What Are the Benefits of Job Sharing for a Business?

Advantages of Job Sharing for a Business Organization

The concept of job sharing has evolved in recent decades and gained acceptance in a wide range of businesses. There are a number of benefits of job sharing from an employer’s perspective which makes them consider this option for specific job positions. The aspirations of employees have also changed over time, and many of them prefer flexible working hours or part-time work that allows them to maintain a good balance between their professional and family life. So employers are able to use job sharing as an effective tool of employee motivation in certain situations.

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Enhanced Employee Productivity

An employee who works less hours on the job may be able to achieve his peak performance during those hours. Extra hours of work in certain jobs may lead to a diminishing rate of output of an employee. Another reason for superior employee productivity is that job sharing may create a healthy competition to perform better than the other person. Competitive behavior is natural and it can be leveraged to the company’s advantage as long as there is a positive spirit to perform better than the other.

There are certain monotonous jobs that may pose a challenge if a single employee is entrusted to carry out the full job efficiently. When there is an involvement of two employees, in such situations, the monotony may get broken and the job becomes a lot more fun. If the understanding between the job sharers is positive, that can be mutually beneficial and both enjoy the division of work.

Higher Employee Retention

One of the key benefits of job sharing is that employee motivation, satisfaction and loyalty levels are usually higher. When the organization shows sensitivity toward the needs of an employee who may be looking for a lighter work load or part-time employment or flexible working hours, it earns the natural loyalty of the employee.

Employees who are keen to avail suitable job sharing positions tend to lead a more balanced lifestyle. Absenteeism is minimal in such cases, and the employee finds work to be more interesting and refreshing. So the benefit for the employers is higher employee retention. It adds more stability and consistency to the organization.

Improved Accountability

When two employees share a single job, it gets easier to compare the performance and results. The clients and business associates may have different views about their dealings with the two job sharers. The sense of responsibility of both employees also tends to improve when they know that the poor performance of one may also affect the prospects of the other. It can create a win-win situation for the organization when one employee feels accountable to his job sharer, and both employees together accept joint accountability toward the company.

Team Effort for Complex Jobs

There are certain complex jobs that may need the skills of more than one person. Wherever the two job sharers are able to provide value addition to the job, it can help to accomplish difficult tasks more easily and successfully. The job sharers can bounce new ideas off each other which leads to greater innovation on the job.

Certain jobs may require substantial interaction with clients. In such cases, job sharing may be a highly suitable option where the primary concern is to provide 100 percent coverage to the client. Sick and vacation days of one job sharer can be adjusted against another’s. The client receives optimal attention and the company benefits by way of greater customer loyalty to the organization.