Job sharing is an arrangement where two or more employees share the demands of a job that are traditionally undertaken by one person working full-time. 

Workers sharing a role will be employed on a reduced-time basis – the split is not always 50/50, particularly in cases where parents are returning to work after maternity or paternity leave.

The remuneration for the position will be split between the employees depending on the ratio of responsibility and work time each one takes. 

Whether the employees are eligible for associated benefits will depend on how long they work, the laws of the country and the company’s position and policies.

Advantages of job sharing to the individual include being able to achieve a better work-life balance, The company gets a broader mix of skills and new ideas to the position, as well as options if one of the employee decides to leave.

There are disadvantages to job sharing – the relationship between those that share the job is crucial to whether the arrangement works, as they need to work together to ensure the ‘handover’ is seamless and efficient and that each worker makes the others aware of issues and potential problems.