Hustling For Talent

There are times when what we dismiss today is what matters tomorrow.

- Poon King Wang

In our research into the future of work, a growing group of millennials have told us they want to have more than one job — not over their career lifetimes, but at any one point in time in a day. Specifically, they want a job that lets them work half a day for half the pay, so that they can use the other half of their day to pursue a side hustle.

Why do they want this modern version of a sideline? They want to pursue their passion, such as in arts, sports, startups and hobbies. Having grown up with so many opportunities, interests and talents, they are simply not ready to spend the bulk of their waking hours in just one job.

Many organizations would dismiss this as yet another millennial indulgence, that these young ones are too self-centered, too fearful of missing out, and too impatient. They had better hunker down, focus on one job, and learn to walk before they run. In work as in life, one cannot have their cake and eat it too.

But dismissing it would be a pity. Because this shift in millennial aspirations today points to a huge possibility for all of us tomorrow. If we can design the side hustle into how we work in organizations, we can attract more new talent, retain more suitable talent, and accommodate more diverse talent, beyond the millennials and across all generations.

Here is how this strategy works.