Irish professionals are taking their career beyond the limits of the 9-5 contract with the side hustle and improving their quality of life in the process.

Known as ‘slashies’ because their job title contains more than one occupation, these workers create a secondary job for themselves by turning a hobby into a second source of income. 

With Generations Y and Z entering the world of work, this multi-faceted professional lifestyle is here to stay as today’s worker becomes more and more professionally multi-faceted.

Employers may think ‘Why should I risk hiring a side hustler?’. Anyone not 100% dedicated to the company is a liability, right?

Wrong.

Having a passion outside of the business doesn’t make workers any less dedicated within the business, it allows them a creative outlet which speaks to who they are.

Against the background of high competition for talented staff, it is vital that employees’ hobbies are accepted and supported especially when they turn it into a side business!

While there are no official Irish statistics, the Independent revealed that almost two-fifths of UK employees have a side hustle and this figure is expected to continue to grow.

Are you ready to find out why these individuals are key to your workplace’s future? 
 
Here are the HR Department’s top 5 reasons why you should encourage your workers get in on the hustle…

1. Passion

Your employees’ passions come in all different forms so it’s important to encourage them to pursue them. Support for their personal interests outside of work will upkeep their passion for their job with you. This zeal will add a quality to employees’ work which is otherwise difficult to manufacture.

Encouraging new lifestyles for your workers to accommodate their outside interests whether through remote working or some other method will drive employee motivation during working hours because their personal needs are being met.

1. Security For You and For Them

With multiple sources of income, your employees will have improved job security and therefore, an improved sense of wellbeing. With less stress about paying for their expenses, employees will be more content with their salary.

This is not to suggest that you shouldn’t promote employees who deserve it but for SMEs who have less to spend on wages, it can be a great way of building profits until you can properly afford raises and other accolades for team members.

1. Highly Employable

One fear of employers is that the side hustle will detract from their primary job which is vastly untrue. In fact, a Forbes study revealed that 48% of side hustlers spend less than five hours a week on their external projects.  

Why are we put off by those who have start-ups or other businesses and yet we ask for self-starters on our job advertisements?

Those who are personally motivated to generate success in their spare time are often the types of individuals who take initiative and are very organised and it is these individuals who bring multiple types of experience which are invaluable to your SME!  

1. A Chance to Infuse Meaning 

Many employers focus on how their employees find meaning from their job but what about the meaning they find in their personal endeavours?

Helping employees find meaning in their life helps employees get into a forward-thinking mindset in which they feel able to create their future.

This boost in personal agency will help them feel more empowered to provide high-quality customer service and to be an integral contributor to the team.

A commitment to your employees’ meaning of life outside of work is going the extra mile for them, a gesture which will likely breed loyalty and emotional connection to your workplace.

1. The Opportunity for a Healthy Employer-Employee Relationship

One of the negative stereotypes about side hustlers is that their daily performance becomes drained by moonlighting.

It’s important to remember that a part-time passion doesn’t mean that their productivity during their full-time hours is necessarily in jeopardy.

Often while their side hustle brings them extra money and fulfilment, employees will want to stay in their fulltime job for the salary, stability and benefits it offers.

Building a give-and-take relationship with those who do other forms of work could unexpectedly boost the health of your business processes.  

An example of how this could be done would be to communicate that their other work can’t be completed during working hours but respect that you have no sway over what they work on in their own time. Boundaries and respect from both parties breed a stronger relationship.
 
Side Hustle in a Nutshell
We need to rewrite the narrative of the fickle side hustler as making passions a reality is key to your employees’ self-actualisation.

Side hustlers who are supported in their passions will feel more fulfilled and can therefore bring something extra to your business as positive company representatives, people with greater job security and unique skills from their wealth of experience.

While multi-faceted careers bring more to think about, it also gives you a greater opportunity to build a meaningful relationship with your employees, one that will last the test of time.

​So, how are you going to show your support of the side hustler today to embrace your workplace’s future? 

The skills shortage is an issue that worries both employers and employees. In fact, just last year research suggested that chief executives were more concerned about the skills shortage in 2016 than at any point in previous recent years. Undoubtedly the shortage of skilled workers, especially in the IT and technology industry, is having a negative knock-on effect for many organisations as more and more companies look to digitise their business processes. Equally, prospective employees are becoming less sure about what skills they need to bring to the table in order to be of most value to a company.

So, what measures can employers take when talent supply isn’t meeting the demand for skilled workers? Here are a few ways to help companies stay afloat while navigating their way through the current skills shortage:

1. Training and Mentoring

One effective way to tackle the skills shortage is to offer training and mentoring programmes internally for current employees. Companies may find that rather than having to hire new workers, an employee in your business who has been given training and development may be well, or even better, suited to a vacant position.

Offering IT and software courses for employees, for example, is a very effective way for companies to streamline their processes and reduce the need to hire externally. Internal staff development can negate the need for costly and time-consuming hiring processes.

2. Look Abroad

As an employer, it’s always important to broaden your horizons when it comes to hiring. Irish employers should look for top talent across the EU and take advantage of the freedom of movement and work for all EU citizens. The geographic distance between employer and prospective employee shouldn’t put a company off hiring foreign talent – the process can be easily conducted over social media, email and/or video call. Finally, many employees may be attracted by the idea of working abroad and can bring different perspectives and knowledge bases to your company.

3. Outsource
 
When a company needs a specific job done quickly and effectively, often outsourcing can be the best option. Outsourcing talent allows for a relatively speedy on boarding process and if you do it right, the contractors should already have all of the necessary skills for the task at hand. While it is not advised in all situations, outsourcing can be vital for a company to quickly increase its manpower, again without going through the expensive, lengthy and often difficult hiring process.

4. Don’t ignore Millennials
 
Let’s face it, there can be a stigma when it comes to millennials. They don’t get out of bed in the morning, they are too distracted by their smartphones, they need constant gratification – these are all examples of stereotypes that give millennials a bad reputation. However, it is crucially important that employers don’t overlook the talent and ability of millennials in the workplace, especially when it comes to tech and IT. Ignoring one demographic of workers because of unfounded stereotypes would be very wrong. I say take advantage of the skills of the youth – you may find they bring more to your company than you expected.

5. Outreach 
 
With a huge skills shortage and the war for talent raging on, reaching out and communicating with prospective employees has never been more important. Luckily, with social media it’s becoming more and more simple to keep in touch with top talent. That’s not to say companies should be constantly on the lookout to poach employees, but keeping in the loop and up-to-date with the best in the industry might just pay dividends in the long run.
 
6. Remain Optimistic
 
Finally, just like recessions, skills shortages come and go. While times may be tough at the moment, keeping a cool head, making the most of your current employees and keeping a keen eye out for new ways to attract talent are sure fire ways to help a company through the current skills shortage. As an employer, remember that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel – and make sure your staff can see it too.
 
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