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Finding work/life balance can be tough when a 40-hour week is the bare minimum many companies expect. Some employers are addressing this issue by giving workers the opportunity for flexible schedules.
One type of flexible schedule particularly geared toward parents is the job share -- two employees essentially split one job's functions, each working part-time. According to a 1999 survey of 1,020 US employers conducted by Hewitt Associates, a leading global management consulting firm, 28 percent of employers offer job sharing.
But just because a company offers job sharing doesn't mean they will work out the job share for you. It's up to employees to find a willing partner and propose a working plan to management. Not all managers will welcome having a job-share team working for them. Despite understanding that work/life balance is important, when it comes down to it, people always fear the unknown. "I think that companies in general are reticent," says Brian Menz, a videotape editor for Boston's WCVB-TV Channel 5, who has worked a job share for a year. "They don't want to mess something up that's working."
That is why it's so important to think through the details of the job-share arrangement and address all the questions management may have before proposing the idea. When Laurie Camuso and Kristen Santoro, both vice presidents, directors of research for Interep Research, a New York-based radio advertising and marketing company, realized their presentation to management was key, they consulted the job-share experts at ShareGoals. A firm that offers workshops and consulting services about job sharing to employers and employees, ShareGoals gave Camuso and Santoro invaluable advice about preparing their proposal.
"They told us to stress to our management that nothing would fall through the cracks and that we would communicate, even over-communicate in the beginning, to make it a smooth transition," explains Camuso.
The pair communicate every morning and afternoon on the phone, work together in the office on Wednesdays, and keep a common logbook that details everything that goes on. We planned it this way, "so people would not feel they were talking to more than one person," Camuso says.
Another important factor in the proposal is addressing all concerns that management may have. "We came up with a list of all possible questions our bosses might have and tried to address them in our proposal," says Santoro. "I think it's perfectly normal for a supervisor to have concerns, and by covering those concerns, it puts that person at ease."
Menz and his partner, Jayne Raphael, didn't need to worry so much about how the job-share arrangement would work on a day-to-day basis because Raphael had previously been in a successful job share with another partner, and the company knew it would work. "Our job is something that the next guy can come in and pick right up," says Raphael. "They just wanted us each to work our days in a row since they felt that was good continuity for video editing purposes," she explains.
But Menz worked in Channel 5's news department, while Raphael worked on the Chronicle newsmagazine. For Menz to move to Chronicle and job share with Raphael, meant the company had to fill his news position. Eventually that happened and the job share moved forward, but it took time and support from supervisors in both departments. "My supervisor in news actually pushed to get this job share done," says Menz. "She explained to others, 'These people have been here a long time and deserve this opportunity,'" he adds.
So while you can't control the outcome of your job- share proposal, you can at least prepare the best plan possible. Consider the strengths and weaknesses of both you and your partner, and how you can use both to your advantage as a team. Don't ignore any future career goals, since they can be worked into your plan. Have answers to any questions your manager or human resources department may ask. Even if you don't have the answer, you can show you considered all the issues. With a professional approach and a well-crafted plan, your company will take you seriously.
