Emil is 28 years old and has three jobs. “When I discovered that I could earn money doing what I liked, my life gradually merged with my career”
Emil Tybura is a graduate of the School of Form in Poznań. For nine years he has been gradually building his career in the field of graphic design. As Head of Web Design at Tonik, a Poznań-based company, he creates branding, websites and digital products for American start-ups. He built his own team, which now consists of seven people and is still growing. As he says, this is his main, most satisfying path.
After hours, he runs two other businesses.
These are a bar and cultural space in Poznań, as well as a shop with niche perfumes and wine. He created both businesses with his partner – with his own hands, with money borrowed from family and friends, and learning renovations from YouTube. As if that were not enough, he is also involved in side projects for culture – as a hobby, because man does not live by work alone.
He says it's all a matter of ambition. — I've always wanted something different, more. I wanted to create something of value for others – he says. His story is a living contradiction of stereotypes about Generation Z, which allegedly avoids work and has no professional ambitions.
A generation of multi-job workers on the labor market
According to a study by Hays Poland and OFF School, Generation Z works more than representatives of older generations.
Among the benefits of multi-employment, young people most often mention increasing earnings (78%), but also gaining new opportunities diverse experience (62 percent), variety of tasks (59%) i faster professional development (54%). The vast majority work two (76%) or three jobs (17%), and usually none of the jobs are full-time (63%).
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— I don't come from a home where everything was very colorful. It was rather difficult. Maybe I have set myself a goal to reach a point in life where money will not be a limitation – says Emil Tybura. — I just wanted to make my dreams come true, and I always had many dreams. When I discovered that I could earn money doing what I liked, I stopped counting my working hours – my life gradually merged with my career.
Employers are not thrilled
For Emil, multi-job work is a conscious choice and a development strategy. His employer understood this. He was open enough to support his business from the very beginning. However, in many companies this approach is still controversial. Some bosses see it as more risk than benefit.
While only 11 percent young employees evaluate multi-job work negatively, among employers this percentage is three times higher (31 percent). As many as 29 percent of surveyed bosses do not see the benefits of this practice at all.
According to the Hays Poland report employers' main concerns are data security (50 percent), lower quality of work (43 percent), less involvement (42%) and limiting the availability of employees (41%). They are also concerned about increased risk burnout (34%) i managers' frustration (31%).
Young people look at multi-employment in a completely different way. First of all, they see the benefits of it: better use of time (35 percent), no boredom and greater variety of tasks (28%) and greater employment stability (27%). In their eyes, it is not a threat, but a way to build a career faster.
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Directness of Generation Z communication
Although statistics show that young people are very active, stereotypes still persist. Emil believes that they are mainly due to the fact that older generations never actually worked with the Zetki. He suspects that the reluctance towards younger employees may result from communication problems.
“We don't like beating around the bush like that,” he admits. — If we don't like something, we won't suppress it. If a process in the company is broken, we will just come and say it, maybe in a more direct language.
This directness can be a source of confusion. The study shows that over 70 percent employers believes that the Zetki do not show the expected attitudes — they lack independence, transparent communication and knowledge sharing. Over 60 percent he also claims that young people are unable to provide feedback and are not proactive.
– I have people in my team who are 22, 24 years old and they are simply hard workers – says Emil. — They are extremely ambitious, incredibly hard-working, and they learn at a pace that I have never been able to learn new skills at. This generalization is extremely harmful to our generation.
Read also: Generation Z at work: flexibility, creativity and new perspectives
Work-life balance exercises
Emil does not pretend that his lifestyle does not involve sacrifices. — I know I do a lot. Sometimes too much. It sometimes affects health and ordinary things.
Is it workaholism? “Maybe a little,” he muses. — But when work becomes a mission, you do something that you love and that gives you pleasure, and not because you have to survive from one to the other, the concept of work looks completely different.
However, he admits that the higher he is in the company and the more responsibilities he has, the greater the challenge is setting priorities. — There are only 24 hours in a day. I recently realized that I can't do everything in life. I have to choose – says.
First of all, he learns to delegate tasks.
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Despite everything, he also manages to build a private life. – I have a fiancée. We have a dog with whom we often go for longer walks. Of course, there is not much free time – we both work in the creative industry, in a similar, multi-time model. There are times when for two weeks the amount of this work is rational for the average person, but there are also times when for two weeks it is grind [harówka — red.] from morning to night. We understand each other and are understanding of each other.
This diligence and persistence led him to a place where he works with people changing the world – founders of startups who build rockets and send them into space, or construct nuclear reactors. – This is the best scenario I could have dreamed of – he sums up. – If someone told this to my sixteen-year-old self, who spends all day playing on the computer, I wouldn't believe it – he adds.
