Melissa NicholsoN INTRO

MELISSA NICHOLSON: So when someone looks at me and says, “the place I work will never approve a job share” OR “My boss will never okay a job share,” I get it, but this is the question I think in my head, “Is this really about your boss or your company. Or is it about you?” And this is the question I ask, “What’s the worst thing that could happen?”

Introduction

INTRO: Welcome to Job Share Revolution. The show about job sharing—a partnership between two people to bring two minds and skill sets to one full-time position. I’m Melissa Nicholson, former job sharer turned founder of the first U.S. job share company. But it wasn’t long ago that I felt like an utter failure at work and as a new parent. Job sharing was my game-changer. I reclaimed four days a week to fully engage in my life while my capable partner handled everything. Together, we achieved more than I ever could solo. Fast forward to many lessons learned to bring you the training and support I wish I’d had to change lives and the modern-day workplace. Let’s live life and slay work.

Melissa NICHOLSON

MELISSA NICHOLSON: Hey friend. Welcome back to the show! I’m so excited for Part three of our Myth Busters series, and specifically, this topic which comes up a lot. I’m gonna tell you why it really bothers me. We are so afraid of rejection that we’ll decide it’s a big fat NO before we give anyone the chance to.  Think about it: we’ll decide that our boss or our company would never okay a job share, without even giving them a chance to find out how it can help them. Yes, them. More than you, even. It’s true.. They might even surprise you and become an enthusiastic champion once the light bulbs for how it will help them start going off. But we don’t even go there because we’re so afraid of what it means about us. Of what somebody thinks of us. And if you’re not careful, it is so easy to listen to that negative self-talk in your head. That little voice saying, “Who are you to job share? Why are you so special? With layoffs and return-to-the-office orders, who do you think you are to be so bold to ask for, much less get to job share? Why do you even think you can negotiate your flexibility?”

And if you’re not careful, it will take over and stop you from ever fulfilling your dream or your purpose in a way that doesn’t zap everything from you or require huge personal sacrifice. It’s a real conundrum. Your thinking could stay this way indefinitely. But that can change, once you understand the massive benefits your job share will bring your employer and you decide you’re willing to move through the discomfort of your fears to believe that the universe has your back. 

That when the time comes, you’ll have done your homework – like the diligent person I know you are, you’ll have answers to your boss’s top worries or fears and have solutions to each and every one that may come up. Just by being here today and showing up for this series, you have already won! No matter what happens. You are vested in finding time freedom and a satisfying professional life with job sharing.

It’s a mantra I want you to use. Say it with, “I have already won!” Notice what that does from your toes to your fingertips. “I’ve already won.” 

When things get uncertain out there, it’s the people who radiate confidence, who believe in themselves who rise above it all. And let me tell you something. One day when you’re job sharing and the economy goes topsy turvy, or they lay off a bunch of people at your company, or there’s any number of nerve-wracking things happening outside of your control, you and your partner are going to buoy one another. When employers have to cut overhead, they’ve got two talents in one position – two skill sets, two sets of fresh ideas, and two problem solvers. Think about that…

So when someone looks at me and says, “The place I work will never approve a job share” OR “My boss will never okay a job share,” I get it, but this is the question I think in my head, “Is this really about your boss or your company. Or is it about you?” And this is the question I ask, “What’s the worst thing that could happen?” It’s so much easier to poo-poo an innovative idea like job sharing before anybody has the chance to reject it first. To never have to put your neck out there. I get it. It’s safe. But I don’t want you playing safe. Nobody ever got anything worth having by playing it safe, friend.

So let’s jump into your job share doubt: How am I going to get my boss to okay a job share? Even if you think your company or boss would never go for job sharing, I want you to reframe this in your mind to, “I can’t wait to share all of the benefits of job sharing with my boss.” Here is why: Even the most risk-averse boss can’t help but have their interest peaked by an innovative practice to stamp out burnout and turnover while producing better results. That brings two talents and two sets of skills into one full-time job.

The reason you think they’d never go for job sharing is that they’ve probably never even heard of it. And they definitely don’t know its massive benefits to the bottom line and their talent attraction, retention, and succession strategies. Think how blown away they’ll be by one low-cost practice that can eliminate many of their greatest talent pains.

The second reason you might worry your boss would never go for a job share is because job sharing is an unfamiliar practice that “seems” complicated by the very fact that two talent share one job. Manager concerns like… Is it going to be twice the work to manage two people? Will I have to double-communicate? Who will be accountable? How does PTO work? What if they hate each other? What if one’s great and the other is terrible at their job?… is completely natural. And also, easily dispelled once they have a basic understanding of how job sharing really works.

Their biggest initial concerns are all proven to be the opposite in practice due to its structure and the nature of those naturally drawn to job sharing. Job sharers are hyper-accountable to one another. Super communicators. The stay on top of and ahead of deadlines, take less time off, and if you treat ‘em well, become lifers! They may never leave. I didn’t. A decade at a radio company was like forty. And once they understand that job sharing is pretty simple and seamless as long as the people doing it make a good team and are supported, they’ll be so thrilled to learn the job share will make them look like a superstar by all they’ll accomplish together.

Job sharing combats economic instability challenges and is more relevant now, starting with reducing overhead while retaining talent and supporting employees like working parents. Yes, when you present the business case for how they will benefit by leveraging two skill sets in one role, you’ll blow their minds!

Getting your boss or company to approve your job share requires three things. I call them the three Ps: Preparation, your Proposal, and your Pitch. Your goal is to make it easy for your manager approve your job share. And the first thing you must understand is that to do that, they’ll likely need to pitch it to someone higher up the rung than them.

During your preparation, here are four questions you should consider, starting with: How will a job share align with your company’s values? Second: How is your role perfect for job sharing and how will the job share benefit the role? The third question you should look into is: Are there policies that support job sharing, not only at the organization but also at the local or state level too? A few cities and states have legislation around flexible working. And remember, around 20% of companies have some job sharing. There is a possibility you just don’t know about it. And here’s the fourth question to consider: Are there examples, past or present, formal or informal of people sharing roles, even if they both are working full-time? This particularly can be a light bulb moment for a manager considering job sharing.

You will also what to think through what the best way and time to approach your manager is. Think about broaching the subject of job sharing like the birds and bees conversation. You don’t want to hit your eight year old with the complete birds and bees picture right away! It’s a lot to take in. In fact, they may be so shocked they never speak to you again about sex. Instead, you want to have some teaching moments, open-ended short conversations, and make sure you’re available and open to answering questions. Think about presenting your job share the same way. When putting together your proposal and presenting your job share (aka the pitch), you’ll already have primed the pump. That’s what I call it, “priming the pump.” And I think this idea is paramount to gaining approval. Your manager will have had some time to think through the idea of your job share, gotten their biggest questions answered, and had some time to consider all the ways it will allow them to shine by showcasing the company as being on the vanguard with this innovative talent practice while becoming the hot place to work and making a measurable difference to the company’s bottom line.

And when you do sit down to formally propose your job share, aka “the pitch,” you’ll want to make sure you keep the focus on the needs of the role and company, not the individuals sharing the role. That is very important, friend. You always need to make the business case to an employer whether you’re looking for a raise, a promotion. Whether you are looking to switch into another part of the company or negotiating your flexibility, like job sharing. You will always want to broach it from the  point of view of how it benefits the employer. How it benefits the role and the company. Although there are many elements you can include in a job share proposal, I want to share the top three you should always  include starting with an understanding of what you are proposing, your job share, and demonstrating an understanding of the role itself and how it will be shared. free to swipe our definition of job sharing at Work Muse: A partnership between two professionals to share the responsibilities of one full-time position. Second, you will want to address your manager’s concerns, fears, and barriers AND propose solutions. And third, you should demonstrate your flexibility and commitment to your job share’s success. This part is important. Your boss and your company will be taking an educated chance on your job share, and you want them to know you are committed and take it seriously. 

So I hope this training has given you some valuable ideas for how to approach your boss with job sharing and dispelled the myth that the place you work will never approve a job share. Remember, you’ve already won, friend!

If you’ve got a friend who could use a better work-life balance, can I ask you a favor? Can you share this episode with them? It would mean so much to me. 

Thanks for joining me today. I can’t wait to hear what you thought of Training #3 in our Myth Busting series. Shoot me a DM on LinkedIn and let me know! Or you cane even text me where you are listening to this podcast right now. For the shownotes, go to work muse dot com forward slash sixteen.

Now, you won’t want to miss our episode next week, it’s a special one. You’ll hear from Work Muse clients and how our program Job Share Academy has helped them on their own job share journeys. And then we’ll finish our Myth Busting series with our last and final myth and it’s a goodie. If you ever thought you couldn’t afford to job share, well, let’s just say, you might leave thinking, “I can’t afford NOT to job share.” OK friend, I’ll see you next week, same time, same place! Sending you a bunch of love this week, friend. Bye for now.