Diversity through job sharing

Irenka Krone-Germann is the Co-founder and Director of the PTO Association (Part Time Optimisation) and the Co-founder of We Jobshare Sarl.

Share your job with another employee to achieve more diversity by taking on several responsibilities simultaneously. This is the dream of a curious and invested part of society, known as “slashers”. Many employers are now looking for two talents to fill a single position and intergenerational job and top sharing offer many different advantages.

Finding that rare gem of an employee or worker remains a challenge for employers. By hiring two people, employers can actually benefit from two areas of expertise for the price of one, and ensure 100% presence within the company. The combination of skills in terms of languages, the experience of each partner and the personal qualities offered by the two employees is also impossible to find in just one person. In addition, there is a huge productivity benefit when the two people are working at full capacity. Decision-making is often more successful because ideas are bounced between the partners, and throughout both of their networks.

Job sharing is not a new concept. Created in the United States more than 30 years ago, the practice is now increasingly popular and facilitated by the digital age. Digital advances are reinventing our workplaces. In this particular context, job and top sharing work models are coveted by men and women of all generations. Forward-thinking companies support them to sustain their know-how, retain their talents and remain attractive on the job market.

Intergenerational partnerships

Intergenerational job share pairings (two people with an age gap of at least 10 years) are particularly appreciated by employers looking for more diversity and intergenerational cohesion.

More than reverse mentoring (when the generation Y trains older employees in the company) or mentoring (when the support flows from old to young), intergenerational job sharing makes it possible to transfer knowledge throughout the year. Experienced people establish working relationships with young people more quickly. Younger people support seniors in the use of new technological tools. Babyboomers mix with Generation X as well as the generations that follow.

Diversity is at the heart of every business and the focal point of an increasingly globalized and multicultural society. It is the very essence of creativity. From an entrepreneurial point of view, recruiting multicultural teams that offer gender and generational diversity means a richer yet more challenging environment in which teams must work together. By the very nature of its flexibility, job sharing encourages this cohesion and harmony.

Retaining talent

Generations Y and Z are particularly demanding on the job market, and eager for flexibility, so these models are increasingly appealing for them. With part-time work, working from home, and new forms of co-working, job sharing is a particularly attractive model. In order to retain talent, responsible employers encourage job sharing so that they can remain attractive in the face of stiff competition. Talent retention is even a necessity for HR and management specialists. Losing a highly qualified woman after ten years of professional activity while she is expecting her first child and looking to reduce her workload is a more frequent occurrence when the company is not able to offer a part-time job in a position of responsibility. Given these types of situations, job or top sharing is a particularly beneficial solution because it allows these employees to pursue their careers while working part-time.

Multiple careers or slash careers

This movement is taking on more significance as the internal processes within companies change, and become dependent on the digital world. For a great many employees, working in flexible environments that are open to innovation means that they can be active in other professional fields, or even start an independent and simultaneous career. Proponents of multiple careers have what is known in the United States as “slash careers”, which are two simultaneous careers, but not out of financial need.

A shared vision

However, job sharing is not for everyone, and does require some specific personal qualities: flexibility, generosity, professional commitment, willingness to share ideas and power, and trust in others. The practice of job and top sharing demands shared values ​​and vision. Finding a good partner is the most important element in effective job sharing. To apply as a pair, you must first identify a partner with common values, meet them beforehand and test how well you would work together.

Irenka Krone-Germann the Octave webmagazine