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Partner Changes

If one partner decides to leave the job-sharing situation, the whole arrangement can fall apart. The employer might have difficulty finding another person willing to participate in a job-sharing arrangement – or just the right person to fit both the unconventional schedule and the duties. At the very least, the transition period will be rocky and disruptive, as the new job-sharing partners sort out responsibilities and reconcile their schedules

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Employer disadvantage

Bad Partners

Partners in a job-sharing situation are dependent upon each other, which can under some circumstances create a disadvantage. For example, suppose two workers are responsible for completing a project by a certain deadline. If one worker fails in some way and the project is affected, whom should the employer hold responsible? It’s not always obvious without some digging. Even if the blame clearly lies with just one of the workers, the situation is a hassle for the employer, who must sit down with both employees to sort out what happened. One way to minimize such problems is to ensure that responsibilities are clearly divided and spelled out, and to hold regular meetings to monitor progress.

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- Events organisers, share jobs to gain more ideas and work together in order to have a good well planned event

- Receptionists

- Account director

- Gym instructor

- Chefs

- Travel advisors

- Office assistant

-Events Assistant

- Accounts manager

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Despite the ongoing challenge of attracting and retaining mothers in the workplace, job-sharing remains under-utilised as a flexible work option.

Despite the fact Australian employers are legally obliged to provide 'flexible work arrangements' for employees with caring responsibilities, including parents returning from maternity leave, the reality is not always attractive. Part-time work often involves a demanding workload to be completed in less time for less money.

"The problem with part-time work is you get the pro rata salary, but you end up working much longer hours," says Melissa Richardson, the director of Horizons Unlimited and author of the 2009 research report, Making job share work: Australian women share their success secrets.

"The key benefit to job sharers is that when they go home, they go home, and their job share buddy takes over so they're not getting the phone calls after hours."

One of the workload challenges of part-time work is the difficulty finding a part-time set up that is realistic and manageable, particularly for working parents.

For former lawyer and mother of two Jennie Cadman, re-entering the legal industry and finding a manageable part-time role once her son was 10 months old was particularly difficult.

"When I did find openings they required three or even four days," says Cadman, who has since started her own business, Olive Periwinkle, which she runs from home.

Similarly for Jody*, who's currently on maternity leave, returning to work less than four days a week is not an option in her current corporate role.

"Unfortunately the business unit I work in is very demanding and unless a job share is possible, less than four days cannot be supported," she says.

Her ideal situation would be to work three days a week while she has young children and if she had the chance to job-share she would "absolutely" take it.
The case for job-sharing
According to a research report by Capability Jane, Job sharing at senior level: Making it work, job-sharing allows employees to work part time while maintaining a significant role and meaningful career.

Surveying companies such as KPMG, Deloitte and Barclays, the report showed that job-sharers, compared to a lot of part-time workers, had the benefit of feeling part of the team while also having the ability to 'switch off' and handover accountability.

The benefits of job-sharing for an employer, according to Mums At Work and Michael Page, include the availability of a wider range of skills and experience within the job; continuity of coverage (during sickness or holidays); staff retention, especially for employees with family responsibilities; reduced staff turnover; improved staff morale; lower absenteeism and greater productivity.

And while the cost for employers of implementing job share arrangements is no doubt higher - thanks to the cost of training two employees instead of one - the majority of managers surveyed felt that the benefits outweighed the costs.

According to Richardson, the lack of uptake in job-share arrangements to date is mostly due to a lack of understanding among organisations as to the benefits and how it actually works.

"I just don't think organisations know how to handle it. It's a lack of open-mindedness about what jobs can be shared ... The common myth is that a sales role can't be shared because it's customer facing, but actually that's rubbish," she says. "I think customers are probably more accepting of job-sharing than companies. Provided that the two people are keeping one another well abreast, the service can be pretty seamless."

Among those surveyed by Capability Jane, 80% held positions of responsibility including managers, team leaders and directors. The research found examples of successful job-sharing in most role types including sales and client-facing roles, leadership and team management roles, strategic and knowledge-based roles and transactional roles.

And for those doubting the career progression potential for job-sharers, 71% who tried to gain a promotion were successful in doing so, recommending persistence and the support of a senior sponsor to fight in your corner.
Making it work
Successfully implementing a job-share arrangement requires substantial preparation on the employee and manager's part, as well as constant communication between job-sharers and management.

"As an employee, you have to sell the upside. There's the argument that part-timers are more efficient," says the director of The Career Consultancy, Catherine Cunningham.

For career consultant Melissa Johnston from Suzie Plush Consulting, it's the grey areas of job-sharing that tends to scare many employers away from job-sharing, emphasising the need for a clear-cut business case.

"It's always going to help if employees put a well thought out plan to their manager, putting the finer details into a business case to the organisation," she says.

In Richardson's research, most of the women who were successfully working in a job-share arrangement had made it happen themselves. And to ensure the success of a job-share set up, it's essential that an organisation matches people with a similar work ethic and commitment to their job and career.

"It doesn't suit every temperament. You have to have two people who can really share and there are certain personality styles. If you were a bit competitive you wouldn't want to enter into a job-share arrangement," she says.

Job-sharing also requires constant communication, the full support of management and other stakeholders, as well as the ability to trust, let go and not compete with one another.

"The women that I spoke to had made it happen in their companies, so where you get a very proactive person who's actually willing to go to management and say, 'This is what I want to do'. I know people who've done that and it's been successful," she says.
*Her name has been changed.

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Why job-sharing beats part-time work | Women's Agenda

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Despite the ongoing challenge of attracting and retaining mothers in the workplace, job-sharing remains under-utilised as a flexible work option. Despite the fact Australian employers are legally obliged to provide 'flexible work arrangements' for employees with caring responsibilities, including parents returning from maternity leave, the reality is not always attractive.

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Job sharing - splitting a full-time position into two part-time jobs - is an increasingly popular flexible work arrangement. But is it really possible to share a job with another person? How can you make what looks good on paper work in reality?

What the Experts Say
"There are a wide variety of reasons to choose a job sharing arrangement - it might be to take care of a dependent, to work another job, or to advance one's education," says Stew Friedman, a professor of management at the Wharton School and author of Total Leadership: Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life. Lotte Bailyn, a professor of management at MIT's Sloan School of Management and author of Breaking the Mold: Redesigning Work for Productive and Satisfying Lives, agrees, noting that people often pursue a job share because they want less stress in their lives. Whatever your reason, it's up to you (and your partner) to make the situation work. Joan Williams, a law professor and the founding director of the Center for WorkLife Law at the University of California's Hastings College of the Law, believes that any job can be shared if done intelligently and thoughtfully. Here's how:

Choose the right partner
If you have a say in the matter, be sure to select someone with whom you can easily communicate, collaborate, and disagree. These arrangements often require difficult conversations about prioritizing work, office politics, and personal matters so you want to be sure you pick someone compatible. But don't seek out your perfect clone either. These situations work best for you - and for the company - says Bailyn, if the job sharers have complementary skills, experience, and perspectives.

Decide how to divide up the work
"There are a number of ways to slice any given job," says Williams. "It's important to conceptualize all different parts and divide them up in the most effective way." Some people split the work by each taking responsibility for certain tasks. This is called the "islands model" or a "job split." Others share the same workload and simply divide up the days (usually with a bit of overlap). This is called the "twins model" and is often the simpler of the two. The model you choose will depend on the nature of the job and what preferences and skills each of you bring to it.

Communicate, communicate, communicate
"For job-sharing to work well, both parties must zealously convey and seek information from the other," says Friedman. "Think 'mind meld.'" Ideally this communication should happen face-to-face, says Bailyn, but many job sharers use other ways to connect, including email, phone, and Skype. Use this time to agree on work priorities, discuss any issues that have come up, pass off work if necessary, and check in about how things are going generally. "You can't leave anything unspoken. It has to be very explicit," says Williams.

Secure your supervisor's support
If you proposed the arrangement, make sure your boss is onboard. "It's possible to be successful in an organization that doesn't generally support job sharing but not if your manager is against it," says Williams. "If your supervisor doesn't support it, it's probably not going to work." Ask your boss for feedback regularly. Be vigilant about communicating with her about the arrangement. When Friedman was a senior executive at Ford Motor Company, a pair of his direct reports shared a job. "What made it work so well was their willingness to go the extra mile to keep me and others informed about how they were coordinating their work; this gave all those involved a sense of confidence and trust that this was a good deal not just for the job-sharers but for our company," he says.

Manage expectations and perceptions
Indeed, it's not only your boss who needs to be informed. Anyone you work with-colleagues, clients, vendors-needs to know how to reach each of you and who they can expect to respond when. Some job sharers will share an email account and phone number. Others automatically cc their other half when responding to any email. The key is to make sure it's a seamless experience for everyone around you. "All those who interact with you should experience a unity of understanding and purpose," says Friedman. And any time you talk about the arrangement, focus on how it benefits the organization. "The main thrust of communications with co-workers and clients should focus on the benefits to others, especially the 'two heads are better than one' argument," says Friedman. "Others want to know how this set-up will be good for them, not for you."

Battle the bias
Bailyn says that one of the biggest barriers to making these situations successful is the attitude of others. In fact, some people perceive any flexible arrangement as a sign that you aren't committed. Williams has observed this stigma in her research at the Center for WorkLife Law. "In most organizations this is seen as an 'odd duck' arrangement," she says. The best way to challenge this bias is to excel at the work. "Make it very clear that you're meeting the norms the organization has for people who are dedicated to the job," says Williams.

Give it time
Once you've settled on an arrangement that you, your partner, and your boss think will work, try it out. Set a pilot period and experiment with how you split the work and communicate. Then tweak as necessary. "It's good to give the process a bit of time to work out the kinks and get people used to it. After some experience, most people react positively," says Bailyn. No matter how long you've been sharing a job, it's a good idea to continually reassess and make adjustments based on what's working for each of you, your boss, and the organization.
Principles to Remember
Do:

When selecting a partner, choose someone you can easily communicate, collaborate, and disagree with

Ask your boss for feedback regularly - be vigilant about communicating with her about the arrangement

Make sure it's a seamless experience for your co-workers and anyone outside your organization

Don't:

Leave anything unspoken - talk to your partner regularly

Assume everyone will be fine with the arrangement - combat bias by excelling at your shared work

Set the details in stone - it's better to experiment and make adjustments as necessary

Case study #1: Experiment with the arrangement to find what works
Gretchen Anderson had been working as a consultant to the Katzenbach Center at Strategy& for a few months when the opportunity to take on the role of center director came up. Gretchen knew one of the center's leaders, Jon Katzenbach - she'd worked at a firm he'd previously founded- and was excited about the opportunity to work with him again. But she was a new mother, and only wanted to work 50% time. Fortunately, another consultant who had been with the firm for almost eight years, Carolin Oelschlegel, was also interested in the position. She was based in London and had recently started working 80% time for lifestyle reasons - "there are so many things I wanted to do outside of work and I wanted the time to do them," she says.

Gretchen and Carolin spoke once by phone and each had a strong sense that they would work well with the other so agreed to put their collective hat in the ring (each dedicating 50% to the role). Such job-share arrangements are not common at Strategy&, but the leaders at the Katzenbach Center were eager to make it happen.

Initially, they thought they could split the work by region: Gretchen could cover North America and Carolin would take Europe. But they soon realized that this division felt artificial and ineffective. Next, they tried working on the same projects, passing them back and forth, but that didn't feel efficient either. Eventually, they decided to carve out two buckets of work: immediate requests from client teams, which required a response within 24-48 hours, and longer term projects.

Immediate requests are now resolved by whoever is available and online at the time. For the longer-term projects, they collectively designate a lead who can bounce the work back to her partner as necessary, relying on the other's feedback and re-allocating when demands shift or projects end. They manage this hybrid between the "twins" and "islands" model by staying in constant contact: "We're in touch by email every day, even on Gretchen's off days and we always know where the other is," says Carolin.

While they were initially diligent about keeping those around them apprised of how they divided the work, their bosses and co-workers now trust them to sort it out. "How we divide our work is neither of interest nor of concern," says Gretchen. "They seem to trust that things will happen - and to let us sort it out on our own."

There have been unexpected benefits to sharing the job as well. For example, since their time is limited, they both push each other to focus on the most important priorities. "We have two peoples' judgment call on what really needs to get done," Gretchen says.

Case study #2: Put respect first
Several years back, Ryan Frischmann decided he wanted to get into software development so he applied for a job as a lead developer at a small start-up in Rochester. During his interview, he learned that the role would be shared with a current employee who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. The idea was that they would do the same job until his co-worker got too sick to work or passed away.

Ryan recognized that this was a unique situation but he was willing to give it a try. "I thought it would be a great learning experience personally and professionally," he says. The arrangement allowed his colleague the flexibility he needed to continue working and gave Ryan the opportunity to learn from a more experienced colleague.

The two men shared the same role and responsibilities - Ryan worked full time at the office while his colleague worked from home when he was able to.

Ryan believes that the most important element in making their relationship work was respect. "I made sure he made the final decision on anything new in the development pipeline," he says. "My colleague had built the software from scratch. He felt it was an accomplishment and so did I." Ryan also worked to gain his co-worker's trust. "I had to demonstrate to him that I understood his coding and methods. When he was sicker, he told me and the others that he was leaving his software in capable hands. This meant a lot to me."

The job share lasted for nine months before Ryan's co-worker died, and Ryan has carried on in the role. He says the experience has inspired him. "My partner had a lot of pride in his work and completed some of his best work when he was very sick. I never anticipated the effect it would have on me personally."

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How to Make a Job Sharing Situation Work

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Job sharing - splitting a full-time position into two part-time jobs - is an increasingly popular flexible work arrangement. But is it really possible to share a job with another person? How can you make what looks good on paper work in reality?

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3 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Decades ago during the industrial revolution, leaders of companies settled on a management style that involved relating to their employees that I call, "Park your brain at the door."

These managers apparently decided their employees were unable or unwilling to be engaged in the business, understand metrics, make suggestions for improvement or even be productive.

So managers decided that their employees should arrive at work each day and park their brains at the door.
Related: How to Manage Employees Smarter Than You Without Looking Like an Idiot
Regardless of how productive employees were at home, such as being president of the local parent teacher association, leading a Boy Scouts troop or participating in church activities, they were seen as incapable of transferring that knowledge and skill to the workplace.

Management told people to show up each day, not to ask questions or make recommendations, not to analyze things and just do what they were told. At the end of the day, people had to pick up their brains again and go home. I believe this poor leadership style was one of the reasons for the rise in union activity.

It seems inconceivable that management behaved this way and got away with it for so many years because as today's leaders know, the most knowledgeable employees about a process are usually the people who perform it everyday.

Process decomposition, mapping and documentation efforts rely on groups of employees who actually perform a job. For this reason, not only is it desirable; it should be mandatory that employees are not allowed to leave their brains at the door.
Related: Smart Leaders Keep Their Ego in Check and Listen In
Employers should want, need and expect employees to think on the job, make recommendations and suggest steps for improvement.

This obvious but critical concept is even more important with the new employees that companies are hiring today.

When I was a young manager my boss just had to tell me what to do and I did it. That was why I received a paycheck.

But today, some Gen X and Y employees not only want to know what you want them to do; they insist on knowing why you want them to do it. This puts pressure on today's leaders to become "servant leaders," a phrase coined by Robert K Greenleaf to describe the leadership concept of tailoring your style to the needs of your employees.

These contemporary workers are less likely to park their brains at the door and instead tend to be vocal even if their boss doesn't ask for their input.

Remember that the #1 reason employees leave companies is due to a bad relationship with their boss or manager. This means that today's leaders have to be very sensitive about the feedback they provide subordinates.

If leaders want to keep their best and brightest, they should regularly solicit and welcome recommendations, suggestions and input about company processes.
Do you insist your people bring their brains to work? If so, how do you encourage their input?

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Don't Let Employees Park Their Brains at the Door

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3 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Decades ago during the industrial revolution, leaders of companies settled on a management style that involved relating to their employees that I call, "Park your brain at the door."

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In my work helping organisations to become more sustainable and socially responsible, I've become obsessed by the lack of senior level job sharing opportunities in UK companies. I believe that greater job flexibility is a viable way to create more social sustainability alongside agility, profit and innovation.

More senior job sharing will increase equality in the workplace, ultimately boosting the number of women on boards and in senior management positions. More than this, it immediately impacts not only performance and productivity but also financial and strategic objectives.

For women, the challenges of returning to the workplace after childbirth are well documented. Most businesses have minimal options for flexible working at anything other than junior level, and even though carers have the right to request flexibility, there is no guarantee that the employer will comply. Consequently, as research carried out by the Timewise Foundation shows, mothers either tend to choose lower paid part-time work over their career development or decide to take a career break entirely for a few years. Both paths leave them behind their peers and ultimately reduce their chances of aiming for board level positions.

While working mothers are an obvious example, the world of work is changing, with more people than ever choosing portfolio careers for all sorts of reasons. More men are choosing to spend time on childcare and many people are combining traditional jobs with entrepreneurial activities, study or travel. The digital workplace means we are no longer tied to our desks in the way we used to be, with home working and hot desking far more common than they once were. We demand more flexibility and are likely to become less engaged and motivated if we don't get it.

Many believe that job sharing causes more problems than it solves, with potential for confusion, duplicate effort and expense. However, with two people sharing one position you also get double the number of complementary skills and experience, cover 365 days a year and simpler succession planning. Challenges are met by focussing more attention on communication and strategic division of labour, and by each sharer bringing different talents to the position.

In fact, recent research by the Agile Future Forum identifies several concrete benefits for businesses who allow flexible working hours including enhancing quality of output, attracting top talent and increasing productivity and innovation while minimising cost.

While the benefits of flexible working often outweigh the challenges, there are also potential issues involved. Recruitment feels more complex and lines of reporting and responsibility can be blurred. Badly paired job sharers often contradict each other and these personality clashes can cause disruption.

Putting a few simple processes in place can significantly boost success and reduce the risks involved: Recruit candidates with complementary rather than identical skills. Always schedule a chemistry session with potential pairings to establish a 'fit' personality-wise.

Appraise job sharers based on how they work together as a team, as well as how they manage individual responsibilities.

Specific on-boarding support and regular ongoing joint sessions with a coach can provide the opportunity to strategise, problem solve, and streamline working practices.

Establishing an explicit vision, set of values and clarity around roles, responsibilities and lines of reporting for the team early on will avoid confusion and duplication of effort.

Inevitably there are challenges involved, but a bit of forward thinking goes a long way. The benefits of allowing more senior job sharing are clear - often two heads really are better than one.
Claudie Plen is a leadership coach and director of Sign up to become a member of the Women in Leadership community here for more comment, analysis and best practice direct to your inbox Openness Consulting Topics

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In my work helping organisations to become more sustainable and socially responsible, I've become obsessed by the lack of senior level job sharing opportunities in UK companies. I believe that greater job flexibility is a viable way to create more social sustainability alongside agility, profit and innovation.

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Pearson qualifications | Edexcel, BTEC, LCCI and EDI | Pearson qualifications

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Pearson is the UK's largest awarding organisation offering academic, vocational and work-based learning qualifications, including BTEC, Edexcel and LCCI.

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Pearson qualifications | Edexcel, BTEC, LCCI and EDI | Pearson qualifications

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Pearson is the UK's largest awarding organisation offering academic, vocational and work-based learning qualifications, including BTEC, Edexcel and LCCI.

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For a job share to work, each employee has permanent and matching contracts, and their salaries are proportionate to the full-time position.

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Job sharing is when two employees literally divide a job between them, and only work a few days a week to cover one full-time role. In some cases, getting job sharing employees to work three days a week each is preferred by both staff and employer to incorporate a crossover day so they can hand over of work.

This is particularly popular with people who want flexible hours because of family commitments as it allows them to maintain their career and still spend time with their families

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Policies and guidance - HR - University of York

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The way in which the actual hours of a job share post are divided between the job share partners should be decided by the manager/supervisor and/or Head of Department in consultation with the job share partners

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All full-time posts are deemed to be potentially open to job sharing

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Full time hours and holiday are split evenly between 2 part time people

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The contract is held jointly and is conditional upon the offer of appointment being accepted by both the job share partners. The job share partners work under a normal contract of employment and are subject to the provisions of current employment legislation.

http://www.york.ac.uk/admin/hr/resources/policy/job_share.htm

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An arrangement in which two people share the work and pay of a single full-time job. (Google)

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Job sharing or work sharing is an employment arrangement where typically two people are retained on a part-time or reduced-time basis to perform a job normally fulfilled by one person working full-time. (Wikipedia)