In a job share, two or more employees share a single position, each working a fraction of the necessary time. Job sharing allows employees to hold a position and still have time to spend with children or take care of other family responsibilities. A full-time employee might be allowed to shift to part-time—either as part of a job share, or simply as a reduction in working hours—and still continue in the same position. This shift can be temporary or permanent.
Benefits to Employers
- Increases productivity
- Increases net worth
- Increases retention, reducing turnover costs
- Increases job satisfaction
Benefits to Children and Parents/Families
- Increases job satisfaction
- Provides more time to meet family needs
Range of Practices in the United States
Nine percent of employers have a job share policy—a percentage that’s held relatively steady for the past five years.
Just under 18 percent of American workers are part-time, defined as working fewer than 35 hours per week.
Part-time workers have less access to flexibility overall (39 percent), as do low-wage workers.93 This can be extra stressful for low-wage workers, who are just as likely to have responsibilities for child care as high-wage employees but have fewer financial resources and are less likely to have a partner or spouse who can share family work.
