Slasher: what is a slasher ?
The world of work is constantly changing. The young generations no longer envisage a lifelong career in a single company, in the same position… The standard permanent contract is gradually giving way to freelance work, which is gaining ground. To adapt to this new professional environment, a new profile was born: the « Slasher ». But what is a slasher? We tell you everything about this atypical profile that shakes up the codes of the working world.
What is a slasher?
The term « slasher » was first used by Marci Alboher in her book « One Person / Multiple Careers » in 2007. In this book, which deals with multiple professional careers within a lifetime, we discover the concept of slashing that many people practice without even knowing it. Behind this Anglo-Saxon word is an individual who practices several jobs simultaneously. This is not a person in professional reconversion, nor a student who combines courses with a job. But rather a true chameleon. A versatile worker who can be both a web developer and a writer or a hairdresser and a photographer for example.
The slasher was named after the slash sign on the keyboard. Widely used in the computer field, it can also mean « and/or ». Moreover, on resumes and online professional profiles, it is not uncommon to see slasher using the slash to refer to and separate their different jobs. The slasher is therefore a worker who does not recognize himself in the choice of a single path. They are more of a generalist and multi-tasker than a specialist in one subject.
The different types of slashers
If today we talk about slashing to define this pluriactivity, it is important to remember that the accumulation of jobs is not new. The difference is mainly due to the reasons that push people to hold several jobs at the same time. While it used to be an economic imperative for some, there are now slashers who decide to combine a career that offers a good income with a job that allows them to practice their passion. The phenomenon that is growing today, is that of employees who develop in parallel a status of auto-entrepreneur.
The reasons that push someone to become a slasher are very diverse. The economic necessity to work several jobs in order to increase one’s income; the will to combine several interests within one’s professional life; the desire to diversify one’s activities, so as to avoid the daily routine; the desire to undertake a professional reconversion, without taking the risk of leaving everything on a whim; the wish to diversify one’s competences by exercising complementary professions… The motivations of workers who hold several jobs can be numerous and different for each one. There is no such thing as a typical slasher, but many profiles, from the young worker to the most experienced.
Who can become a slasher ?
If slashing makes many people dream, it is not for everyone! Indeed, some skills are essential to carry out several activities at the same time: adaptability, curiosity and the desire to learn constantly …. Choosing to combine activities also means running the risk of burn-out when faced with a heavy workload. This is why stress management and organizational skills are also essential criteria to be multiactive. These are also profiles that are increasingly attractive to companies.
People who tend to procrastinate, who are anxious by nature or who need to clearly separate their private and professional life will have more difficulties to keep up with multiple jobs.
Is slashing compatible with all sectors of activity?
Some jobs are more adapted to slashing than others. Very demanding and specialized jobs are not compatible with other activities. Ethics and non-competition clauses can also prevent the combination of several jobs. For example, a lawyer cannot become the manager of a company. As for public servants, the general rule is that a civil servant is not supposed to engage in any other gainful activity. Nevertheless, depending on the amount of time worked in the framework of his public employment and the activity he wishes to combine with his position, a public employee may consider becoming a slasher. In this case, he/she will have to provide a declaration or request an authorization in order to have the right to combine professions.
A very wide range of professions are still accessible at the same time: salesperson, management consultant, musician, maintenance agent, waiter, bookstore owner, training manager, personal trainer, interior decorator, agricultural machinery operator, etc. In the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors, there are therefore a multitude of opportunities for slasher.
How does wage portage benefit the slasher?
The freelance umbrella company allows a collaborator to exercise his activities in full safety, by contributing only to the Salaried Employees’ Regime. A godsend for the slasher in search of versatility and freedom. The portage salarial is the ideal status to slasher in a simplified way. If you have two independent consulting activities, you will not need to declare your two activities via a separate legal status. You will be able to offer your two expertises to different clients without having to juggle with several statuses. You remain employed and benefit from all the advantages of this position. You can also combine a traditional salaried position with freelance assignments without having to create an independent status and the administrative management that goes with it.