Why the Full-Time Job Doesn’t Exist Anymore
The future of work is fractional. Are you ready?
by Nir Bashan | Reviewed by Gary Drevitch
What does it mean to have a full-time job? Does it mean you are dedicated to one job only? On the clock only at certain times of the day? In front of your computer only? Is it a relic left over from the Industrial Revolution that dictates an 8-hour work day and 40-hour work week?1
It seems that today more than ever the definition of a full-time job has changed. What defines being on the clock? Is it being in a physical location? What defines a full-time employee? Is it someone who only has one job? The traditional role of a full-time job doesn’t encompass the realities of today. Being a mom is a full-time job, and so is pursuing a side gig. Heck, being a volunteer accountant at your church can be a full-time job, too. It seems that just about every job these days is fractional. The following three items help define this shift in the workplace and offer some insight on how to best keep up with the refreshing new definition of the “full-time job.”
1. Being a Full-Time Employee Has Forever Changed
For most employees, being a full-time employee today has completely changed. With the influx of flex hours, work from home, and other measures, being a full-time employee is no longer as cut and dried as it once was. There was a period of time, before Covid, when having a full-time job meant being in one place for a specified number of hours each day performing a specified task.
But that definition has changed. The new landscape of work is no longer task-based for a majority of positions. We have moved into a creative and analytical economy—one increasingly dictated by our ability to solve problems. Sure, there are still many factory jobs that require specific repeated tasks, but even many of those positions are slowly being phased out in favor of advances in artificial intelligence, automation, and other efficiencies.
The jobs and full-time roles of the future are going to require far more analytical and creative thinking—especially creative thinking. And those who succeed in this new paradigm will be the ones who have mastered the ability to solve problems.
2. Interests Outside of Work Are Paramount
These days, to be your best at work and in your career, you must develop outside interests that can propel you. It is not enough to just look for your job to be fulfilling in each and every way. When we expect our job to be our everything, we are bound to be disappointed. No job can ever tick every single box. So why do we keep trying to make our job our everything?
Instead, cultivate some interests outside of work. At the time of this post’s writing, the Olympics are going on in Paris. And Kristen Faulkner of Team USA took gold in an event that the nation has not medaled in for more than 40 years! She started in the sport for fun just 7 years before the Games. She was a venture capitalist in New York City who decided to take a riding class as a hobby. And that hobby eventually carried her to Olympic gold.2 It’s time to start taking our hobbies and interests outside of work seriously.
When we look to our jobs to be all-encompassing, we are sure to be disappointed. So we need to look outside of work to be fully complete and happy.3 Expecting our full-time jobs to give us full-time fulfillment is a thing of the past. Chase your outside interests with vigor and passion.
3. Employers and Leaders Must Adapt
My work consulting and conducting keynotes for companies and associations across the country puts me in direct contact with leaders across industries from automotive to manufacturing and financial services. Being on the ground every day makes me certain that someone out there is reading and saying, Hey wait a second! I am paying some good money here for a fully burdened employee and I expect performance and KPI’s and targets to be met! This is a dollars and cents issue here! What am I to do?!
But the truth of the matter is that full-time employment is just not an analytical construct anymore. Analytics that were dependable in the past are no longer the only yardstick we can use to measure success.4 To be effective leaders in the changed economy, we need to be able to adapt to this new fractional employment model and find opportunities in the wealth of chances this model provides to improve profits, boost the bottom line, and provide better and more comprehensive customer service.
This is a great time to think differently about the traditional analytics of a full-time employee. Perhaps we begin by changing the yardstick from antiquated KPIs to a more employee-focused goal setting in which staff define to leadership where they want to grow, instead of the other way around. Perhaps this is the time to engage staff to bring outside interests into the company. That may be something that the firm can use or it may be an opportunity to boost morale. Maybe it’s publicizing a policy that says it’s OK at your company for staff to be picking the kids up from daycare during the 4 p.m. call. Maybe that way leadership can fill vacancies with better candidates.
Conclusion
The sky is the limit for opportunities you can uncover by being adaptable in this new fractional economy—and the opportunities that this shift creates are multifold.
As the workplace continues to evolve, keeping up with the latest trends is important. But when the workplace has a fundamental shift from an antiquated system to a modern fractional one, being aware of all the opportunities it brings is critical. The modern workplace will never be the same, but that gives leadership and staff ample opportunities to make it even better than before. Because there is really no such thing as a “full-time job” anymore, making the most of every minute whether you’re on or off the clock is essential for living your most creative and fulfilling problem-solving life.
References
1. Jonathan Grossman. Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938: Maximum Struggle for a Minimum Wage. US Department of Labor.
2. Morgan Smith. 31-year-old Harvard grad just won a gold medal for the U.S. in the Olympics—in a sport she learned 6 years ago. CNBC. August 5, 2024.
3. Zawadzki MJ, Smyth JM, Costigan HJ. Real-Time Associations Between Engaging in Leisure and Daily Health and Well-Being. Ann Behav Med. 2015 Aug;49(4):605-15. doi: 10.1007/s12160-015-9694-3. PMID: 25724635.
4. Kunc, M., & O’Brien, F. A. (2018). The role of business analytics in supporting strategy processes: Opportunities and limitations. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 70(6), 974–985. https://doi.org/10.1080/01605682.2018.1475104
