Experience of job sharing

[Cecilia]

I am currently negotiating a job share arrangement with my boss. I work for a local authority at a managerial level. Any comments on people's experience of job sharing or job sharers would be welcome. Thanks.

No experience but have read a bit about this and this website New Ways to Work might be helpful.

My mother who is a prof. of biochemistry said that the 2 best lab technicians she ever had were 2 women who job-shared because of children. She said that she got 110% out of both of them because they were happy, rested and unstressed and able to give a little extra because of the time and flexibility that job sharing offered them.

I'm a teacher and job share - I used to be head of department - but now am just a basic teacher.
It's never ideal in teaching but I realy enjoy it and as I'm just starting our second year together we have now thoroughly got to know each other and worked out 'systems' for doing things/comunicating etc.
The most important thing is that you have a regulaer system for communicating ( ideally face to face but if that isn't possible then by phone /e mail) -
It is ESSENTIAL that a) you tell each other EVERYTHING and b) that you do what you've said you will and can trust your partner to do the same. If you don't have a good realtionship with your partner and work well together ( even tho' you are never actually together I'm not sure it would be a success - but it certainly can be if you do!

Thanks for the advice. Have a meeting next week to discuss issue with my boss. Will see how things go.

Just resurrecting this thread. Does anyone have experience of job-sharing in a senior secretarial role? Any hints or tips? Possible pitfalls? Benefits (to the business)?

I have just had a fantastic interview - full-time job, but I made it clear on applic form that I want part-time. To be honest I can't help but think that even with a very superior candidate (me!) a job-share is going to be a major disadvantage to a full time position with someone who "knows everything that's going on". So I need to convince myself, so that I can convince the employer.

Thanks for the website WWW - from AGES ago! It is helpful.

Sorry - didn't mean to sound bigheaded - still walking on air after such a positive interview - feeling good about myself and my abilities

I don't know if cecilia is still around on mumsnet but if so she'll be very amused at my replying to this (sorry, private joke).

I started a job share 2 days a week 3 months ago. I still do my old job the other 3 days a week where I have an assistant instead of a job share so I see both sides of the coin. It's not a secretarial job but I think the issues of communication to the people you are working with apply across the board.

Personally, I think the organisation gets considerably more than 5 days work a week out of having 2 of us. We're rarely away in the same week so there are no long periods of absence. I work the end of the week in the job share and I am considerably fresher coming into the new challenge than I would be at a full time post by Thursday.

It really does take time to get your head round it. It's very easy to try and do it all but you do have to work hard to set yourself some boundaries. It's also hard to set enough time aside to write all the important things down/speak on the phone, but that really helps.

My experience is that you also need both partners to be open by nature, good at sharing, and happy to admit to anyone that you don't have all the answers but will do your best. I am full of admiration for my jobshare partner, and she is a huge pleasure to work with. I know she does some parts of the job better than me, but I can live with that (I hope she can!). But of course that means our employer gets more skills from us jointly than they might with just one person.

Thanks philippat - that's helpful.

Thanks for the positive words philippat. I have certainly found that having a dynamic job share partner has really helped revitalize how I approach my work and view my working environment. I still find that many people are not very open to the idea of flexible working in any shape or form. This is a shame as it can really help in achieving a healthier balance between work and the rest of life whatever your circumstances. I feel quite evangelical about it now and also about Mumsnet, as through it, I have gained good advice, a free holiday and a brilliant job share partner

I job share and have been doing so for about 2 years and love it. It gives me just enough time at work to be sane and lots of time with my kids. Agree with all the advice here, especially the communication thing and about boundaries. It's really easy to make yourself believe that you are not pulling your weight, when in fact you are contributing more in your half of a week than some others do in their full time role! If you are lucky enough to have a job share partner like mine then you will find that your skills compliment each other and that your employer actually gets a great 'bargain' from having such experience to call on, and you will also learn from it too.

Regarding this job sharing lark - how did you all manage to find a job where you could share? Did you have the job already and then found a sharer? Did your employer advertise for a sharer? Were you the incoming sharer?

Freddiecat - i am a teacher doing a jobshare ( other teacher does 4 days, I do one day) She is toward the retiring end of the line and I wanted more time at home with dd. We are at a secondary school so there isn't a lot of overlap in terms of what we do. She approached me after I found out that the head didn't want to create a part time position for me. It works out really well. ( except I miss out on Bank Holidays as I don't work on a monday...)
hth