The ‘Job Sharing‘ Trend: Are Two Heads Better for One Position? In a workplace, it is common to find two employees sharing the responsibilities, duties, and benefits of the same position on a full-time basis. This is known as the concept of job sharing. Job sharing can be done equally. However, it can also be done based on each individual’s skills or abilities. Most importantly, the sharing is done fairly. Fair is not always equal. Evenly distributed is not necessarily fair.
There are many examples ofjob sharing . For example, a project is done by two project managers, let’s call them Adi and Bimo. Adi is responsible for managing the internal team, while Bimo is responsible for building relationships with clients. As a result, the project can be completed optimally because both of them do not bear too heavy a burden.
In leadership, job sharing is also very successful. This also breaks the assumption that leadership must be dominated by one person. For example, one division can be run by two people simultaneously. The expertise of each person can be combined and utilized to overcome various problems and challenges.
The ‘Job Sharing‘ Trend: Are Two Heads Better for One Position?
In the world of education, it is often found that one subject, one course and one class is taught by different teachers or lecturers in the same semester. However, each teacher or lecturer teaches a different topic. This is also an example of job sharing.
In the corporate world, Zurich Insurance Group’s business unit in the UK applies job sharing for a number of positions. Among these are for mid-level and top-level managerial positions. This way, many top talents are attracted to join the company. For employees, this kind of job sharing makes their work more flexible. Innovation also increases. Two heads with two different points of view are successfully combined so that they complement each other.
Job sharing is also practiced at Coca-Cola. It applies to both administrative and managerial positions. This is beneficial for those who need to be more flexible in their work. For example, mothers who have to divide their time between working and taking care of the family, as well as students, who have to divide their time between studying and working.
For organizations other than companies, an example is The UK Civil Service. In order to create an inclusive and flexible work environment, the UK government promotes job sharing. King Charles III’s government enforces job sharing for strategic positions. An example is the position for policy development. This way, it is hoped that the country’s best talents will be attracted to join.
There are a number of challenges if a company wants to implement job sharing. The first is overcoming miscommunication. The success of job sharing depends on smooth communication between the two parties. Miscommunication can lead to frustration, delayed completion of work, and poor quality of work. Secondly, it increases the supervisor’s burden of having to supervise two people. The supervisor must ensure that the person sharing the work understands and works towards the vision, mission and goals of the organization; evaluate the performance of the two people; and manage conflicts (which are inevitably prone to occur).
This double supervision has the potential to exhaust the supervisor. Third, unclear roles and responsibilities because there are two people doing the same job. Fourth, increased costs. For example, costs for salaries and training. Fifth, incompatibility between people doing job sharing. This incompatibility is caused by, for example, communication style, character, cultural background, commitment and so on.
How to overcome these challenges? The expectations and responsibilities of each person doing job sharing should be defined in detail. Ensure that each person understands their respective duties and responsibilities. Next, to avoid incompatibilities and disagreements, carefully select the people who will be job sharing. Observe their work style, communication style, values, competence, personality, and so on. If they are not suitable, the person doing the job sharing should be replaced.
Supervisors who oversee job sharing must be able to do their job effectively. If necessary, they should undergo training to handle job sharing. Create a conducive work environment. The implementation of job sharing should be evaluated regularly, both the individuals involved and, most importantly, the results.
It should also be noted that job sharing is not suitable for all types of work. So, what kind of jobs are suitable? Jobs that have separate tasks, can be transferred to other people, and can be divided into several stages can be applied job sharing.
Next is work that can be completed even without the physical presence of the individual. As technology advances, this type of work is becoming more and more common.
Jobs that force one to work together and communicate intensively are also suitable for job sharing. This can also hone employees’ cooperation and communication skills. An example is a project manager
Other characteristics include measurable deliverables, no immediate decisions to be made by one person, and standardized processes. For the latter, an example is a nurse who follows standard operating procedures to treat patients.
The ‘Job Sharing‘ Trend: Are Two Heads Better for One Position?
Category: Organization Development & Behavior
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