WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN INTRODUCING JOB SHARING

Sharp Consultancy's Salary Survey 2025/26: Resetting the Landscape: Strategic Shifts in Finance Recruitment

It would be remiss not to start by addressing the elephant in the room — 2024 was a challenging year.While there were many reasons for this and numerous industries were affected, recruitment likely bore the brunt of it, particularly in the 6 months post-election(s).Whilst key roles and critical hires remained unaffected, certain head counts and processes were scrutinised and investment paused with internal restructures and automation utilised to reduce costs, in some instances, at the expense of employees. We subsequently saw an increase in candidate activity, with the talent pool strengthening. As those pressures eased in Quarter 4, recruitment processes saw improvement and green shoots have emerged. Optimism is on the rise in key hiring processes, albeit with a caveat. The cloud of additional cost increases in April, which is still dissipating. The senior finance and C-Suite market remains relatively unaffected, both regarding opportunities and candidates, it is the levels below that we have seen more change. In the evolving landscape of working dynamics, the volume of hybrid working is gradually waning despite sustained interest from candidates, presenting fewer job opportunities. While the blend of office and remote work remains desirable, it is no longer the predominant factor, indicating a notable shift in priorities for clients and candidates’ acceptance alike. Conversations with candidates underscore a growing desire around the importance of having a supportive mentor or manager and many professionals are increasingly open to a full-time return to the office if it guarantees enhanced guidance and avenues for professional advancement. "The salaries throughout transactional finance have stabilised across the region."Throughout the professional practice market, some similar trends have been observed but there have been noticeable differences in the past year. Salaries across the range of candidates in professional practice, from AAT to fully Qualified (ACA/ACCA) individuals are still rising and those firm’s able to offer competitive salaries alongside stronger training contracts are beating out the competition in a candidate market with a growing focus on study support packages and career advancement opportunities for Part-Qualified candidates, indicating an increase in demand from employers and the volume of available job seekers. The salaries throughout transactional finance have stabilised across the region, in what feels like the longest period of stability seen since Q4 2020 and we expect transactional finance salaries to remain stable throughout 2025/26, with anticipated salary increments to be moderate compared to the significant increases observed throughout the last 2 years. AI & Systems (process automation) continues to impact accountancy and finance, in particular, across larger functions but this has increased the need for wider interim support to assist with the transition and implementation especially with large, automated processes. Whilst 2025-26 will not be the same marketplace for recruitment as seen in previous years, there is certainly a growing level of optimism and whilst a more settled market may be seen as a negative in some areas, for those that have weathered the peaks and troughs over a longer period of time, it will feel very normal and a strong setting for both employees and employers to take advantage and thrive, with an increasing emphasis on growth and development.Download the full Salary Survey here!

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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.

Sharp Consultancy specialises in the recruitment of temporary, interim and permanent finance professionals. With offices in Leeds and Sheffield our highly experienced team of consultants recruit for positions throughout Yorkshire and beyond. CONTACT US today to speak to a member of our team about your next career move.