Work less, earn more: what is jobsharing?

What is job sharing?

A definition of job sharing

Job sharing emerged in the USA in the 1970s. The trend only took off in Europe in the 1990s, and is now gradually spreading to France. It is an English term whose meaning is :

• Job : Work
• Sharing

Job sharing involves hiring two people for the same job. Job sharing implies the notion of part-time work. Two employees share a full-time position on a part-time basis. This form of work offers a number of advantages, especially for employees wishing to reconcile their private and professional lives.

Job splitting and Job pairing

Job sharing can take two forms:

• The job splitting involves dividing tasks between two part-time employees. It takes into account their skills in carrying out complementary tasks.
• The job pairing is based on the division of tasks between two employees with the same skills.

Jobsharing in France

In France, the jobsharing concept really took off with HP (Hewlett Packard) in 1994. No French legislation regulates jobsharing. This form of work is therefore governed by the legal provisions governing part-time work.

Who can benefit from job sharing?

Relational and organizational skills

To deploy job sharing successfully, a company must select employees with certain skills in addition to operational know-how:

• a sense of responsibility;
• Team spirit and cooperation;
• excellent organization;
• handle conflict situations.

Jobsharing is aimed at all generations of workers. It is aimed at young workers who wish to combine part-time work with their studies, to gain skills with professional tasks related to their higher education. It's a solution favored by a number of start-ups.

Parents with children can apply for jobsharing and benefit from greater flexibility to take care of their family. Another professional profile is that of senior citizens wishing to reduce their working hours at the end of their career, before retiring. This group is particularly interested in jobsharing.

Which professions for jobsharing?

Jobsharing is a form of employment that can be applied to all sectors of activity. It's not just the preserve of certain professions, such as journalists or start-up employees. To be deployed, it must take into account not only the employee and his or her aspirations, but also the company and its operational needs. A social dialogue set up up in advance enables the deployment of jobsharing within the company to be approached calmly. Having a position of responsibility and opting for jobsharing is a feasible option in some companies, such as Hewlett Packard.

What are the advantages of job sharing?

The benefits of job sharing are mutual for both employees and companies.

The benefits of job sharing for employees

Job sharing is a great way for employees to reconcile their professional and private lives. Striking a healthy balance between the two is no easy task. When a child is born or an employee is facing burnout, job sharing is an excellent alternative to full-time work.

Job sharing is an excellent solution for employees who want to keep their corporate job and start a micro-enterprise. With job sharing, an employee has more free time to develop a secondary activity. They retain the security of a permanent or fixed-term employment contract with a company.

The benefits of job sharing for companies

Job sharing has many advantages for companies. It is an efficient way of dividing work between two part-time employees. The range of hours covered is greater, which is a major advantage for certain jobs. When two employees share a job, the execution of tasks can benefit from complementary skills. Each person has his or her own experience and know-how. The employer benefits from potentially higher productivity.

Job-sharing workstations enable companies to achieve real productivity gains. Having two employees on the same shift reduces the risk of absences, impacting the productivity of a department or production line. Job sharing also reduces turnover, a real problem for companies.

Thanks to job sharing, companies improve their image with employees and the public. They give their employees the opportunity to devote more time to their families or personal projects. By promoting work-life balance, a company proves that it has a sincere commitment to social responsibility.