Polywork: What is it and why is it so popular?

Listen to this article

If you haven’t heard the term “polywork” yet, chances are you will soon. It’s the recently coined term for having more than one job at the same time. Busy polyworkers have also been referred to as “multipotentialites” and “career slashers” who enjoy “portfolio careers.” (Slasher stands for the backslash in programmer/musician/landscaper, for example.) 

Whatever you call it, the polywork movement is more than just a passing fad or patchwork of positions. It’s a way of work and life that picked up speed when a majority of Gen Z and Millennials discovered they needed a side job or two to make ends meet. And if necessity is the mother of invention, then financial necessity invented choosing polywork for reasons beyond money.  

The polywork trend is accelerating in the “YOLO” economy I covered in my May column — also described as the “Take this job and shove it” economy, “The Great Resignation” and “rage quitting”: A study by the social network Polywork shows 64% of employees ages 21-40 are working more than one job or hope to work multiple jobs in the future.  

So what’s behind the desire to load up on professions, if not money? Creativity and self-expression, job satisfaction and variety even authenticity. After all, many of us have many interests and not all of us have just one true “calling.” I know a young woman who, when she was 3 years old, proudly responded to “What do you want to be when you grow up?” by saying she was going to be a “teacher, artist, cook, magician, doctor, ballerina and sugarplum.” 

Consider the polyworker POV 

Scott Belsky, chief product officer at Adobe, describes it like this: “As a designer by profession, I was always uneasy with such a singular label. I’ve worked across a multitude of aspects, including user research, design psychology, UI design, data visualization and more — and that’s just my 9 to 5. What about all the other things I do outside of my day job, like my writing, mentoring and speaking? The reality is that today we are all more than our job titles. Whether it’s music executives who also manage real estate portfolios, NBA players who also invest in startups, software developers who are also photographers and memers, or actors who also run tequila and gin companies. The polywork trend is very much alive.” 

Here are few more explanations from a recent article in Digiday: 

• “Work is something that takes up such a huge part of my life, so doing different types of work keeps it more interesting and exciting,” says Cassidy Williams, a software engineer — and advisor, investor, mentor, writer, public speaker and podcaster. “People have the ability now more than ever to collaborate, create and just do things that don’t fall into one bucket. We’re past the age of being just one type of worker.”
• “I’ve never liked the idea of just doing the same thing every day,” says Richard Fearn, who runs a nonprofit, manages investments and produces musicals. “I have multiple interests that I’m passionate about and they’ve naturally become different streams of income for me. Modern working attitudes and flexible technology allows my generation to juggle a multitude of things in a way we’ve never been able to before.” 
• “The data from our community shows … people are rejecting the single job titles bestowed upon them for the last 10 years in favor of representing all the different types of things they do, and working in multiple ways at once on their own terms,” says Polywork’s founder, Peter Johnston.  

Pay attention to the principles 

Given those powerful endorsements for polywork, leaders should pay attention to people’s desire for multifaceted careers. Of course, it’s always important to pay attention to your people’s wants and needs, but now the stakes are higher.  

“There is a huge power shift where employees are now in the driver’s seat. They tell you what they need — and if you can’t meet those needs, they’re going to go somewhere else,” says Sarah Sheehan, co-founder of Bravely professional coaching. 

And that’s not a bad thing! Having multiple roles keeps team members interested and engaged and creates opportunities to learn and grow. Being flexible with responsibilities helps your business stay responsive and agile: When your teams are rich with talent and resources, they can solve problems and adapt to change quickly.   

So fear not. But do consider incorporating some of the principles of polywork into your company culture to keep team members fulfilled — and keep team members! 

Promote growth, not pigeonholes 

When a team member is the best of the best in their job, it’s tempting to keep them focused on where they shine. But consider what Idan Gazit, director of research at GitHub, says: “If you look at a lot of job descriptions, they are one-dimensional: write code and more code.” That’s not what people want, he says. Rather, “People want professional growth … opportunities to write code and also grow professionally, be given responsibility for outcomes.” 

Research backs this up. Studies show employees prioritize training and development, along with flexibility, as much as or more than salary. So encourage your people to branch out. Provide opportunities to work on new projects, explore new responsibilities, even if it introduces the risk of slightly lower productivity or making mistakes. That’s how we learn and grow.  

Expand in all directions 

Upward mobility isn’t the only way to advance. Growth can mean expanding across departments — not necessarily making a lateral move, but adding skills normally associated with other disciplines. Think of it as professional cross-training!  

What’s to stop an accountant from developing marketing chops or public relations capabilities? Or a sales rep from learning how to onboard new hires and conduct focus groups? Or a designer from doing a little programming and research?  

One of Dixon Schwabl’s content managers is a bit of a polymath: He improvs and stars in ads for our clients, writes and handles social media and content calendars, manages our intern program, hosts our podcasts and video blogs, coordinates many of our own marketing programs and even manages our company kickball team. His professional diversification is a gift to our company and our clients.  

Harness hidden talents 

Chances are, many of your team members pursue passions and interests outside of work — or would love to do so. Don’t let their talents go to waste! You might have an engineer who’s also an expert at laser etching and could create unique gifts for your clients. Or a designer who just invented an app and can bring that know-how to your processes. Or an entertainer who could host a sales team meeting. Ask around and put team members’ multiple talents to use.  

Find out what people want to know 

Ask people what they want to learn. And what they think you should learn. You’ll probably hear a mix of technical skills, like computer programs and technologies, and personal development skills, like leadership and presentation training. Keep an open mind and promote discussion. Because when you involve your teams in the process, you’ll see greater participation and better outcomes from your training and development initiatives.  

Get smarter together 

Once you know what people want to know, provide a mix of opportunities to learn together and individually using both internal and external resources. Your in-house experts can share knowledge during scheduled training sessions and mentorships. You can even consider cross-department “internships” where an employee spends a few hours a week shadowing and helping out in another area.  

Also budget for outside consultants and classes. At Dixon Schwabl, team members frequently enroll in leadership and public speaking seminars. A few years ago, we brought in a sign language instructor to provide lessons for a group of interested team members. Next week, a local professor will lead a workshop for us on gender inclusivity and communications.  

Teach to learn and learn to teach 

Each of your team members is a wealth of knowledge, but many don’t have the confidence or experience to teach or train others. So provide the opportunity for them to learn to teach. If you have an instructional designer or trainer on staff, they can help. Or hire an outside resource. Whether someone learns to design a one-time presentation or an entire course curriculum, they’ll have another valuable skill that will benefit your company, and will have taken another step on their development path.  

Frame it as a resource-add   

It can be scary to think your team members are pursuing side gigs. But instead of trying to limit or control them, why not harness their multi-dimensional energy and myriad interests? Reframe it as a resource-add instead of an attention-drain. I mean, think about the benefits of a team member/leadership coach nurturing your young stars. It’s a win-win: your polyworkers will be more fulfilled, motivated and engaged, and you’ll have more skills and resources to tap.   

Even if they keep their side hustle on the side, you still win when your people feel rewarded, energized and inspired. Besides, it’s interesting and fun! At Dixon Schwabl, we all got healthier when a team member/fitness instructor provided personal training and group wellness classes for us. And a local nonprofit we support benefited when a team member/baker raised funds selling her gourmet cookies on their behalf. 

I love going to see our people perform out in bands and theaters. Admiring their work in galleries and crafts in shows. Even commissioning pieces and ordering cocktails from the bar they tend. The point is to encourage and support team members on the work they do within and outside your company. It’s what keeps us well-rounded and inspired as individuals and well-staffed and strong as a company. 

Lauren Dixon is board chair of Dixon Schwabl Inc., a marketing communications firm, which has been honored as a Best Place to Work.