Appendix A
Sample One Job Sharing Agreement
Memorandum for:
From:
Subject: Proposed Job Share for Employee A and Employee B
Summary
This memorandum proposes the establishment of a job share for the position _________ currently encumbered by _________. The proposed job share would partner Employee A with Employee B in management of the __________ Program and the __________ Program. In addition to strengthening the staff, this action would ensure the retention of two highly experienced employees with specialized area and program backgrounds. The proposal has been discussed informally with the staff involved and they have concurred with the proposal. We ask that the action be approved under the terms and specifications suggested below.
Background
This proposal is made as a one-year pilot project whose continuation will depend on a formal evaluation by management at the end of the 12-month period. If deemed successful by the evaluating elements, the arrangement would be continued indefinitely. In the unlikely event that the pilot is evaluated as unsuccessful, management would propose that the unit be combined with the Division staff and that all supervisory responsibilities would be assumed by the Division and Deputy Division Chiefs. In any event, the pilot project and any subsequent extension are proposed as experimental and non-precedent setting.
With regard to the assignment of responsibilities, supervisory and management assignments and scheduled work hours, we propose the following:
Employee A and Employee B will each work three days per week (48 total hours) with Wednesday as the overlapping day of the week.
Employee A will be assigned primary responsibility for the __________ Program. In that role, she will be the direct supervisor of the Program Officer and will rate her performance and approve her leave request. She will function as selecting officer for the position and any other position that might be assigned to the __________ Program in the future (subject to approval by the Division Chief). Employee B will have secondary responsibility for the __________ Program.
Employee B will be assigned primary responsibility for the _________ Program. In that role, she will be the direct supervisor of a still-unnamed Program Officer. She will also be the responsible supervisor for the Unit Secretary. She will rate the performance of both employees, approve their leave requests and serve as selecting officer for both positions (subject to approval by the Division Chief).
On the overlapping work day, management and supervisory responsibilities will not differ from the other days of the week. Each will report directly to the Division Chief or Deputy Division chief on activities that relate to their primary program assignments. In the absence of one job share partner on the overlapping work day (or any other day), accountability for the secondary program assigned is automatically assumed by the partner present.
All time and attendance recordkeeping and reporting for the Unit will be handled by the Division Secretary, with approval of the Division Chief or Deputy.
In the event that one of the job share partners decides to resign or transfer from the unit, the position will automatically revert to a full-time position with the expectation that the remaining job share partner will assume the full time requirements of the above position, including a 40-hour work week.
Discussion of Credentials
The candidates for this proposed job share are both exceptional employees with crucial backgrounds and experience and excellent performance records.
Employee A has been Unit Chief since March, 1990. She holds an MA in public administration and joined the Agency as a Presidential Management Intern in 1980, rotating through a number of Agency offices until she joined this Unit. She has a wide general knowledge of Agency exchange programs and is the expert on these programs.
Employee B holds an MA in Public Administration and joined the Agency as a Presidential Management Intern. She started work in the Bureau as a program officer, developing an impressive background and expertise in the area which lead to her promotion to Senior Program Officer. In order to assume a part-time schedule, she requested a voluntary reassignment where she is currently a program officer in the grants unit. She is eligible for re-promotion on a non-competitive basis. In her current position, she has accrued wide experience with its Programs and has some responsibility for unit affiliations, making her particularly valuable to the unit which has expanding programs.
Action Requested
That management concur with the establishment of a job share for the position under the conditions outlined above.
CONCUR _____________________________ Date _____________
DISCUSS________________________________________________
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Sample Two Job Sharing Agreement
To: Manager
From: Two Branch Managers
Re: Job Sharing
This represents an initial proposal for implementing job sharing for the position of Branch Manager. While job sharing may be done in many ways, the one we feel best relates to our situation as two equally qualified Branch Managers is to share between us one entire job, including all of its responsibilities and duties. Each of us will be accountable for everything.
Individual systems and methods will be integrated by consensus. A diary system is to be set up for all routines and strictly adhered to. At least one representative will attend all manager meetings, conferences and training seminars. Audit will be shared jointly except in areas that can be clearly distinguished. With respect to staff and personnel matters, there is a strong need for clear communication of joint expectations and objectives to all staff, open-door policy for staff, communication between partners and joint feedback, joint preparation of performance reviews and joint presentations. Campaigns will be the responsibility of both partners -- work schedules will accommodate peak periods and deadlines for major campaigns.
Both partners will take vacations at the same time or stagger their vacation, whatever method works best for the particular time chosen. The partners agree that any maternity leave would be limited to 17 weeks. The working partner would work full-time to cover the leave. Normal procedures are to be followed for sickness, operating short staffed unless unusual circumstances occur, in which case the other partner would cover.
The work schedule would be prepared one month in advance and a copy forwarded to the Manager for reference. All scheduling would be completed by the two partners and any necessary changes would be worked out between the partners.
Each partner will work two full days and one five-hour day. The excess cost would be $2,581 per year in terms of salary. This does, however, allow for overlap of 2.5 hours per week, which we feel is important in making job sharing a success.
If one partner were to leave the agency or request full-time work, we propose that if a compatible partner could be found and it is agreeable to the employer and both employees, the system could continue. If no compatible partner is available, and an original partner left the agency, then the remaining partner would return to full-time employment. If one or both partners request full-time employment, then they would be considered for the next available opportunity.
We have given this concept a great deal of thought and are prepared to commit ourselves to job sharing for a period of five to ten years. We have known each other for four years and feel comfortable with each other. We have similar backgrounds with respect to education and bank management training. We want job sharing to work and we are both committed to work out any problems that may arise.
We agree to a four-month trial period with ongoing assessment and feedback from employer and partners. Customer assessment will be incorporated into the standard Customer Service Survey, and staff assessment will be incorporated into the standard Employee Relations Survey. Feedback modifications to the system are to be mutually agreed upon by both partners and employer. If the agency decides to terminate the Job Sharing Agreement, a notice period of eight weeks will be given, and both partners will be offered comparable full-time positions in the area or given a choice of part-time management if the individual desires.
Sincerely,
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Appendix B
Scheduling Options for Job Sharers
Ideally, the supervisor and the job sharing team should jointly determine how the work-week will be divided. While the needs of the office are paramount, a successful arrangement will take into consideration the needs of the employees as well. Several options are possible, including split days, alternate days or weeks, and flexible or compressed work schedules if the agency permits it.
For example:
- One employee could work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday; the other, Thursday and Friday. The next week the team could reverse so that each would work a total of 5 days per pay period. (Note that the number of hours worked by each team member may be the same or different, and the combined hours may total 40 hours or more or less.)
- Each sharer could work consecutive weeks beginning on a Wednesday.
- One member of the team could work Monday, Tuesday; the other, Thursday and Friday. On Wednesday, both employees could work a full or half day, depending on the need for overlapping time. (A certain amount of overlap time may be necessary.)
When job sharers want to work on alternate weeks, certain scheduling requirements must be met. In order for a part-time employee to be regularly scheduled -- and eligible to earn leave-- he or she must have one hour of work scheduled in each week of the bi-weekly pay period. Also, a part-time employee may not be scheduled for more than 32 hours per week. Within these requirements, one job sharer could be scheduled for 32 hours in week A and in week B. The employees would have to take annual leave (or granted leave without pay) for the one hour in the week he or she wanted to be off. Job sharing on a 6-months on, 6-months off basis should be handled differently. In this situation, the employees would be considered full-time and could be granted leave without pay at the agency's discretion.
The example might give the impression that job sharers' time on the job must be mutually exclusive. While this may be true in most cases, employees can overlap some or all of the time, depending on the nature of the work and the availability of space and equipment.
Job sharing offers supervisors considerable flexibility in scheduling. Temporary rearrangement of hours does not require paperwork, but consideration needs to be given to employee concerns such as child care or class schedules. Job sharing also allows the supervisor to match the work schedules to workload peaks. For example, one job sharer could work an early morning tour and the other, a tour late in the day, with no coverage in the middle of the day. Further, since job sharers can often swap schedules to cover for each other's absences, the office has the benefit of a built-in backup system. (Advance arrangements should make clear the conditions under which one team member would be expected to work additional hours in the absence of the other and how work will be performed if one of the job sharers were to leave the position.)
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