There’s a new buzzword or work trend to wrap your head around every few weeks, but some of the niche terms refer to practices that have been around for a while, only repackaged with a new title. So, what is this polyworking trend all about? Just as the name suggests, it refers to employees working multiple jobs simultaneously. In the past, one job would have been sufficient to help a worker make ends meet, but in 2025, many millennials are working multiple jobs in order to stay afloat.
A new survey of 700 US workers found that 47% of respondents engage in polyworking, taking on side hustles for some additional income. Is polyworking becoming the future of work? Unfortunately, this does appear to be the case. Despite having a steady full-time job, many are forced to take on additional part-time work in order to meet their expenses. This system of work is not sustainable and could push a worker towards burnout much faster, however, many are left with no choice but to overwork themselves.
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What Is the New Polyworking Trend and Should HR Be Worried About It?
The growing polywork trend is not a new one. Over the last few years, there have been increasing conversations around moonlighting and side hustles, with most of the discussion centered around whether employers should allow their workers to work on a second job. This is an ethical debate of the highest order, as employers have no authority over the workers’ lives outside of their working hours. Employers who want to put an end to polyworking also have to guarantee higher wages and benefits to workers if they want them to remain focused on their main job.
This point is primarily why the polyworking trend is allowed to persist, however, there are many downsides to polyworking that can hurt an organization in the long run. This does not imply that employers should force employees into more binding contracts stating they will not work outside of their primary jobs, but instead means that organizations need to do more to support employees to ensure they don’t feel pressured to take on a second job.
What Do the Numbers Have to Say About Polyworking?
A June Monster survey found that 47% of the respondents reported that they were currently polyworking, with 51% explaining that the income from polyworking was absolutely essential for covering basic expenses. Of those who admit to polyworking, 49% have a full-time job with one or more part-time jobs, 28% have multiple part-time jobs, and 12% have more than one full-time job.
The Moster survey also dove into why workers were polyworking, and finances were the central reason for the decision, albeit for different expenses. Around 68% required that money to cover basic living expenses, while 47% did it for some financial independence to ensure they weren’t living from paycheck to paycheck. For 46% of respondents, the extra income was necessary to pay off debt, and 34% did not feel confident about the security of their primary jobs, believing the income and additional work could provide a safety net in case things went astray.
The polyworking trend is a temporary solution for some workers who need some immediate security in the present day, but there are a large number of them considering continuing with such a system long-term. Having multiple income streams appears to be the only solution for many millennials and Gen Z workers who are trying to earn a living in 2025.
Should Polyworking Define the Future of Work?
Polyworking or moonlighting can have many benefits when you consider it carefully. Apart from the extra income, it also helps workers build their skills outside of their primary job, and allows many to follow both a mainstream career and a passion project on the side.
If workers do lose their jobs, they have a secondary role to fall back on, as well as more job options, considering their experience in more than one area of employment in some cases. Figuring out a career path can be a very difficult endeavor in 2025, and polyworking allows many to continue working while they sort out which direction to go next.
Unfortunately, there can be many downsides to polyworking as well. Working a single full-time job can be time-consuming all on its own, leaving just a little time for friends, family, and relaxation. Multiple jobs make it nearly impossible to focus on anything else, and combined with the exhaustion from the constant activity, workers can find themselves burned out very quickly.
Not only does this affect an individual’s health, but it also affects the quality of their work and the results they can offer. Poor performance, over time, puts the job at risk, further straining the worker and their finances. The downsides of polywork are hard-hitting if allowed to escalate, which is why it is better to limit the number of positions a worker takes up.
Should HR Interfere with Side Hustles?
HR leaders are often tasked with optimizing the workforce and ensuring they perform to the best of their abilities. It can be tempting to try and curtail employees to ensure that your organization remains their top priority, however, forcing employees into a corner is never ideal. There are many reasons why employees choose to work multiple jobs, and unless a company can satisfy all of their requirements, it cannot offer workers an alternative that is good enough to convince them to stick to one role.
What organizations can do is create ideal work environments where employees are able to work to their full potential while they are on the job. When external factors cannot be controlled, it is best to focus internally and make the best out of the situation. The polyworking trend isn’t necessarily an HR responsibility to address and resolve, but it can always help to set the right conditions at work so that it is no longer necessary.
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