A surprising number of Canadians are moonlighting to keep up with the high cost of living — and some are even doing it on company time.

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One in three, or 29 per cent, of Canadian workers admit to working a side hustle during their regular work hours, according to a recent survey by Express Employment Professionals Harris Poll.

Of those who admit to currently having a side gig during work hours, 10 per cent say they do it full-time and 19 per cent do it part-time.

More than half of the respondents said the main reasons for working two gigs at the same time were to earn extra money to increase savings and cover expenses.

The survey also found that nearly half (45 per cent) of job seekers think that employees should be allowed to work a side hustle during company time if their primary income isn’t sufficient to cover essential expenses.

Some of the respondents said they were moonlighting for other reasons. Thirty-six per cent said they wanted to learn new skills they can use in their main job; 17 per cent to help them slowly transition out of their current job; 14 per cent to train or improve on existing skills that they can use in their job, and 10 per cent to try out a new industry or field.

The study found that a majority of Canadian job seekers, or 87 per cent, have worked a side gig at one point in their career.
The door to working a second job during company time could swing open even further, according to the report. Almost 40 per cent of job seekers say they would work a side hustle on company time if they thought they could get away with it.

On the last point, the findings showed a clear generational divide. Younger Canadians are more likely to have that attitude, with 41 per cent of generation Z and 47 per cent of millennial job seekers saying so, compared to 25 per cent of generation X and 28 per cent of baby boomers.

Among those who’ve never worked a side hustle during company time, 23 per cent say they are likely to do so in the future.

More than half of job seekers believe that employees should be allowed to pursue side gigs during work hours if it doesn’t affect their productivity in their primary job.

Meanwhile, employers are worried about workers’ divided attention. Despite their concerns, and the apparent prevalence of employees moonlighting, 49 per cent of Canadian companies do not have a code of conduct or policies that prohibit the behaviour.

The survey said 51 per cent of companies have discovered employees working side hustles. Among them, 55 per cent raised concerns about lower productivity, 47 per cent about decreased focus and attention to detail, and 38 per cent about reduced engagement.

These concerns are not without merit, as the survey found approximately one third of workers reported increased burnout due to their side hustle. Twenty-eight per cent said they had less free time, while 25 per cent say they were struggling to manage their time between their side gig and other responsibilities.

A large portion of workers are also unaware of their employer’s rules when it comes to side gigs on company time. Half of Canadian workers say their company does not have any policies in place to prohibit it, and 21 per cent say they are unaware if their company has any rules in place.
Only 29 per cent of those employed knew their company had rules prohibiting employees from working more than one job.

For companies that discovered an employee working a side hustle, 64 per cent said they had taken some kind of action, while 32 per cent asked the employee to only work on their side gig outside of company hours. Thirty per cent gave their employee a verbal warning and 15 per cent asked them to quit their side gig altogether.

Only a small percentage of companies take strict action, with 11 per cent saying they’ve fired the duplicitous employee, while five per cent reduced their salary and four per cent demoted them.

The survey was conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals. It surveyed 504 Canadian hiring decision-makers between May 16 and June 3, and 505 adults ages 18 and older between May 28 and June 10.

• Email: dpaglinawan@postmedia.com

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