If you are new to the world of double hatting (doing two full time roles at the same time) Kate Kearins offers tips she hopes might help you and your team run the double hatting race with stamina, style, and space for self-care.
I’ve long advocated for what I call tenable roles in the workplace. Roles – and their associated workloads – that aren’t too big, that don’t require you to spend all day, as well as nights and weekends, to cover everything.
Hand-in-hand with this advocacy for tenable roles is my resistance to what is colloquially known as “double hatting” (sometimes, even “triple-hatting”). The term describes doing two or more full-time jobs at the same time. The expectation for an employee to undertake double hatting often arises from the unexpected departure of a colleague or a change in organisational structure that doesn’t immediately include a boost in human resources. In other words, double hatting is necessary to keep the business running.
Suddenly, however, even though I’ve decried double hatting for my colleagues, I find myself doing just that. To help the organisation through a period of leadership transition, I have taken on two ostensibly full-time roles that will keep me more than busy for the foreseeable future.
Just a few weeks into double hatting, I am learning (sometimes the hard way) important strategies to help me try to manage everything – and, most importantly, to connect with a growing number of direct reports – now in my purview. It isn’t easy, and I am not perfect – but I am doing my best to heed the advice and actions of my more seasoned double-hatting colleagues from across various sectors. Here’s what they say:
Most of the time, our work is not do or die: That might sound harsh, but it’s a good way to keep things in perspective. It helps me give myself permission to clock off at a decent hour and reminds me to make time to rest and restore after I leave the office. That “me time”, too often crunched or cut out, is key to “we time” – showing up every day with the patience and, indeed, the perspective, to stay on top of the ever-growing To Do list.
“Knowing when to say “Yes, thank you” to manageable (for them) offers of support (for me) is smart leadership, whether you’re double hatting or not…
Lean on us: My colleagues know that I’m currently responsible for two roles, and I am grateful to the many who have raised their hands to help ease the load. I have accepted their offers because I trust them and their ability to undertake and complete those jobs I simply can’t get to in my busier-than-ever workday. Equally, though, I worry whether those colleagues are not themselves “one-point-five hatting” – doing more than they should be for a significant period without recognition. But knowing when to say “Yes, thank you” to manageable (for them) offers of support (for me) is smart leadership (whether you’re double hatting or not).
Know thyself: It is generally recognised that, when looking after loved ones or other dependents, the carer must (but too often does not) prioritise their own health to best take care of others. We need only insert “manager” or “people leader” for “carer” to see why self-care in the workplace is also crucial. Be mindful of your own limitations – of energy, of multitasking, of bandwidth (I recently, regrettably, exceeded mine) – and take proactive steps to manage your own wellbeing. Personally and professionally, it’s worth it.
It’s a marathon, not a sprint: Work, like life, involves endurance, focus, and regular check-ins with your support crew. Especially if double hatting is to be your norm for an extended period, you and everyone around you will benefit from the sustainability that comes from your prioritising quality downtime (can you take one long weekend a month), plenty of good sleep (no all-nighters, please), and the mental, physical, and emotional fuel that comes from having good people around you. Is everyone OK? Am I OK? It’s our double hatting duty to ask these questions honestly and listen openly to the answers.
A final thought: A few years ago, a UK business leader wrote about the pressure of double hatting as a “privilege”, a reflection of your bosses’ and their bosses’ trust in you to help guide the organisation through tricky times. That’s true – in my case, I feel genuinely honoured to be asked to take the additional leadership reins. But for the benefit of my organisation and the people who make it tick, I recognise the need to acknowledge that double hatting increases the risk of burnout – and that’s why the support of others is so crucial.
For anyone already doing more than one full-time job simultaneously (I tip my double hat to those who are parents and caregivers as well as colleagues), these insights are not groundbreaking. But if you are new to the world of double hatting, I hope these tips might help you and your team run the double hatting race with stamina, style, and space for self-care.
Kate Kearins is Professor of Management and Pro Vice Chancellor/Dean Business, Economics and Law at Auckland University of Technology.
