Job sharing
Description
Eligibility for Award employees
Eligibility for non-Award employees
What employers should know or do
Description
Job sharing involves two or more employees making a voluntary agreement, with approval from their respective manager, to share one full-time job, with each employee working part-time. It is a form of part-time work that might be viable when ordinary part-time work is not, such as when a job needs to be filled on a full-time basis though not necessarily by one person.
The duties and responsibilities for job sharers may be split either vertically (each job sharer performing all the duties and responsibilities on a part-time basis), or horizontally (each job sharer is given defined duties and responsibilities). Where the job has been split horizontally, care should be taken to ensure that job sharers performing duties and responsibilities for a long period of time are not limited in using their skills.
Eligibility for Award employees
Employers and employees must check their award for the minimum hours an employee can work as a part-time employee. To find out the correct award or certified agreement, please access the search engine for awards on Wageline or call Wageline on 1300 369 945.
For example, under the Clerical Employees Award - State 2002, the minimum hours a part time employee can work is 15.2 hours per week. An employee covered by this award and in a job share arrangement where they work 14 hours per week, would not come under the classification of part-time employee under this award and would have to be employed as a casual employee.
Eligibility for non-Award employees
Job sharing is not provided for under the Industrial Relations Act 1999 (PDF, 1.9 MB) and must be negotiated with and approved by the employer.
Employers and employees may negotiate an informal arrangement, a formal policy or a formal agreement registered or approved by an authority or tribunal. Employees should contact their human resource department or employer to find out what provisions may already be available through any such arrangement.
What employers should know or do
Employees sharing a job must be able to work as a team and communicate effectively to ensure the work is performed in an efficient and timely matter.
For the job to be effectively performed, communication between job sharers, management and other employees is crucial to ensure that tasks are performed in time and without duplication. Poor communication can result in the arrangement falling apart and may result in declining productivity. The communication means used between job sharers are best left to the job sharers themselves, but a log book containing a written record of all relevant developments during a day is a common approach.
A performance agreement, as part of the normal performance management process, is a useful mechanism for clearly defining the expectations of both the job share employee and the employer. This agreement can provide a framework for managing each individual's contribution to the job share arrangement.
Last updated 21 July 2009
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