Advantages and disadvantages of job sharing (job sharing)

Do you know the pros and cons of employees sharing a workspace?

A division of labor occurs when two employees cooperatively share the same task. There are advantages and disadvantages, challenges and opportunities when employees share a workspace. For you as an employer, the division of labor can be beneficial for both the employee and you.

You have the advantage of being able to retain your best and brightest employees when life events make full-time employment challenging. The employee benefits from greater flexibility - a must for your Generation Y and Z employees.

Here are the pros and cons of a job sharing solution.

Job sharing benefits for the employer

• You retain two valued employees who would otherwise resign for work-life balance reasons.
• You gain two bright minds who work with enthusiasm and creativity, and two employees who are committed to your success.
• Employees who can balance their tasks well with life have less stress and are more satisfied with their work. This pays off in the form of increased motivation, positive customer service and effective employee relationships.
• Successful ones Jobsharing -Partners are accountable to each other. This means they are also responsible to their employer for their performance. You need to plan, set goals, communicate effectively, measure success, and share the glory for successes - all in a pleasant way.
• Substituting for sick children and other family matters is easier if the job sharing partner is available and steps in. Job sharing partners can also represent each other on planned vacations.

Job sharing disadvantages for the employer

• At a Jobsharing you are dealing with two employees. If employees don't fit together, don't share work styles, don't inform co-workers and customers, and are uncomfortable with two approaches, you are ultimately responsible for how you deal with the job sharing partners.
• You may also have to pay for a crossover day, which increases your employment costs but ensures another layer to the success of a job sharing activity. With a job share, where two partners share the day equally, you are less likely to incur significant costs because the job share partners can overlap one hour per week.
• Benefits costs may increase if you decide to give each job share partner the benefits of a full-time employee. (This is of course appreciated by the job sharing partners.)

Job sharing benefits for employees

• An employee may feel torn about working full-time, especially if they have a family. It's not just about the workload, but also about the desire to spend more time with your child/children.
• Work-life balance is important to employees, especially Millennials (GenY), who made up the majority of employees in the workplace as of March 2015. They want to volunteer, pursue leisure activities such as sports and hobbies, and stay in close contact with friends and family.
• Employees who have a good work-life balance are less stressed and can contribute more effectively during their working hours. Less commuting also has a positive effect on employee stress.

Disadvantages of job sharing for employees

• The employees have to deal with a second employee. For the employees, this interaction is challenging because they have to pass on all the information that the second employee needs to contribute and do their job. This means that nothing should fall through the cracks.
• Employees must grapple with the different ways in which they can complete different components of the work. In a mixed partnership, neither employee will be able to enforce their will. Compromises and learning new ways of working together are necessary, otherwise customers and employees will become confused and unsettled.
• If the job share partners are not compatible personalities who really like each other and trust each other and can work well together, the job share will not work. Employees are then forced to rethink the entire decision-making process that led them to the decision to job share. Finding a job-sharing partner is difficult because most workers cannot afford to work part-time.

All in all, a job sharing solution can be successful for employees, employers and customers. We hope this information helps you anticipate the potential difficulties and obstacles that employers and employees may encounter in a job sharing situation.

Both employers and employees can find job sharing challenging. However, it is worth considering if the right job is filled by the right two people who are willing to compromise, get along, and communicate effectively with each other.