If you\u2019ve not yet heard the term, \u201cpolywork\u201d is GenZ\u2019s term for working more than one remote job at the same time.\u00a0 It, along with the ubiquitous \u201cside hustle\u201d are two of the ways that GenZer\u2019s are attempting to gain ground in these uncertain economic times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, the \u201cside hustle\u201d is nothing new. Some percentage of every generation of Americans has engaged in one kind of side hustle or another, but polywork is different enough to warrant a separate term to describe it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Where the side hustle is, as its name indicates, a thing done in a person\u2019s spare time, polywork is the art and science of working on two different remote jobs at the same time, or at the very least, in the same block of time. It\u2019s really only possible because of how easy it is to work remotely these days, and indeed, polywork got its start during the Great Pandemic, but that\u2019s only part of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The other part leverages another GenZ work term, this one coined by TikToker Gabrielle Judge, \u201clazy girl jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The simple truth is that there are a surprising number of nontechnical jobs that don\u2019t require much in the way of coworker interaction, like data entry or transcriptionist positions. Here, employees often have daily quotas they have to meet, and in addition to the limited coworker interaction, there\u2019s virtually no incentive to exceed the quota set forth by management. Data entry employees don\u2019t earn bonus pay for over-performing, so\u2026they don\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019ve got a remote data entry clerk who\u2019s exceptionally fast and accurate, and that employee is looking for an easy way to make more money, polyworking starts looking incredibly attractive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At first blush, most managers blanche at this idea and take a dim view of it. After all, that\u2019s \u201cyour\u201d employee, right? So he or she is supposed to be doing work for you. The idea of having to share with some other company doesn\u2019t sit well with most business owners or managers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other hand, the simple truth is that few business owners or managers are willing to provide bonus compensation for productivity above and beyond the established daily quota, and as long as that\u2019s being met, maybe it\u2019s not the end of the world?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are a few managers who have already made peace with the idea of polyworking but at this point, they represent a distinct minority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, the simple truth is that given today\u2019s economic realities and the fact that Generation Z stands a good chance of being the first generation in American history that will wind up worse off than the generation that came before, it\u2019s understandable that GenZer\u2019s are looking for any tool or strategy they can find to help bridge the gap and get a little ahead, and honestly, who can blame them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n