To think you can jobshare whilst managing a team?

[user1497814823]

I'm on Mat leave but there may be a possibility of doing a job share even I return, working with my Mat leave cover. It would be unusual in that we'd be in the office at the same time for a majority of the time, as those hours suit us and it's not a role where you need a 'bum on seat' for specific hours or days. Most of the job tasks could be done simultaneously so no prob there as long as we decide who is doing what. My concern is I manage a team- is it possible to do this as a j/s? Any experience of this and how it might successfully work-or aibu to expect it to?

In most cases it's incredibly frustrating for the staff IME and rarely works as well as having one manager. As a higher manager, I wouldn't allow any management with direct reports to job share.

Yes can’t see why not, as long as you are both great communicators

Yes. We manage 10 people but we are in on different days to be the manager for those days. I can't see how it would work if you were both I on the same days and No one on the others.

Pretty much all the senior roles in our business are job share (or what we call “2-in-a-box) - we are a progressive digital business and see the real benefits of having two sets of skills and perspectives. There’s loads of research into why this works eg Harvard business review article
hbr.org/2012/04/leadership-teams-why-two-are-b

Might be better if you were not both off at the same time though unless you have someone to deputise for you both.

I wouldn’t allow this unless your role was covered during working hours- you seem
To indicate you’re both part time but there are periods where your team won’t have a manager?

I work in a team where this works. Two job-share the role of manager, at least one of them are in every day (or work from home occasionally) and they are jointly responsible for the team's output but divvy up direct line management.
It's good in lots of ways as they have different strengths and you get two minds on the job. The key is constant communication and setting out clearly which tasks will be done by whom. Obviously you need to work well together too and respect each other's styles.

It works at my place, all the mangers are job shares 2.5days a week each, the staff under them each have their designated line manager for appraisals, supervision, workload etc but in terms of projects you just work with whoever has responsibility for that area at the time. The key is good communication.

Depends on your hours and what your area of work is. I’ve never had a job share manager, but I’ve had part time managers - if your hours aren’t ridiculously short just one of you could do the management, or split the staff between you. But that’s based on it being years since I’ve been in the sort of work where I need a manager accessible all the time. Or you could divide into different kinds of management - we have task mgt vs line management (more pastoral in some teams).

It would be a real selling point if you were able to commit to not (or rarely) being off at the same time as each other. After all, even a team with a full time manager usually has to do without them for a week or two at a time when they go on leave.

Thanks, that's helpful.

There would be at least one of us in for some part of each week day. The people we manage don't necessarily work a typical 9-5 anyway so they don't need a manager working when they do. What Gobias has outlined would work I think.