Job Sharing

Two professionals for the price of one

Job sharing advantages for

Employees

  • Access to more stimulating jobs while working part-time
  • Diversity and innovation through a large range of activities
  • Work-life balance
  • Development of new skills and greater expertise
  • Joint decision-making process and reduced feeling of isolation by managers
  • Better integration into the company for those who temporarily left the labour market
  • Larger network thanks to the duo

Employers

  • Greater productivity and continuous presence at the workplace
  • Talent retention through introduction of flexible work models
  • More effective decision-making process between two partners
  • Skills and networks doubled
  • Know-how transfer in case of intergenerational job sharing
  • Motivated and loyal employees, reduced risk of burnout
  • Favourable leading-edge company image

And for the society

More equality in working opportunities

More gender balance in management

Mobilization of qualified personnel

Better return on education investment

What qualities are required for job sharing?

Job sharing is not for everyone. In order to job share, the partners should have the following qualities: flexibility, open-mindedness, generosity, critical thinking, ability to regularly assess oneself critically and the ability to manage conflicts constructively.

Which form of partnership?

The diverse nature of job sharing is not only due to the differences between the individual partners (gender, age and personality) but also in the many ways the working hours can be divided. To maintain an adequate income, various rates of activity can be foreseen. Job sharing is not limited to a 50%-50% share.

Is the swiss labour market appropriate for job sharing?

In Switzerland, 59% of working women and 17% of men work part-time. This discrepancy between the two is among the highest in the world. Globally, one-third of the working population holds a part-time position. Switzerland is in 2nd position just after the Netherlands (FSO, 2016).

The more highly qualified working mothers are, the more likely they are to work part-time, with some variance based on specific factors found in each unique personal situation. Almost 50,000 university-educated women are no longer active professionally, and most of these women are mothers.

Part-time positions have a number of disadvantages: restricted access to management positions, limited coverage at the work place, under-utilization of skills, jobs without the possibility of advancement, loss of performance and inequality
between women and men.

Job sharing optimizes part-time work; it is an innovative model and a third option in the labour market!