Why Multiple Side Hustles & Passive Income May Be The Only Way Forward For Some

It’s not always a choice, especially for those with barriers to employment in any form.

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on why I started my deep dive pursuit of passive income and side hustle strategies. I struggled to decipher what I wanted to do as a career, and I was terrified over how I would cope in the conventional workplace. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I face barriers in navigating the workplace, including the risk of discrimination.

There were multiple reasons why I decided to pursue it — many of which came down to one thing — necessity. I do not mean this in the literal sense of needing money to survive — although that’s part of it.

I knew I had to go down this route. This is because it’s the most viable option for me to get a full-time, stable income. After all, the mainstream world of work is difficult to navigate.”

I am not alone in this. Many don’t understand that for some people — this is the driving force behind seeking passive income and side hustle strategies outside the world of work. Allow me to explain why.

The practicalities of the world of work

Firstly, before I go further, it’s important to contextualise some of the issues people have with the world of work. At its core, the workplace is an imbalance of power between employers and employees. This imbalance favours the employer as they have the money, resources, and labour behind them.

Many people will try to frame this underlying reality as less precarious than it is. This includes careers advisors, the government as well as employers themselves. Many of these organisations push the idea of genuine inclusion and support, which is true in many cases but isn’t universal. It doesn’t change the fact that the precarity is very much there. If you’re in one or more of the many demographics that face systemic barriers in the workplace, you know it.

These demographics include:

• disabled people
• people with caring responsibilities
• parents
• LGBTQ+ people
• homeless people
• Anyone who isn’t white
• Working class people
• People with stigmatised accents

Let me give you an example from my own experiences.

In my final year of university, I asked a careers advisor what to do so I can “earn a full-time wage on part-time hours.” I didn’t realise it then, but I was already effectively asking how to generate the income required for me not to work full-time.

However, their response was to simply ask for accommodations and other legal protections and that most jobs where I could get full-time wages on part-time hours were relegated to management roles only. The implication was that it wouldn’t be possible for me to get what I need any other way.

Unfortunately, this response is quite typical and eventually, I concluded it was best not to ask careers advisors anymore.

The issues with well-meaning advice

The advice I received from this advisor represents the majority of advice given to those who face workplace barriers. The common theme is how workers can even the odds, varying from legal workplace protections to tips on negotiation such as for a pay raise or remote working.

First off, I do want to acknowledge the genuine value of this advice. It helps with confidence building, understanding your workplace rights and knowing what employers expect of you. Most of the time, this advice also comes from lived experience, especially from career advisors.

However, the limitation of this advice is the one-size-fits-all approach. This isn’t helpful for all people (especially those that face systemic barriers to work). It certainly didn’t help me.

It doesn’t change the fundamental power imbalance between employer and employer that exists and will exist for the foreseeable future.

Yes, I can ask for accommodations for health conditions, caring responsibilities and more.

Yes, I can ask to negotiate a higher salary, remote working, and other fringe benefits.

However, these don’t change the fact that the employer holds the balance of power in these situations, and they have no legal obligation to agree in most cases.

They may say yes as a goodwill gesture (knowing that’s the moral thing to do and helps employee motivation and retention). However, if an employer says no, they mean no. Plus, you’re unlikely to change their mind; if you push back too hard, it’ll go against you.

That is the reality. It becomes even trickier to navigate when you face workplace barriers, including outright discrimination that happens repeatedly across different workplaces.

I don’t say this to be pessimistic or discouraging. I say this because these reasons, among others, are why many with barriers to work conclude that the only way they’ll obtain a full time is outside of the workplace.

But isn’t that illegal?

In many countries, some laws make it illegal to discriminate against those with barriers to work, as well as other support schemes. These hard-won laws are important and need protection. However, they also need strengthening. Laws worldwide haven’t caught up with what everyone — from all backgrounds — needs to thrive in the workplace.

The UK’s Equality Act, for example, has a fair number of protections, but like most anti-discrimination employment laws worldwide, has the following limitations:

• there’s no legal right to remote working
• there’s no legal right to a 4-day week
• disability equality law focuses on “reasonable adjustments” that rely on the employer’s discretion (hence employers can deny any accommodation they don’t want to implement, by claiming it’s unreasonable)
• trade unions are heavily restricted in the UK, as well as low membership (although this is starting to change)

These — and many other examples — are practical realities that cannot be ignored. Many can only plan to mitigate the impact — especially if they must leave a toxic workplace or their employer is letting them go. This is the case worldwide (but is vital in the USA, where workers’ rights are notoriously poor).

It is very easy for employers to mistreat and ghost employees with no accountability. Sometimes this is done maliciously, and other times due to unconscious biases. One common reason is that employees who face barriers to work do not have the money, resources, or support to fall back on in the event of being out of work. This applies whether it be savings, the ability to handle going to court against their employer or (as is most relevant here) — passive income and side hustles to fall back on. The latter is compounded by their circumstances that make it difficult to diversify income in the first place.

Hence why so many conclude that the only way to break this cycle continuing is to avoid the conventional workplace and build a career outside of it. This is not a choice. It is a requirement. Building passive income is vital for those that cannot handle or commit to full-time hours on disability, parental or other grounds.

Isn’t that the same as financial freedom?

Kind of, however, I generally avoid using terms like financial freedom. Usually, discussions that use these terms imply that financial freedom outside the conventional workplace is a luxury or perk, or something that can only be achieved after several years of grinding or hustling through the workplace ladder.

It’s a very privileged viewpoint as it omits the fact many people have systemic barriers to accessing the workplace to begin with, let alone moving up the career ladder. This includes jobs considered unskilled (even though they’re not); like shop assistants and fast food restaurant chefs.

Even many of those who can access the workplace also have side hustles and passive income streams on the side. However, what differentiates these people from those who must move outside of the conventional workplace is as follows. They usually have fewer barriers to the workplace to begin with as well as the time and money to work on these hustles.

Many of those who struggle to access the world of work do achieve financial freedom (albeit differently from the typical pathways you often see). Usually, this means transitioning to a full-time income from one or more part-time jobs in conjunction with self-employment income (some of which is passive). Sometimes this also includes transitioning away from government assistance, especially for parents and disabled people.

Final thoughts

People need to understand that many people who need to access advice and support on passive income and side hustle strategies are often left out of conversations on generating these. It’s not a choice. This reality must be considered more.

Milla

May 2023

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