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Should you allow your employees to have a side job?

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In addition to a nine-to-five job, more and more workers, especially young professionals, are opting for a side job. The emergence of the buzzword "slashies" explains modern workforce's desire not to be defined solely by their day jobs. Apparently, Hilary Clinton, former first lady in the US and Brie Larson, American actress are also fans of being defined by a long list of titles.

A side hustle is generally a freelance side project that the person is passionate about. It provides the professional with extra income and an additional creative outlet. While a side hustle is done outside a person’s day-to-day work hours, it's different to a part-time job.

Perceiving side hustles as economic empowerment and creative freedom to each individual (based on Hays' CEO Alistair Cox's sharing on why professionals should consider a side hustle) we listed below why employers should encourage employees to take side hustles:

Fulfilling a craving for variety and creativity 

“The reality is that many won’t feel satisfied if they only focus their entire careers on one single thing they are interested in or passionate about. I believe that’s at the heart of why most side hustles are set up. Not because the person hates their job and wants to escape in some way,” Cox said.

At a time when work-life balance is pursued by the majority of the workforce, allowing your employees to discover their passion outside their scope of work is an act of empowerment.

When it comes to dating and marriage, one of the early sign of a toxic relationship is when one alienates himself or herself from his or her social circle or quits hobbies; and one of the most popular relationship advice is to put yourself first no matter how much you adore your partner. Likewise, having a life outside one's day job is important for one's overall health. Having the right state of mind can also guarantee productivity in the long term.

An opportunity to upskill

As a side hustle involves focusing on passions outside of a person’s usual day-to-day area of expertise, people can learn new skills and improve their own employability as a result.

“Stepping out on your own and generating an additional income from doing something you’re interested in, whether that be writing, consulting, cooking, coaching, speaking or setting up your own doggy day care, will teach you a whole myriad of skills you may not have the opportunity to learn and practice in your nine-to-five," Cox said.

According to the 2019 Global Talent Competitiveness Index report, how entrepreneurial talent is being encouraged, nurtured and developed throughout the world and how this affects the relative competitiveness of different economies are the report’s main metrics. The highest-ranking countries and cities tend to be the most open to entrepreneurial talent. Digitalisation and globalisation are increasing the role of entrepreneurial talent.

Additional income

Side hustles can also generate extra income in addition to a person’s regular wage providing professionals with the opportunity to earn money from a project they are passionate about and enjoy doing.

“There’s no skirting around it. Many set up side hustles as a way to generate a little extra income, or just to save for the proverbial rainy day,” Cox said.

Cox added that employers shouldn’t worry about an employee burning out through pursuing their side hustle, or even working on it during company hours. While these concerns are understandable, Cox says the trend's popularity doesn’t appear to be slowing, so business leaders must instead begin to embrace the many benefits an employee’s side hustle can bring businesses too. These include employees upskilling themselves, building their confidence, forming a better opinion of who they are, gaining experiences of new environments, problem solving and taking risks independently.

Photo/ Hilary Clinton and Brie Larson's twitter profile

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