Job shares work. That’s a message we can take away from the Timewise Power List, celebrating what part-time workers can achieve. But in wider conversations I’ve had about the job share I have with Caroline at St George’s, University of London, which allows me to juggle consultancy projects while also being part of a team and a wider university community, it’s clear there are many cynics out there. Chatting at the school gate or with clients, people often say they don’t think their organisation would be open to job sharing in a senior position.
I confess I’m often taken aback. There’s so much talk about flexible working in the media, particularly given how working life has changed through the pandemic, so I assumed most organisations would understand the value job sharing can offer. Instead, the sceptical responses we still sometimes receive suggest that there are pre-conceptions around job sharing arrangements, particularly in leadership roles.
We get it. Job sharing sounds complicated, complex and costly. It may feel a risky move when hiring a director needed to lead a team and offer consistent strategic direction.
So, to bust some myths, we’ve spent some time considering our own experiences as we’ve established our partnership over the past 2.5 years. Here are five ways we believe our job share has offered real value to our employer - and why it just might be an arrangement worth considering in your organisation.
1. We bring both depth and breadth of experience
Leadership roles often require oversight of broad teams with a range of roles and responsibilities. Currently, our team remit covers communications, marketing, student recruitment, digital, design, alumni relations and fundraising. Finding an individual with in-depth expertise in all those areas of specialism would likely prove a recruitment challenge. Through our job share, we bring together two complementary skill sets gained through two careers. We align our line management responsibilities with our personal expertise and specialisms, helping us to give our team guidance drawn from relevant experience.
2. We offer greater resilience
We’ve established ways of working to ensure each of us could take the lead in managing any issues that may arise within our directorate. With a shared inbox and regular handover time, our colleagues can feel confident that we are both aware of ongoing discussions. We also coordinate annual leave where possible, so that there is rarely a week when neither of us is available. This resilience came into its own during the pandemic, ensuring we could cover the intense demands of our role, while also juggling the home schooling and childcare commitments which we suddenly needed to fit in alongside. And occasionally, when work volume around Covid communications became overwhelming for one individual to handle, we worked simultaneously enabling us to ‘divide and conquer’.
3. We make better decisions together
It’s a well worn phrase, but we’ve found that two heads really are better than one. By virtue of our wide-ranging, busy role, much of what we work on is reactive and priorities can change frequently. We support and coach each other, often problem-solving together giving us a greater degree of confidence in the direction we take. We can offer each other a helpful sounding board for options and a degree of challenge and debate which ensures decisions are considered from all angles.
4. We create a smaller line management burden for our boss
This was quite an unexpected benefit that we reflected on with our line manager during an annual review process. We had been conscious that job sharing had the potential to add a load to the individual managing the role, for example with extra 1-2-1s to fit in. However, we received feedback that we are more self-sufficient as directors, we believe because we are able to advise and coach each other, rather than escalate queries.
5. We go the extra mile
When discussing our job share, a colleague noted it was like having a gym buddy - someone who keeps you motivated and who ensures you always show up! And it’s so true. By having shared ownership of the success we achieve, we never want to let each other down, so we push ourselves that bit further.
Do you work in a job share or are considering it for a senior post in your organisation? What unexpected benefits have you experienced?