In this article, we discuss job sharing 😎
At Porsche Holding, it is possible to work through job sharing. Not sure what that is? We explain everything!
🕐 Reading time: 2 min
Summary
1. What is job sharing?
1.1 How does it work? The example of Julio and Mélanie
1.2 What is it for?
2. What surprised us the most
“It's a form of work where two people are employed part-time instead of one person full-time for the same position. Top sharing is the sharing of a management/executive position.”
🥇 “Job sharing is the best decision I’ve ever made.”
This is what Julio Schuback, Head of Global Content House at AUDI AG Communications, told us when we asked him to summarize job sharing in one sentence. For the past four years, he has shared his management position with Melanie Goldmann.
We discovered this practice in Austria during a meeting with Eveline Breitwieser-Wunderl, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Porsche Holding, who spoke to us about their more inclusive work practices (Porsche and Audi are part of the Volkswagen group).
🎯 The objective of this practice is to:
👉 Adapt to the evolving lives and ambitions of employees
👉 Retain talent and attract new hires
👉 Meet the new expectations of candidates
👉 Promote a culture of communication and collaboration
👉 Prioritize employee well-being
The example of Julio & Mélanie
For Julio, job sharing means:
° Forming a duo with Melanie and jointly leading the Global Content House at Audi Communications
° Working from Wednesday to Friday
° Working one common day with Melanie: Wednesday (Melanie works from Monday to Wednesday)
° Having two perspectives that enrich decision-making
° Co-managing a team of 50 people
° Being highly organized, together!
Julio wanted to dedicate more time to his family, and Melanie wanted to gradually return to work after her parental leave: the perfect combination.
Listening to their story, we decided to share it with you because we realized this work organization could meet the needs of:
👉 Young people looking for new forms of work
👉 Parents who want to keep their jobs while having more time for their families
👉 Young mothers who don’t have to choose between a career and motherhood
👉 People nearing retirement who want to gradually transition without completely stopping work suddenly
👉 People who want to develop a passion alongside their job
As you can see, job sharing is very attractive for both employees and companies.
Julio explained to us that there is practically not a day in the year when either Melanie or he is not present. For example, if one is sick, the other covers.
It’s a more advanced form of collaboration: Melanie and Julio really function as a duo, helping and adapting to each other’s personal and professional situations.
The relationship between Julio and Melanie: they function like a true duo. It’s the strength of this duo that brings all the benefits of job sharing to life.
We also heard that job-sharing duos sometimes continue their careers together, looking for other job-sharing positions. This opens up a whole new perspective on the vision of careers, collaboration, and recruitment…
Interestingly, job sharing has existed for at least a decade in some countries like England, Switzerland, and Germany. But in France, it’s still very new!
Authors: Vincent and Clémentine, The Managerial Odyssey 2024.
