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Henry has a degree in accounting and two years’ experience working in the finance office of a major accounting company.  He also has a new baby and a wife who works as a trauma nurse in the afternoons.  With Family Leave due to end in a couple of weeks, he hasn’t been able to find the perfect day care solution.

Sophia loves her job as a financial analyst, but with the success of her online business, she needs to jump on her emails and product orders first thing in the morning, which takes a couple of hours.

Balancing Act

Henry and Sophia have skills, jobs and busy lives!  Balancing the demands of life and the expectations of an employer can be difficult.  The employer’s needs usually win out, since the job pays for the life.  There is another alternative – job sharing.

For Henry and Sophia, job sharing is a solution to work-life balance that could work.  Henry comes in early and works the morning while his wife is at home with the baby.  When he leaves mid-day, Sophia takes over, with all her emails answered and product orders completed.  Job sharing arrangements can split a workday between two individuals or the work week.

The Employee’s Viewpoint

 Plus

 Aside from the obvious flexible schedule, there are other plusses to this dynamic duo arrangement:

1. Continue on your career path.  Same job, different work arrangements.  You can retain your job title and continue to do the same work as before, just on a reduced schedule.
2. Stay with the company.  If you can convince your employer to try out the arrangement, you can stay on with the company and remain part of the team.
3. Shared responsibility.  Half the job, half the stress.  Job performance isn’t just on your shoulders, but the team.
4. Time to job search.  It’s easier to find a job while you are still working.  If the job sharing arrangement is due to downsizing, you’ll have half a day or part of the work week to find your next full-time opportunity.

Minus

1. Half the job, half the pay?   You will have to renegotiate your pay and other benefits as well.  Now officially a part-time employee, you won’t be pulling down the big bucks like before.
2. Goodbye benefits.  While some employers offer benefits to part-time employees, they are often at the employee’s expense.  On the other hand, since the job is a full-time position shared by two individuals, your employer may agree to continue benefits on a reduced schedule or payment plan.
3. Inequitable skills or work habits.  You are a detail freak, but your counterpart is “big picture.”  When one person has to spend time fixing problems left by the other or catch up when work isn’t done, it can be frustrating and counterproductive.
4. The higher up the career ladder, the less likely this arrangement will work.  Directing the West Coast Operations or a Regional sales force requires one dedicated person, not two.  Your need for a job sharing arrangement can limit your career opportunities.

The Employer’s Viewpoint

 Plus

1. Increased productivity.  Without lunch hours and coffee breaks and only half the time to produce, job sharers usually get down to business fast and are more productive than their full-time counterparts.
2. An alternative to layoffs.  Faced with losing a job, employees may be willing to share one job and stay employed.
3. Savings on benefits costs.  If job sharing changes the job classification, an employer can safe on health premium contributions, 401(k) matches and other benefit costs.

Minus

1. Loss of continuity.  Unless the job share partners are well matched, there can be a great disparity between job quality and productivity, requiring more time to monitor the job and counsel two employees instead of one.
2. Loss of flexibility.  Job needs ebb and flow, and companies need employees who can come in early, stay late, or take time to travel or attend meetings.  With job sharing, the flexibility is all about the employees, who enter into this arrangement to meet their needs.

Many companies are changing work structures to adapt to a new economy and may be open to job sharing.  If this work arrangement would fit your lifestyle and career objectives, work out the details and make a proposal.  You may find half a job results in a full, rewarding life.

Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, spent over seven years as a human resources director and is a career coach, consultant and freelance writer focusing on how to land your dream job in a tough employment market.