The Benefits of Job Sharing for Senior Roles
In these uncertain economic times it’s important for companies to hone their focus on recruiting and retaining their top talent as well as committing to create an environment that helps them to thrive and succeed.
As the demand for flexible working conditions continues to accelerate over the coming years, job sharing is one commercially viable solution that can enable part time working in business critical roles while maintaining business performance.
However, we know that when managers are asked to consider job sharing within their teams, there is often an unconscious familiarity bias at play. It can be all too tempting to place job share applicants into the ‘too hard basket’ or focus on an unfounded belief that this way of working is too challenging to implement and manage. While sticking with familiar ways of working may seem an easier short term option, with an ageing workforce and targets for diverse representation in senior roles, overlooking opportunities afforded by job sharing, particularly for senior roles, could be costly to business outcomes.
Because job sharing in senior positions is not yet mainstream in many industries, you may be surprised to learn that job sharing can work in most role types. The diversity bonus that can be gained from bringing two individuals to fill one headcount for senior roles is that it also provides:
Greater business continuity
Talent retention (particularly among, but not limited to, female talent and persons with disabilities)
Enhanced productivity
Improved problem solving
Increased innovation
More accurate predictions
More engaged employees
The feedback on job sharing in senior roles is also positive. The ability to collaborate, the ability to have ‘two heads for one’, increased diversity in teams and enhanced productivity can help to drive cultural change, people management innovations and process improvements. Importantly, this can also lead to the recruitment or retention of two highly skilled and experienced individuals.
If you’re interested in learning more about how to support job sharing in your teams consider leveraging some of these excellent resources below:
Scott Page (2017). The Diversity Bonus: How great teams pay off in the knowledge economy. Also see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKCYtzkDEXw.
Public Service Commission. Job Share.
Public Service Commission. Job Share Guide for Employees.
Roleshare. The unseen benefits of job sharing for companies.
Roleshare. Guides (see all of these excellent resources).
Sloan MIT. Melding flexibility and connectivity in the workplace.
The Job Share Project. Job Share Full Report.
#Inclusion#Diversity#JobShare#DiverseRepresentation#RepresentationMatters
