At Work Muse, we define job sharing as a partnership between two people to share the responsibilities of one full-time position. 

Job sharing itself is very flexible as a work practice and while there are some shared components, like a seamless communication system and handover process, job shares can be customized to the role's needs. In fact, although job sharing most often is between two people, job shares can work for small teams of 3 or more who share the overall responsibility for one outcome or position. The same principles of job sharing apply.

The 3 keys to job share success matter for the long-term success and happiness of your job share team. 

The most important of these is whether job sharing is a personal fit for you! If it is, you are set! We will show you how to find the right partner AND win company buy-in and management support, even for the most risk-averse manager. Remember, sometimes a company (often top-down companies) is just inflexible when it comes to job sharing and a change is needed. If that's the case, you'll learn how to ease into a job share at a new company in Module 2 with plenty of support resources and referrals in our Resources area.

Here are the 3 keys to job share success:

1. Make sure job sharing is a fit for you,
2. Find a compatible partner with complementary skills, and
3. Win company buy-in & management support.

Remember, YOU are the most important factor.

When I was in R&D for Work Muse and came across this checklist from The Job Share Project's study, it was eye-opening. Right away, I was able to identify my traits and the traits of each of my four partners over the years. My revelation was that as I had more experience job sharing, I innately chose partners who exhibited more of these traits! 

Had I had this simple checklist from the start, I would have been able to vet my partners to set up our team for peak success. 

That being said, this list is a checklist, not the end-all-be-all. If you have seven or more traits, you are set! And five or more can work. If you have fewer than five, job sharing may not be the best fit for you. But don't throw up your hands yet! Dig a little deeper with the 11 Traits Self-Evaluation Worksheet before weighing the advantages and challenges of job sharing. 

The 11 Traits checklist is not everything, but it is an important starting place as you begin to step into a job share mindset and embrace the job share model.

While all of the traits on the 11 Traits of Successful Job Sharers checklist matter, there are several we feel matter a bit more. 

Being a high trust person is one trait high on our list! What this means is overall being able to trust other people and being trustworthy of others. Unanimously, job sharers tell us that being able to trust one another 100% is foundational to their partnership. They are sharing their income, professional lives, and even their personal lives rely on one another. 

Having a flexible and willing attitude is high on our list too! Conflict resolution will become a skill set you develop job sharing (in a good way!). Many partners share that they aren't too precious when it comes to their job share. This doesn't mean they don't take their role seriously, it means they are able to be flexible and open-minded when it comes to their partner and arrangment. Being conscientious and flexible when it comes to your partner (for example, when taking a vacation) will really go a long way in developing a strong partnership that can last years or through careers even, should you choose. 

Another area that matters is being collaborative (versus competitive) and a problem solver (versus a blamer). When job sharing, it's important to set your ego aside for work being completed. That being said, it's completely natural when job sharers begin working together, to find it hard to let go of ownership of work. Knowing this on the front-end and understanding that you will have slightly different ways of completing work (especially in the beginning), will help you step into a job share mindset early. 

Many of those taking Job Share Academy are at different stages. Some have been thinking of job sharing for years and may already have one or several possible partners in mind while some have just been introduced to the concept.

If you've been actively looking into job sharing and have talked to a few folks, that's great! Sharing the 11 Traits of Successful Job Sharers checklist is just a first start to vetting your future job share partner (who we call Ideal Partner Candidates AKA IPCs before you ultimately choose your partner). 

Don't feel timid if you have a partner in mind and want to share this as a first step. Move through any feeling of awkwardness by sharing what you learned about yourself from this simple list. They'll likely be grateful to have some validation of traits they may exhibit too! Even if your candidate is someone you've just met, it's a great ice breaker before digging deeper together!

This is entirely up to you! It's important you dig a little deeper to reflect on times you've exhibited these traits yourself. 

It will help you 1) Step into a job share mindset, but also 2) begin identifying partner candidates who exhibit these traits, and 3) keep an eye out for partners with strengths in areas you aren't as strong in. 

If you have a candidate in mind and they show ample interest in learning more, feel free to share this exercise with them as well. The checklist itself is the simplest, least time-consuming first step though.

After you've weighed the advantages and challenges for yourself, you can truly assess those things that are most important to you in terms of the massive pros you will find job sharing but also the challenges that worry you most. 

You can do A LOT to minimize the challenges you will likely face from stakeholders who fear an unfamiliar work practice they've likely never heard of. Much of this starts with shifting mindset. In Job Share Academy, you'll learn how to present your job share as a united front, help your manager see how your team will let them shine, and minimize The Triangle Principle or jealously from co-workers. You'll do this by teaching your stakeholders how easy it is to work with your team and what value two minds in one job bring to the position and company! They will soon see you as completely interchangeable and equal partners who efficient task-masters, ahead of deadlines, and a joy to work with! 

As with any career move, you're making a calculated risk (in this case giving up a percentage of income in exchange for time). We created the Job Share Financial Assessment and calculator to empower you to move forward with confidence, knowing that you can afford to job share. 

The truth is, that job sharing is unlike any other work practice. You will be working in a brand new way — one that allows you to hone your skills, learn from your partner, and ultimately become better in your profession. 

Moreover, you could  — with partner alignment and hard work — end up making nearly the same as your current full-time income or even surpassing it.

Our hope is that these tools give you the ability to estimate your future earnings including career advancement together, while also having a real look at how job sharing will affect your finances now. Make sure you take into account the areas you will actually save money job sharing.

This is a cost-benefit analysis you must do for yourself and a personal decision that you and your family will make. If you've run the numbers and despite the potential for future earnings that could equal or even surpass your current income, you cannot make it work (at this time), job sharing might not be the practice for you at this moment. 

You do not want to enter a partnership that puts an undue strain on your job share partner should you have to leave the partnership early due to financial stress. It is better to wait until your family's financial situation is more stable. 

Although the results of job sharing examples are compelling, it still exists in small pockets and remains virtually unheard of. Employers fear an unfamiliar way of working that seems complex.  Job sharing is not for everybody and takes harder work on the part of the job sharers but, once it gets off the ground, it is simple, not complicated in practice. It's also sadly been gendered and therefore, stigmatized as a practice for working moms. While caregivers may benefit the most from the flexibility and career progression job sharing allows, any person who is a fit for job sharing can work this way, agnostic of gender or parental status, or even reason they want to job share.

The two major barriers to employees seeking a job share partnership are:

• Job sharing is never even considered, they’ve never heard of it, or they have the perception that their company does not offer job sharing, and
• They don’t see a suitable partner at their work and they don’t know how to find one.

Around 20% of companies say they allow some employees to job share but less than 2% who work flexibly in the U.S. and globally 1-2% of employees job share.

Understanding why is integral to creating a rewarding and sustainable job share for yourself and to change the equation for others. 

While job sharing has been a proven practice since the '70s, many of the reasons (detailed in Why hasn't job sharing gained traction?) have resulted in a lack of company-wide job share programs available to all. 

What this means is that while many companies have job sharing, most often, there are a very small percentage of job sharers who have nearly universally advocated for and created their own job share arrangements versus had a job share opportunity land in their lap! 

It's why Job Share Academy was created. These same employees have had very little support in the way of policies, support or any training in working in an entirely new way. And still, they are among the most productive, loyal, and happiest employees! 

That being said, your way to successful job sharing is creating your own rewarding job share! And we are here for it! 🙌 🙌

Twenty-four seven demands from globalization and increases in technology have led to stress, burnout and turnover. The global pandemic has made all of this worse. Job sharing is an innovative talent strategy that allows employees to work in a high-impact role on a part-time basis while covering the full workweek employers need. 

It actively reduces burnout and high turnover for your employer while:

⬢  Measurably improving productivity up to 30%,

⬢  Increasing engagement,

⬢  Producing results, and 

⬢  Reducing absenteeism, while

⬢  Attracting diverse talent and retaining loyal talent.

Employees of all generations want flexible work, but few flex practices give companies the continuous coverage they need while employees rest, recharge, and return to work with stronger results. Job sharing does.