Millennials

With ‘side hustles’ competing with traditional work norms, how can employee communications experts help millennials at work?

“Good things happen to those who hustle.” – Anais Nin, ryrob.com

This saying has been embedded in every millennial’s mind when stepping into the workforce.  If you aren’t hustling, you aren’t working hard enough – but is hustling getting in the way of actually working?  Let’s discuss.

According to a survey by CareerBuilder, 39% percent of workers ages 18-24 and 44% of workers ages 25-34 reported earning extra cash on the side. (forbes.com) As someone who falls into this age group, I am guilty of having two or even three jobs as once.  You could find me working Craigslist gigs and freelance jobs, just to get by.  My bosses and older generation co-workers would give me the side eye when they would find out I was waitressing, working as an event assistant, Disney princess performer, social media freelancer, blogger, etc. – this demonstrates how much time has changed and where our age gap has set in. Who says millennials are lazy? With this being said, having multiple side hustles can affect your ability to focus on what is really important.  I remember being very overwhelmed, running from job to job and not truly being able to dive in and be passionate about any of the jobs I was working, individually.  Unfortunately, in 2019, I am not alone.

Millennials at Work Struggling with Side Hustles

When you have employees who work several jobs at once, just to make ends meet – there are a few things that can happen.

  • Loss of interest
  • Burnout (physically and mentally)
  • Isolation from co-workers, managers, etc.

They don’t call it a ‘hustle’ for nothing.  Millennials take pride in having multiple projects going on in their lives, it keeps things exciting. But, when you have too many different responsibilities occupying your time, it’s hard to give it your all.  You can begin feeling isolated from your team, exhausted in every way and not have as much passion for what you’re doing.  These things can be detrimental, not only that individual but to your entire workforce.

How can we slow the side hustle and increase millennial engagement at work?  It comes down to three things:

  • Pay / Benefits
  • Consistently being challenged at work
  • Job security and growth

Now, I know not every company can afford to give out pay raises and offer benefits, but this is a major factor in keeping millennials at work fully engaged.  Middle class is generally 30% more expensive than it was 20 years ago according to Alissa Quart, the Executive Director of the Economic Hardship Reporting Project.  (The Sun Chronicle) Try to factor this in and if you can’t offer more pay, think about providing office perks and professional growth opportunities. Unfortunately, money isn’t going to be the only solution.  I have worked several jobs at once and it wasn’t solely about the money – I wasn’t being challenged enough.  When you can offer a position that is challenging and allows employees to take on important responsibilities and tasks – this will ensure engagement and longevity.  Lastly, if you can offer job security and growth, millennials at work are more apt to shifting their focus to their current position and steer away from taking on more side hustles in the future.

Millennial Engagement in the Side Hustle Economy

Now that you understand the ‘hustle’ and how to keep your millennial employees engaged, you will be able to offer your younger employees what they need to stay focused and remain with the company long-term.  You must understand that times have changed, and money is tighter now than it was 20 years ago.  You also need to make sure you are considering employee needs and interests. What will make them excited to come to work?  Most importantly, make employees feel like they’re an instrumental part of the company and be open about job growth in the future.  The ‘side hustle’ can be a great thing, if not overdone.  Be open and understanding to those employees who have a side job and try to incorporate what they like from that job into their current job.  Let’s work on making great jobs for creative, purpose-driven millennial employees who will soon be the future of your companies and your industries!

Author:

Hannah Greenwood earned a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations from Barry University in Miami, FL. Hannah runs Blonde Boss Media, which helps small local businesses achieve their marketing goals. Hannah writes about Millennials in the workplace for ECC.