How can I make
job sharing a success?

Having clear expectations and effective communication are essential for successful job sharing. This includes agreeing on the methods for written communications, ensuring regular and timely handovers, and establishing procedures for resolving disagreements.

When setting up job sharing, it is important to have overlapping hours. This helps maintain smooth operations, ensures consistency, and minimises disruptions for the rest of the team.

Managing staff is one of the more sensitive and complex aspects of job sharing. However, there are numerous advantages for employees, such as access to a broader range of skills and expertise, as well as more objective decision-making.

At times, when job-sharing partners share line management responsibilities, it can lead to a lack of clarity regarding the team’s vision. Therefore, job-sharing managers must invest time in developing a coherent vision for their team and plan how to communicate and monitor this vision effectively.

Some job-sharing partners divide formal line management responsibilities for their staff, even if both managers closely collaborate with all team members daily. While one manager may be designated as the official manager and responsible for writing the final year-end performance report, both managers will contribute to the report’s content.

It is important to ensure that the working arrangements are clearly explained to your surrounding team members and that there are procedures in place when one partner leaves so that the job-sharing arrangements can continue to work effectively in the future.

It is essential to clearly explain the working arrangements to your team members and establish procedures for when one partner leaves, ensuring that the job-sharing arrangements continue to function effectively in the future.

Job sharers should have work objectives that balance shared tasks with individual contributions, so each partner knows what is expected of them. This will depend on the nature of the job and how the partnership is structured.

At the beginning of the year, your manager should discuss and agree with both of you on the role objectives and how the yearly assessment process will work. However, personal development plans will vary for each of you, as you may have different levels of experience, skills, or motivation.