Having two or more employees sharing a full time job role is an increasingly popular way for companies to meet the demands of the business and continue to attract and retain the best talent. If you are considering employing workers on a job share basis, what do you need to take into account to ensure success?
What is job sharing? The responsibility, pay and benefits of a full time role is shared between two (or can be more) employees. The pay and benefits attached to the role are shared in proportion to the hours that each individual works.
How are the working hours shared? This is very flexible and is one of the key advantages to offering job share opportunities as these can be determined to suit the needs of the business and hours the employees wish to work. For example, one person may work Monday, Tuesday Wednesday, whilst the other works Thursday and Friday. In other situations they may each work three days per week with one day being an overlap/handover day.
What are the benefits of job sharing? There are a number of benefits to the employer including retention of valued members of the team who can no longer or no longer wish to work full time, the opportunity to gain new skills and experience, greater continuity during holiday periods or if one job share is absent through illness, increased commitment and loyalty and potential reduction in absenteeism and workplace stress. For the job sharing employees, they will gain a more flexible working arrangement which fits in with other aspects of their life and also the benefit of knowing that tasks are being taken care of by their colleague during on the days that they are not working or are on holiday.
Recruiting the right candidates. It is important to take into consideration how those who will be job sharing will work together, particularly as they may have limited or no time actually being at work at the same time. During the interview process you should think about what complimentary skills and experience each person has as well as looking for opportunities to enhance the expertise of the other.
Managing job sharing arrangements. As a line manager it is imperative that you put clear lines of responsibility, allocation of tasks and channels of communication in from the outset. Work should be divided fairly and the job sharers themselves should ensure there is good communication and an effective handover process between them.
Recruiting a replacement. If a job sharing employee chooses to leave, bear in mind that it may take longer to recruit a replacement as you will be seeking an suitable individual who can work the required hours.
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