How Side Hustles Are Boosting Work-Life Balance in the Remote Era

Thanks to flexible working, Australians are turning to side hustles for extra income. Photo: Shutterstock

The Rise of Side Hustles in Flexible Work Environments

The ability to work flexibly is encouraging Australians to launch side hustles without sacrificing their performance or productivity, a new report has found.

The report by global HR platform Remote, based on a survey of more than 1,000 Australians, found that hybrid and remote work is allowing people to better balance side hustles without it affecting their full-time gig.

Australians are increasingly relying on multiple jobs and income streams in the face of ever-growing cost-of-living pressures, providing a challenge and opportunity to employers.

According to the report, it's possible for workers to properly balance a side hustle with their full-time job in a way that doesn't impact their performance.

The survey found that of those who have had a side hustle at some point in their lives, more than 60 per cent currently have one, and nearly a third planning to start another one.

A Consequence of the Cost of Living

The rising cost of living was the main driver of side hustles, according to nearly two-thirds of respondents, with 45 per cent saying it was to save for a specific goal, and just under 20 per cent saying their side hustle income was needed to meet basic expenses.

The report found that the majority of those with a side hustle are in remote or hybrid roles in their day jobs, and more than 60 per cent said that flexible working arrangement had helped them start their side gig.

And despite fears that this will steal their attention away from their full-time role, nearly three-quarters of those with a side hustle said that it never interferes with their main job, and less than 10 per cent said there was consistent interference.

Interestingly, nearly half of respondents said their employer was unaware of their side hustle, while 11 per cent were unsure if they knew.

But of the nearly 40 per cent whose boss did know about their other work, more than 80 per cent said they felt supported and understood in having their side job.

And this extra work isn't necessarily taking up a lot of time, with the majority of respondents saying they work less than 10 hours per week on it, mostly in the evenings and on weekends.

Just 40 per cent of respondents worked between six and 10 hours on their side hustle.

A Chance to Build Trust

According to Remote CEO and co-founder Job van der Voort, side hustles shouldn't be viewed as competition or a threat to productivity, but rather as a chance to improve work-life balance and trust in the workplace.

"Side hustles are here to stay, and a reflection of today's economic reality," van der Voort said.

"Rather than viewing side hustles as something to police or fear, this is an opportunity for employers to build genuine trust and flexibility with their teams.

"The best employer-employee relationships are those where companies actively support their people's goals – especially when financial pressures are driving these decisions."

Australian companies should look to implement policies and strategies that lay out how to manage side hustles, van der Voort said.

"Developing policies that will match how people work today will go a long way in retaining talent and being understanding rather than restrictive," he said.

"In turn, employees will reward you with loyalty that's increasingly rare in today's competitive job market."

Previous reports have also found that flexible workers are happier and better employees, and also more likely to stay in their roles compared to those who are required to attend the office more regularly.

Workplace loyalty is now increasingly linked to the ability to work flexibly, in some cases even more so than pay rates.