FREE online courses on Career Paths WBT - The Changing Career Strategies - Job sharing With job sharing, a full-time job is split between two employees. The two employees share the duties and responsibilities, as well as the salary and benefits of the job. These two employees must also work closely together, and with management, to co-ordinate hours, duties, and communication among themselves and other departments in the organization. Most often, job sharing is used by parents or adults caring for their parents, and affords employees a better balance between their work and personal lives. Employees pursuing further education or a second career may also use job sharing. Job sharing offers advantages over part-time work in that employees are able to maintain their professional status as well as some of their job benefits.

 

One example of the advantage over flexi time situations is that with flexi time, parents may still require extended day care hours. Benefits to the employer include having “two heads instead of one”, retaining valued and experienced employees, and down time due to vacation or sickness is reduced, because the job share partners cover for each other.

 

For example, Tina and Kitu have both recently returned from maternity leave. This is Tina's second child, and Kitu's third. Both Tina and Kitu are upper level administrative assistants, and both have been considering working only part time to allow them more time to spend with their growing families. However, both are concerned that being part time would only lessen the respect they have earned for their positions, as well as having work pile up during the times they are off. Their supervisor is especially concerned with this last aspect as well. As a solution, with the approval of their manager, the two develop a job-sharing arrangement. Kitu will work Mondays, Tuesdays, and five hours on Wednesdays. Tina will work five hours on Wednesday and all day on Thursdays and Fridays. They spend the overlapping hour on Wednesday communicating status of projects and duties. They will each receive half the pay and half the benefits of the position, and both retain their title as senior administrative assistant. The company views them as one staff member.