Job-sharing started as a way to help working mothers juggle jobs and family. Nowadays, some potential executives are using the 2-for-1 job arrangement to climb the leadership ladder.
Jolanta Coffey and Raffi Manoukian are one such duo. Last year, the senior engineering managers landed a new assignment together at Ford Motor Co. , helping run key aspects of product development world-wide. It was their second promotion since first splitting a managerial role at the car maker in 2012.
The two hope to next gain an executive title, inspired by colleagues Julie Levine and Julie Rocco. In 2018, those partners landed their third advancement together, becoming the company’s systems engineering director—and the first job-sharers to join Ford’s executive ranks. The setup works because they make sure “no one should have a burden because we job-share,” Ms. Levine says.
Employers introduced job-sharing decades ago, but it never spread widely and often was limited to roles considered “mommy-track” jobs with little upward mobility. In a 2016 survey of 920 U.S. employers, 18% said they allowed job-sharing for at least certain staffers. But in today’s tight labor market, the battle to retain talent and a sharper focus on workforce diversity are reviving interest in the practice—and in positions with career-growing potential, companies say.
In a typical job-share, two colleagues divide duties normally performed by a full-timer and overlap one day of their three-day weeks.
Ms. Coffey and Mr. Manoukian each work four days a week with full benefits. Both usually are in the office Tuesdays through Thursdays. Because they are committed to working 36 hours a week, each earns 90% of their position’s full-time salary. They each averaged 45-hour workweeks before job-sharing.
Ford doesn’t tally how many of its several hundred U.S. job-sharers are managers but says the practice is growing at higher levels. “We are going to see a lot more Julies,” predicts Kiersten Robinson, its chief human resources officer. “Your career doesn’t stall just because you choose to work flexibly.”
Other major companies also employ managerial job-sharers. At Target Corp. ’s Minneapolis headquarters, about 100 staffers share jobs, including some in management, the retailer says. Two high-level managers at Unilever PLC jointly command U.S. marketing of Hellmann’s mayonnaise, a brand with $1 billion in U.S. annual revenue.
Your Own Share
Want to job-share? Here’s how to get started:
- Find collaborative partner with complementary skills and shared values.
- Jointly devise your game plan before pitching your employer.
- Include division of duties, seamless communication strategy and handover practices in your game plan.
- Cite similar roles that job-shared successfully inside and outside your workplace.
- Accept joint accountability for performance.
- Pitch your job-share proposal as a pilot.
(Sources: Work Muse and Capability Jane Recruitment)
How do you turn the unconventional setup into a career booster? The experience of successful job-sharers suggests you need a savvy mix of collaborative planning, supportive superiors and extensive networking. Job partners also must share a similar work ethic and a willingness to share the limelight. “Be bold and be visible and document your progress as a team,’’ says Melissa Nicholson, founder of job-sharing consulting firm Work Muse.
Wanting more time with their children, Mr. Manoukian and Ms. Coffey proposed sharing a managerial role after 22 years and 16 years at Ford, respectively. They knew each other well because he had previously supervised her. “Our immediate management was very supportive,” Ms. Coffey says.
Ford approved their job-share because “we could take on a wider scope of assignments as well as be retained as long-term employees,’’ she adds.
From the outset, they crafted a map of possible internal moves together. “In an ideal world, I would get to be a Ford vice president in a job-share partnership,” Ms. Coffey says.
The pair say they use their complementary strengths to solve problems together. She prefers to act quickly, while he spends more time deliberating. They keep communication seamless by being available for quick calls outside normal work hours, Mr. Manoukian says. They trust each other so much that “I find it relatively easy to make decisions on our behalf,” she says.
A decade older than Ms. Coffey, the 55-year-old Mr. Manoukian wants to continue job-sharing until retirement. So he has encouraged her to pursue broader joint assignments. “Do what you need for the long term, and I will go along with you,” he recalls telling her. Their latest promotion came soon after they showed their boss their career map.
Share Your Thoughts
Have you ever shared a job with another co-worker? What was the experience like? Join the conversation below.
At Unilever, Sarah Hammer and Mimi Su encountered resistance at first over splitting the Hellmann’s position in 2016. Job-sharers had never led marketing for a nationwide brand at its U.S. unit. “We were charting new territory,” says Russel Lilly, their initially reluctant boss. “Would this create inefficiencies or delays if they didn’t see eye-to-eye?”
He says he was persuaded after seeing how the women’s leadership styles meshed. “Sarah is great at details and making sure we are executing as planned,” Mr. Lilly says. “Mimi is very comfortable with strategy and being able to deal with ambiguity.”
Alix Ainsley and Charlotte Cherry successfully shared a U.K. managerial post in human resources at General Electric Co. before looking outside for an executive-level joint position. Knowing their setup would require some persuasion, they spent a year building bonds with HR leaders elsewhere.
The extensive networking worked. In 2016, Ms. Ainsley and Ms. Cherry became the first executive job-sharers hired by Lloyds Banking Group PLC. Their contacts also opened doors at their current employer, wealth-management provider Quilter PLC, where they share the title of talent and culture director.
“With job-sharing still an uncommon practice, your internal and external contacts are important factors in advancing your management career,’’ Ms. Cherry says. “They can advocate for you.”
Write to Joann S. Lublin at joann.lublin@wsj.com
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