Elizabeth Mcqueen InTRO

Elizabeth McQueen: You can be ambitious and you can spend a lot of time with your family and you can be successful. You just have to kind of figure out, like how you want to do it and who you want to do it with. And so I think Job Share Academy really opened my eyes to the fact that, like, it can look a lot of ways if you’re willing to put in the work, you could really make something cool 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 & Elizabeth McQueen

Melissa Nicholson: Hey there. Welcome back to Job Share Revolution. If you’re new here, I’m so glad you’re going to be part of our community. Can you do me a favor? Share this episode with a friend who could use a work life. And subscribe if you haven’t already. I am thrilled to share this episode with you with a very special guest who’s taken our program Job Share Academy to implement in her current role and has even job shared in a volunteer role.

That’s right, you can even job share in volunteer roles. If you’re at all interested in job sharing at work, on boards, volunteer positions, or even at home and would like a real community of support as you learn how to create your own job. Share. This episode is for you, friend

I’m really excited to welcome Elizabeth McQueen to the podcast. I met Elizabeth through my elementary school. Our kids were in the same kindergarten class and with work, muse helped she and another very busy parent job share their co-PTA president position. So that was a little different. Why don’t I just let Elizabeth tell you about Elizabeth?

Elizabeth McQueen: Well hey, my name is Elizabeth McQueen, and for the first part of my working life, I was a musician, a gigging musician, a touring musician.

And then, after about a decade of doing that, I stopped doing that and stopped touring and settled down to raise my kids here in Austin so they could go to school because I didn’t want to raise them on the road. And yeah, it was around that time that, like, I went to a PTA meeting when my kid was in kindergarten, I think, or first grade, and I said, like, hey, we should really do this.

And then everyone said, like, oh, great, well, you do it like so. That kind of led to, me becoming PTA president at Maplewood Elementary, but I didn’t want to do it alone. And so I had a friend named Erin Dufner who said, like, well, I’ll do it with you. And so for the next couple of years, we led the PTA not knowing what we were doing, but it was great because we had each other.

And around that time, too, Melissa was starting Work Muse. And so we really had no idea about co-leading or co-working at all. And so Melissa was able to sit down with us and give us some pointers about how to divide labor. You know, how to communicate it. And then now I find myself in a position where I am actually a co-host and a co-producer on a podcast. I work at KUTX here in Austin, so I’m finding that like those same conversations, the same things I needed to know before I kind of need to know now. And so I took Job Share Academy to kind of like figure out about, you know, different ways that co-working could work. And it was really helpful. So yeah, that’s me.

Melissa Nicholson: Yeah. The podcast that you do you have a co-host? Yeah, yeah, I co-host and co-produce a podcast with Myles Blackson at CT called Pass Play. And so we regularly have to divide the labor divide the work, figure out who’s going to do what. It’s not like, official job share, but it’s pretty much a job share. When we first met, I remember you sending me a text message or maybe actually, we were at a swimming pool, and I remember you saying, so this PTA thing.

And I had taken over all of the fundraising for our PTA. But I remember at the time saying, Elizabeth, don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t get roped in. And then when she was seriously considering being PTA president, our school was just one of those unique schools that had 50% free reduced lunch. So most of the parents were working parents.

People really didn’t have the kind of time that’s needed for a PTA president position. And so by just the simple idea of job sharing, that high-level leadership volunteer role, it really changed things for our elementary people, moved in and out of that position year to year. And Elizabeth and Erin stayed for two years. And then when they handed over the reins, they handed over the reins to two more PTA parents who were co-presidents as well.So that was a really cool thing.

Elizabeth McQueen: Yeah, it really was. And it was nice to know that you can do things kind of any way you want. You know, you can make it look like what you want it to look like. You can design it.

Melissa Nicholson: So you might be aware that the doors are now open to Job Share Academy. And I thought it would be fun to bring Elizabeth on to talk about what it was like, her experience inside the program from her point of view. So that’s really what I wanted to do. A lot of people haven’t taken an online program, or maybe they’ve taken a course and it’s just kind of sat there or you’re thinking, gosh, I just don’t have the time to do this.

I’m over my bandwidth. I’ve got too much going on. I’ve got kids, I’ve got my full time job, I’ve got all my extra responsibilities, kids activities. There’s no way I can squeeze this in. So I thought it would be great to have her perspective on what being inside of the program looks like, and what that time commitment is like and how she found it.

Elizabeth McQueen: Yeah, I mean, I really never had taken a like a big online course before either, so I didn’t know what to expect. And it was nice because there were lots of ways in and there were lots of ways to do it. You can kind of take it at whatever pace you want. There are a lot of materials, so like if you’re ready to go, there are all these materials where you can get organized and focused and like really clear about what you want as far as like how you want your job share to look who your partner might be.

But for me, I was kind of going into it like, this is a really interesting idea. I am really interested in learning how to like, kind of manage this partnership that I have now, but also like just interested in learning about job sharing in general. And so for me, it was great because it wasn’t like a high pressure thing.

I could kind of take it how I wanted it. I there’s these videos, I loved the videos. It’s Melissa talking about job sharing, but also there are job share partners who talk about how they make their partnership work. And I really loved watching those because I felt like I really did start to understand how everything could work. And there’s also like a Facebook group, and then there’s also like an optional kind of Facebook Live get together that people can do.

So there were just a lot of ways in and it didn’t feel like pressure filled at all. It just felt like everyone was there to get what they needed to get out of the course. And I really liked it. And I like the fact that, like, once you take the course, you have all the materials, so say, like you’re not ready to quite make the leap yet and you just want to learn and you take the course and then six months down the line, you’re like, okay, let’s do this. Then you’ve got all these great videos, but also like written materials that you can use. And so you still have it.

Melissa Nicholson: It takes people a long time to wrap their head around the concept of job sharing. The reason that I designed a program like this was because people are at a life transition. Often when they come to job sharing, they’ve got a lot going on.

They’re making decisions. They may be coming back from a career break. They may be switching careers altogether, becoming a new parent, getting an advanced degree, all kinds of things. The biggest hang up for people is all of those decisions. And making big changes is really hard in your life. It’s just really hard for a lot of people holding their hand and walking them through the entire thing in a supported community with other people who have the same goals, put the same value on their flexibility and their careers and their families and their personal lives, and doing it together and realizing you don’t have to go this thing alone.

When you first start thinking about job sharing, people go, okay, I get it, I get it. It’s like, okay, am I a fit for a job sharing? Yeah, I think I’m a fit. I think, I think I have the right personality and I’d like to work in a team, and I can imagine working this way. It’s more those hurdles of finding that partner, knowing the conversations to have vetting those partners, really doing the legwork because the whole thing about the job share is putting in the legwork on the front end and reaping all the rewards on the back end.

So once people really understand that process of finding the right partner for them and also having a couple of other candidates and then creating and designing their job share together, really putting together the business case for their employer and understanding exactly how to propose and how to pitch this to your employer because they’ve likely never heard of job sharing, or if they have, it’s kind of a far off distant concept to them.

They don’t have direct experience, so really laying out all of the worries or concerns an employer might have and helping them understand the massive benefits of productivity, efficiency, and really leveraging these two minds in one job together. And what that is just going to bring the position, helping students lay that out for their employers so that they are able to get those job shares approved is just so key.

Elizabeth McQueen: Yeah. And I think the theory of it is great, but it’s like the the actuality of like, how do you make something like this happen? Because it’s not something that’s like in our mainstream culture. So it was really great to have just like a roadmap laid out, because I can see a lot of people like going like, yeah, I’d love to just share it, but where do I start? But what do I do? And you’re right, so much of it on the front end is about getting really clear about like, who you are and what you want and what kind of person you want to work with, and like making sure that you have all of that in order before you, you know, embark on this journey that is going to be like all things.

It’s going to be more complicated than you think it’s going to be when you start, you know? Yeah. And the big light bulb moment start happening, because whether you’re going to a job at your company or a different company, it’s like really making sure that your values line up with the employer that you’re working for. That also is just the thing, because you’re really assessing what you’re doing with your time and where you’re spending your time.

Melissa Nicholson: The biggest complaint from people is they’re worried their boss is just going to automatically know this. They’re just going to do it. My boss would never go for this. It can’t be done in my job. Nobody else is doing it. But the thing is, it ain’t been done till it’s been done. It just takes that leap of faith to get in there, learn about it, do this front and work, and then the rest of your career. This could be a way that you work, whatever career you have.

Elizabeth McQueen: Yeah. And there’s something really powerful I think about, like imagining a possible future that maybe doesn’t exist yet. Thinking about like, yeah, what do I want? How do I want my life to look? And like, yeah, I could actually make that happen, as opposed to thinking, well, I have to do this in this in this thing that I’m not really into, but that’s just the way things are.

I mean, I think there’s something so empowering about imagining the life that you want to live and then actively working to make that happen. And that I feel like, is very much what Job Share Academy is all about. Well, that’s amazing. yeah. I mean, I think one of the things that it just pains me so much to work with people who start on this job share journey.

Melissa Nicholson: And you know, when you say journey, when I was first starting Work Muse, I had a focus group to really think about how I wanted to design this business. And I remember saying the words job, share a journey. And one of the women there said, journey just sounds like a long time, long stretch. And I think when I’m using the word journey, it’s really more a personal journey because job sharing doesn’t have to take a long time to get into.

But a lot of people come across this idea. I think it’s brilliant because it is. If they do not have the know how to put it in place, they sit on it and they think, I could do it. I could do this, but it it takes the right timing or the right boss, or the right moment at work or the right person.

And I don’t see anybody right around me. All those things are just roadblocks to getting there. And they are much more so in your mind than actual roadblocks. And so having it all laid out, knowing that you don’t have to do it alone, and knowing that you can design and create your job share in a matter of months even, and start working this way.

All of us have been through so much the last several years. We are one. Then at the end of our ropes, barely hanging on, trying to navigate how to do our work life better. That’s my greatest hope for my students that they understand that they don’t have to wait months, years and years to job share because there are people.

There are people who have sat on this idea and it’s a dream of theirs. But they’ve sat on the idea for two, three, four, five years and time is finite. It’s just slipping by. These kids grow up really, really quick, and definitely not everybody who job shares as a parent, but quite a lot of parents and caregivers do job share.

It’s just something that I want people to know. You don’t have to wait. You can completely get the knowledge, the know how and be empowered to create your own job share. Whether your employer has a job share program or not, whether they’ve heard of it or not. Yeah, and you don’t have to create the template alone. It’s like that, I think, is the when you’re imagining possible futures, it can be like, but how do I start this thing from scratch?

Elizabeth McQueen:  And Job Share Academy is like, well, look, you don’t have to. And here’s all these, like, tools and resources to help you get started. Here’s how you could do it. Or you could do it this way. You know, it’s so comforting, I think, to know, like you said, that people have done it before and there’s people who are like, here to actively help you figure out what you want and how you want your life and your work life to look.

Melissa Nicholson: Yeah. Another part of the program is that there is a really comprehensive Q&A area so that people don’t get hung up or stuck along the way. I think there’s over 60 Q&A days in there. Questions and answers. There’s a video vault with over 30 videos that pair with modules that you can go back and you can look at, and they touch on every part of job sharing the good, the bad, the ugly, all of the challenges, different aspects of working with stakeholders, your clients, your customers, your coworkers, your managers, people in other departments that depend on you.

Before Job Share Academy people had to figure these things out on their own. You’ve got all these resources at your fingertips inside of the program, including over a dozen career experts. Whether it’s flexibility, job share coaches, business coaches that specialize in returning from a career break or making a big career transition or even parental leave, there’s access to these experts and discounts on all of their services available to Job Share Academy students as well.

So while people are navigating this life transitions, they have what they need to do that and be creating their job share at the exact same time.

Elizabeth McQueen: Yeah, totally. I mean, there’s a lot that you get access to as part of Job Share Academy. And I think maybe sometimes people, it’s like, well, I don’t know if I want to spend the money, but you’re getting a lot for your money, honestly, because otherwise you’re kind of just sitting with an idea and trying to create the wheel from scratch when there is like a wheel out there made, and you could get instructions on how to make it, you know.

Melissa Nicholson: So it’s really a great resource for people who are worried about making that investment in their own professional development, which I’m just going to be honest, it’s very difficult for women to make a financial investment in their own professional lives. This is professional development. You can write it off on your taxes. You can get it reimbursed by an employer.

Your employer is going to be so enthusiastic about the fact that you have already been trained in this flexible work practice. It really takes the risks off of an employer. They feel so confident that you had the roadmap that you knew exactly how to validate your own job, share, and make sure that it’s the right practice for you.

How to vet a partner and make sure that that partner fit is solid, and how to design your job share so that you’re going to be maximizing both skill sets, having the best practices to onramp that job share so smoothly for all those other stakeholders that work with you, and kind of are a little clueless as to how does this work.

I’ve got two people, one job, and I communicate with taking all those worries off their plate because you’re going to train them how to work with your job share, and you learn all of that inside of job share. Academy. Yeah, it’s a great program. Is there anything that somebody who’s considering Job Share Academy should know or an insight that you gained that you wouldn’t have known if you hadn’t taken the program?

Elizabeth McQueen: I mean, I think that what I didn’t understand is that it really can look so many different ways depending on what work you do, what kind of partner you’re looking for, how you want it to look. And so I think what I learned from Job Share Academy is like, there’s no one way to do it. There’s a lot of ways to do it.

I think that’s just so exciting. Especially, you know, especially for people who have busy family lives who don’t want to give up working, but also like, don’t want to have their family time suffer because of their work. Like, you can be ambitious and you can spend a lot of time with your family and you can be successful. You just have to kind of figure out like how you want to do it and who you want to do it with.

And so I think Job Share Academy really opened my eyes to the fact that, like, it can look a lot of ways, if you’re willing to put in the work, you could really make something will happen. Thank you so much for being here with me, Elizabeth, and for sharing this. Yeah. Thank you for having me. Appreciate it. Okay.

Melissa Nicholson: OK Bye!

Melissa Nicholson OUTRO

Melissa Nicholson: I hope this episode was helpful for not only getting an insider’s look into what our program Job Share Academy is like, but equally as valuable for the kind of people you can meet inside of the program.

I’m constantly blown away by the heart centered humans who take the transfer steps to intentionally design how they work and live with job sharing. You know those friends, the ones who show up when the going gets tough, even when it’s really tough? That’s Elizabeth. We first bonded as parents of young kiddos, but when dual caregiving as a sandwich Gen Xer, which made me Elizabeth showed up.

And I will never forget her generosity, her love, her compassion as long as I live. She even signs their emails level as a Beth. Don’t you love that? Like a good old fashioned letter from my homie. I hope you have those friends. You can check out the show notes to episode nine at work News.com. Forward slash nine. See you next week, friend.

Same time, same place. Sending you a lot of love.