Job-share - does anyone have any tips for making it work?

[Pollyanna]

I have just been offered a job-share job. Both me and my job-share partner haven't done it before and I wondered if anyone has any pracitcal tips on they get this to work for them? The (male) management are apparently very sceptical tbat we can get it to work, so we really want it to succeed!

[Pollyanna]

practical tips on how they get this to work for them

[cece]

communication

It is very helpful to have a chageover time (Weds lunchtime if you were to do half of week each?)

Either that or you need email/phone each other or leave notes. Maybe a little book you keep track of things in.

Agree what you are each going to be doing - if the job is divisible iyswim. As a job share teacher for instance we divided up the subjects that we would teach. I therefore never got to do art (my job share was art co-ordinator) nor she science as two examples!

[cece]

IME there is a settling in period tilly you get settled into a routine but then it is fine.

[porpoise]

agree about the communication thing.
it really is the key to making a jobshare work.
the last thing you want is colleagues getting cross and frustrated because they agreed something with your jobshare partner on Monday but you don't know anything about it on Wednesday (or whenver you're in).

[motherinferior]

Pollyanna, I have recently started a job share. I applied with a friend who'd been doing the job four days a week already; when it was advertised as a five day job, we put in a joint bid. We'd never worked together much but we were confident we could put together a creditable offer.

We work as a team and instead of dividing the week up, we overlap. I do Mondays and Tuesdays, he does Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It's early days yet, and to an extent he's still leading on some projects because he's been there longer, but we divide things up pretty equitably - I'll do that feature, you write up the reviews, I'll commission that photographer, and so on.

It may be different, for us, because we're producing a magazine and a newsletter, so it's quite a discrete area of work (not embroiled in the rest of the organisation) and also, to be frank, both of us are a bit older than the others there and have been round the block a few times and can pull the whole thing together without too much difficulty. But it's rather fun. I like having a colleague.

[motherinferior]

I seriously believe my employer gets a much better deal with a mini-team than with one person.

[pollypeachum]

Trust between the job-sharers must, I think, be one of the keys to making it work.

[saggarmakersbottomknocker]

I worked a job share for 8 years.

I agree the most important thing is communication. We didn't have a proper handover day but we kept a handover diary (big desktop one) and we managed it pretty well. We worked at a similar pace and style and never had any issues.

If you're covering each other's holidays that's a real bonus for your company straight away. Are you expected to cover sickness?

[Pollyanna]

Thanks everyone. We don't have a handover day planned- but I might suggest that,as it seems a really helpful thing to do. I haven't asked about holidays/sickness - they are speaking to me tomorrow about terms and conditions.

I agree MI - I think the company is getting a very good deal, I'm sure they'll get more than 5 days work out of us. Pity that the management don't think it will work.

[Eeek]

I currently job-share my previous full time management job. We negotiated an increase to a 6 day week so we each do 3 days with a full day cross over. It's working very well so far. But you do have to communicate, and I think you also have to accept that you lead on some stuff and they lead on others. You both still need to feel control and some sense of success or failure in your work.

[noonar]

hello again dont know if this is relevant in your line of work...I've job shared for 4 years and found that when we divide up the workload and each take responsibility for certain tasks, it works well as it minimises handover/ communication.

[Pollyanna]

Hi Noonar! I think we are going to have some separate projects/tasks, but will also have joint ones. We will have to know what's happening in each other projects though.

[Finbar]

Communicatin definitely. BUt moreover the key to makin git work is if you are of a similar outlook and working style; otherwise you get decisions made in your absence which perhps would not have been your approach.

Tell your bosses that what they are also getting is if one is off sick - the job still gets done because the other is in....also think of how much better holidays can be covered - at least there will be some cover. tHis is the BIg Selling Point to your management!!