Is ‘polyworking’ right for you?

Holding down multiple jobs

Photo: Pixabay

At its simplest, polyworking is balancing multiple paid roles.

There’s a new trend in the HR world that may be of interest for some leaders of volunteers. “Polyworking” refers to holding more than one paying role at once.

For volunteer management professionals, who walk a thin line between limited salaries and high program demands, polyworking brings both opportunity and risk. Here’s a practical look at the pros and cons, and what to think about when deciding whether if it’s the right fit for you.

What does polyworking actually look like? At its simplest, polyworking is balancing multiple paid roles. It could be two or more part-time jobs, working as a fractional volunteer leader, or a full-time role and a consultancy gig, and so on. According to Forbes, up to 46% of people in the U.S. hold multiple paid roles, either because of financial need, curiosity or a wish to grow skills across different sectors. The rise of remote work has made it easier for many people to carry more than one role at the same time.

There are a number of reasons why the idea may appeal to you.

1. Income and career resilience. Anyone who works in the voluntary sector knows the risks of having their role eliminated or merged into another position. Not to mention the fact that wages tend to be significantly lower than average. Polyworking can reduce that financial risk.

2. Professional growth and innovation. Working across different organizations, for example a health charity and an environmental group, exposes us to a range of systems, recruitment tactics, training approaches and retention ideas. Those new ideas can be shared across the different programs that we work with to refresh role design, supervision models or recognition practices.

3. Grow networks and partnerships. Holding roles in different organizations can create natural bridges for volunteer exchanges, event collaboration or joint training opportunities. And you know how much I love collaboration.

4. Faster learning curve. Having regular exposure to new tools and ways of working can shorten the time it takes us to learn new skills. It pulls us out of our comfort zones.

But there are some very real downsides. The top one is burnout. Holding multiple roles, especially overlapping ones, significantly raises the risk of stress and fatigue. Medical literature warns that polyworking can lead to exhaustion and reduced mental health if boundaries are weak. That risk is particularly acute in emotionally demanding roles.

Your attention and time are finite. Volunteer programs can be unpredictable, with ever-changing busy seasons, crisis response and “fire-fighting”. Splitting your attention between jobs increases the chance that a crucial task slips or a volunteer feels unsupported.

Conflicts of interest and confidentiality can happen. Volunteer managers often handle sensitive and confidential documents. Multiple employers increase the chance of real or perceived conflicts, and legal or reputational risk if confidentiality is accidentally breached.

Damaged trust with your primary employer. Many organisations expect exclusivity – or at least honest conversations about outside work. Secret polyworking erodes trust and can damage your reputation if it’s discovered.

Here’s a story illustrates the conflict.

“Mary”, a volunteer manager, took a part-time consulting role with a nearby community arts charity. Not only did the second role give her financial stability, it brought fresh ideas about volunteer onboarding and a small grant opportunity – both wins for the original employer.

But when a sudden volunteer surge coincided with a tight consulting deadline, Mary missed two orientation sessions, and some of the new volunteers didn’t come back. And she ended up in tears.

That tension captures the trade-off. Polyworking can be a source of innovation and financial resilience, but also a source of anxiety and frustration.

Here are some practical guardrails for those considering polyworking.

• Build strict boundaries for yourself and keep to them. Use separate emails, clear time blocks (with time set aside for the inevitable emergencies!), and a realistic diary. If a role needs on-call availability, polyworking may not be feasible.

• Prioritize your wellbeing. Don’t over-schedule yourself. Protect your you-time, and your family and friends time. Burnout harms everyone.

• Be transparent. Declare outside roles to employers whenever possible, and always when required by your employment agreement.

Polyworking is neither inherently good nor bad for volunteer management professionals. It can be a creative career strategy and a source of new ideas, networks and income, but can also bring real risks to program effectiveness, confidential information and personal wellbeing.

I can’t give you a blanket “do it” or “don’t do it” but if you spend some time thinking it through, looking at your energy levels, how organized you are, your ability to stay within reasonable boundaries and your current employment agreements, you’ll come to the right decision.

Good luck, and let me know if you need help.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.