The Sharing Economy: Job Sharing

What do Kindles, Ubers, Rental Wardrobes and Airbnb all have in common? They help you own less and use more. The sharing economy is built on the idea of collaborative consumption. It cuts out the middle man, makes transactions more efficient and helps keeps costs down, as well as reducing waste and allowing people to make money from underused assets.

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One industry that’s increasingly becoming an early adopter of the collaborative culture is the world of flexible working, with job sharing helping working mothers in particular to secure suitable roles. Job sharing is when two employees divide a role between them, working a few days a week to cover one full time position.

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As the economy and world of work change in tandem with technological advancement and exponential rates of progress, workplaces are increasingly finding the need to be both flexible and innovative in order to adapt.

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One space at the forefront of such a movement is x+why, a start-up and business hub in east London, supporting purpose-driven businesses to connect and grow. By fostering an interconnected community, united by the desire to use ‘business as a force for good’, they have been able to facilitate things like increasingly autonomous hours, increased opportunities for freelancers, job sharing and overall wellness in the workplace.

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There are two main types of job shares: the ‘twins model’, in which the job sharing employees work together on the same project seamlessly, and the ‘island model’, in which employees work independently of one another, on different tasks.

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If a start-up needed a developer and a trainer but didn’t have enough work or money to hire both full time, independent job sharers with complimentary skills could provide a solution, with employers also being able to cross-train these hires to cover for each other as needed.

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For employers the key benefit is that they always have coverage whilst still being able to offer the flexibility necessary to retain good workers. It is particularly helpful with holiday leave, where the role will still be covered part time whilst one member is away, as well as two heads being better than one when it comes to tackling challenges.

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As far as employees are concerned, job sharing offers greater work-life balance and higher job satisfaction as a result. As well as benefiting working mothers and those returning to work after maternity leave, offering job sharing to older employees helps to retain their expertise while allowing them to mentor and pass on institutional knowledge to their colleagues.

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One company that has successfully deployed, and actively promotes job sharing is purpose-driven communications agency Higginson Strategy, who are located at innovative flexible co-working space X+Why in East London. Founder John Higginson comments, ‘Empower is a campaign for true female empowerment, as opposed to just equality of numbers and other financial elements. We are currently looking into job-sharing which especially benefits women. Essentially the more successful we are for our clients, the more we can put into the campaigns we have identified as being important. We use these because use them as flagships that demonstrate our capabilities.’

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Compared to part-time work, many job sharers find that available roles still enable them to carry the same level of strategic responsibility as a full-time role, enabling them to continue to further their career. They enjoy the flexibility of part time hours which allows them to enjoy a better work-life balance or take on other roles such as caring for family. There is also a mutually beneficial exchange of skills and knowledge, thanks to a wider, mixed complimentary skillset, with more energy being brought to the role.

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As with anything, there can be some challenges to implementing a structure like job sharing, and it is important to identify these early on to ensure that the HR Process runs smoothly. There needs to be strong guidance around managing things like distributing bank holidays, promotions and overtime payments amicably. Both parties need to be worked with equitably to ensure that one is not being penalised for factors outside of their control, such as family commitments.

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So how can employers successfully deploy job sharing? Organisation is key, with workload clearly assigned, divided and monitored. Clear lines of decision making and responsibility must be defined to avoid any confusion around who takes the lead. The job sharers’ respective skill-sets and knowledge must complement each-other and offer an effective combination of expertise. Communication is tantamount, especially when it comes to avoiding misunderstandings, inaccuracies or failure to relay information accordingly.

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Communication in such a role goes beyond talking, it is essentially a ‘mind meld’, as presenting a united front to the rest of the organisation is key. In most organisations, the flow of information is centred around roles, not people, so both parties may need to develop a shared style and position when dealing with external factors. On the flip side, as both individuals will naturally vary slightly in their approaches, a more diverse range of ideas and solutions is brought to the table.

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A key take-away from job sharing is that we need not always do things ‘by the book’. Every organisation and business is different, and needs to react to the demands of its customers, employees and environment, especially in ever-changing times. Staying relevant means innovating, trying new things, and confronting stereotypes or prevailing assumptions by working back from first principles. In the words of Elon Musk, ‘are you being a chef or a cook?’ i.e are we following a set trend, or being the trend setters?

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