◆ The Growing Trend of Side Work
Whether it be private import businesses, web media writers, affiliates, sales representatives, guest houses or the like, “side jobs,” which were not very common in the past, are recently coming to light. Many books have been published to provide the know-how required for these jobs and employment agencies have started side job mediation services as well.
According to the October 29, 2016 edition of “Weekly Toyo Keizai,” 79.1% of people say that they have interest in side jobs and, for most people in the working world, the main reasoning for this is the desire for supplemental income. Recently, in particular, with the trend of reduced overtime work, the idea of working long hours and supplementing income through overtime pay may no longer be a viable option. It is no wonder, then, that the world is seeing a shift from overtime to side work. “Weekly Toyo Keizai” also points out that one characteristic of the recent side job boom is, aside from supplemental income, people are also seeing this as a chance to build personal connections, skills and personal worth by viewing these jobs as a “parallel career.”
◆ Government Promotion of Side Work
The government is also backing side work. Last October, during the Council for the Realization of Work Style Reform, Prime Minister Abe stated that he plans to consider the establishment of guidelines for side jobs and other secondary work.
Furthermore, at the end of last year, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare expressed its intent to change the current line in the model Work Regulations concerning side work/secondary work from “generally prohibited” to “generally allowed.” It seems as if the government is looking to use side work as an alternative working style option in preparation for the era of a reduced workforce which is soon to come.
◆ Majority of Corporations Remain Steadfast
The majority of corporations currently prohibit the working of side jobs by their employees. According to a report by the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency, companies who say they do not condone side work made up 85.3% of all corporations. In the “100 Company President Questionnaire” conducted by Nihon Keizai Shinbun (The Nikkei) last year as well, 80% of corporate managers answered that they do not condone side work. As for the reason for this prohibitive stance, there arose opinions such as “workers will become negligent in their main jobs,” and “there is the risk of information disclosure.” Corporations also seem concerned that promoting side work for their employees may make these employees insecure about their work performance. There is also the problem of determining the evaluation criteria for side and main work when it comes to workers’ accident compensation insurance. It seems that many companies feel that there is very little merit to actively promoting side work for their employees.
On the other hand, companies such as Rohto Pharmaceutical Co. and Yahoo! JAPAN have found that lifting the ban on side work has created a synergy with the main work of their employees and this has been reported on a variety of media outlets. It seems that, if a person can skillfully work between the two jobs, it may be advantageous for their companies as well.
It may take some time before side work can establish a place in society but it may be a good idea for companies to begin thinking now about what to do concerning the side work of their employees.
