends meet?
And how should employers respond?
Stephan Gerschewski,
lecturer in
international business
and strategy, Henley
Business School,
University of Reading
Portfolio careers have become
increasingly popular over the past few
years. Research from Henley found that
one in four employees in the UK have a
‘side hustle’, which is consistent with the
IPSE findings. The motives for starting
one can be grouped into two broad
categories: pay or passion.
It is important to better understand the
motives as studies have shown that
‘passion’ for portfolio careers can
translate into higher likelihoods of
success. In addition, people with portfolio
careers can become more productive
in their main workplaces, as they often
tend to be happier and more fulfilled
when they’re able to pursue their
passion in their ‘free time’ away from
their main jobs.
The response from employers is mixed.
While some prohibit another job others
tend to adopt more flexible and
employee-friendly policies. Open and
transparent HR policies about portfolio
careers can foster more supportive
corporate cultures, which in turn can
positively influence motivation,
happiness and, ultimately, productivity.
Jo Taylor, founder and
MD, Let’s Talk Talent,
and former director
of talent management,
TalkTalk
As someone who started
their business four years ago to have more
freedom, autonomy and variety, I think
that if we are seeing people having to take
Working more than one job because money is
tight is not new, but many ‘slashies’ appear to be
doing so for more personal creative reasons.
It’s also a bit different to a side hustle, which is
where someone turns their hobby outside their
main job into a money-making venture. Many are
successful enough to be able to leave their
full-time employment to become a ‘slashie’
multiple jobs to survive then we should be
extremely concerned.
It is definitely true that we have seen a
rise in self-employment in the past five
years, especially among Generation Z – for
whom the thought of working in
large organisations is less appealing.
However, what I would like to see is
more businesses embracing the gig
economy and committing to
empower, trust and engage their people.
This could create a thriving
entrepreneurial economy as seen
across Europe.
The world of work is changing at such
a fast pace. We need to create
opportunities not barriers for future
talent so people can express their
creativity, and so we can develop
a generation of people not stifled by
unnecessary rules and bureaucracy. This
will develop and attract an agile talent
economy and mindset for the UK.
Chloe Jepps,
deputy head of
research, IPSE
There is no doubt that
work is changing and
self-employment is the
big winner. More than one in seven of
the working population is now selfemployed
(over 1.2 million more than 10
years ago). This rise is driven by highlyskilled
freelancers, particularly seniorlevel
women.
The internet has enabled people to
be more confident pursuing ideas or
dreams; either full time or alongside a
traditional job.
Numerous pieces of research show that
nearly everyone who becomes selfemployed
does so for positive reasons.
These microbusinesses are naturally
Huffington Post, 23 April
BBC News, 22 April
innovative and creative, boosting the
UK economy.
Like any change this brings challenges
for employers, who may be concerned
that their employee is distracted by their
side hustle. It requires careful
management but there are huge
advantages – the employee is likely to be
happier and will develop skills that they
can bring back into the workplace.
Kate Palmer,
associate director of
advisory, Peninsula
Having multiple jobs is
likely to reflect the greater
need for flexibility in
modern lives – especially with Millennials
focusing more on their personal
commitments and wellbeing than their
professional life. Technology, working
patterns, and the ability to complete paid
‘gigs’ all help employees who wish to
structure their working lives in a pattern
that suits them. While you can submit a
statutory flexible working request once
you complete 26 weeks’ service, this is
unlikely to allow individuals to switch on
and off from work as they require. Having
a number of jobs for specific hours over
the working week provides this opportunity.
Employers need to meet their working
time responsibilities for each employee,
which can be affected by the work being
done for other businesses. Ask employees
to let you know about other work so they
can monitor weekly hours and rest
periods. Also keep an eye on the
employee’s wellbeing and watch out
for signs of overwork or stress as
this will need to be actioned, with
additional support offered if this is
the case. HR
12 HR June 2019 hrmagazine.co.uk
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