Melissa NicholsoN INTRO

MELISSA NICHOLSON: It can sting when events outside of your control impact your financial stability, career trajectory, or, and this one’s the worst to me, your identity. When it happens, it can be hard to keep fear and helplessness at bay and focus on your worth, apart from the work you do. I have good news. You don’t have to be a statistic.

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: Hello friend! Welcome back to Jobshare Revolution. In our last episode, I told you to hold onto the idea of being strong in the face of instability, in the world or at your workplace and I promised to bring you an episode with specific strategies to help prevent being laid off or navigate a tricky job search in a creative new way, while building in your flexibility. Of course, I’m talking about how job sharing can actually be your superpower here. Promise to hear me out, and have a little faith.

The term “tech-cession” is likely not a new one to you. I mean, we’ve been hearing it for years right? There was a lot of fear and layoffs and then things kind of…We never really hit that recession. And then things kind of calmed down. Now I’m in Austin and it is a tech hub, but this past year, I’ve seen personally through clients and friends that it hasn’t really slowed down. In fact, companies began laying off employees in mass in the least humane way possible…With algorithmic layoffs and impersonal emails or HR calls versus the dignity of hard conversations with their bosses. You’ve seen the TikToks, I know you have.   And, surprise, surprise, women have been and are being disproportionately laid off. From friends to clients, I’ve talked to SO MANY women unfairly, and in some cases, discriminately laid off

From my friend and non-profit board colleague who’s been through onerous and numerous interviews only to miss an offer narrowly or have a position put on pause at the very end of this arduous process. To a woman I recently consulted who suffered a non-performance, algorithm-based layoff at Google in her dream job while fourteen weeks pregnant. That’s a cruel punishment. She not only lost her job but a six-month paid parental leave, a three-month “ramp back” period, and the ability to qualify for FMLA benefits, costing her family dearly. There are so many women going through this that she created a community for those women.

Both are looking for employers who value their expertise and their personhood. Both would job share in a heartbeat for the right job and partner. It can sting when events outside of your control impact your financial stability, career trajectory, or, this one’s the worst to me, your identity.

When it happens, it can be hard to keep fear and helplessness at bay and focus on your worth, apart from the work you do. While economists predict continued layoffs with a cooldown in wage increases over the past few years, I have good news. You do not have to be a statistic. Instead, you can be proactive. Whether you’ve had it up to here with your company or you want to stay and thrive, job sharing is a competitive advantage to your current OR future employer.

With job sharing, your employer can do 3 things: Number one, prevent layoffs by eliminating a position, not an employee. Think about it. When corporate leaders are forced to reduce overhead, they can retain their talent by putting two talent in one position.

Number two, increase employee well-being with employees who have a built-in buddy system. Those job share teams, they take care of one another. They watch out for one another. They make sure that they’re not overworking. They make sure that they are putting themselves and their self-care first. During times of instability, the well-being aspect kind of goes out the window, you know? People really struggle in that area.

Number three, increase employee engagement during a time of instability and low morale. 

I’ve mentioned on the show that I started my second job share when coming back from my maternity leave and it was right at the height of the 2008 recession. The advertising industry, it was bleak. It was hard. And I will tell you what—nothing was going to get me or my partner Ginny down because we had one another. While other people were cowering under their cubicles, really huddling down, and living in that scarcity mindset…

Yeah, we may have had tough times. I mean, we were sharing our salary, but nothing was going to prevent us from sticking to our goals, creating a plan, hyping one another, and lifting one another when we were having a rough day.

That kind of panic when things feel so unstable around you – things outside of your control whether it’s economic, whether it’s a company change, whether it’s an organizational or structural change or a buyout or something like that. That’s the time people jump ship. That’s the time people cower and they act really differently. And I’m gonna tell you what. Those job share teams, they are able to almost kind of put a shield over themselves. They’re able to have a shield, to have protection from all of that. It kind of slides off. I want you to really think about that. It’s really a wonderful thing to have for you, but also, to share with an employer. 

So if things feel unsteady. There are these very very strong three reasons, an incredible case and solution for employers to retain their talent. They can number one prevent layoffs by eliminating a position not an employee. Number two, increase employee well-being with employees who have a built-in buddy system. And number three, increase employee engagement during a time of instability and low morale. 

Now I want to shift focus. If you’ve been looking to make a career change but have been worried about the current job market climate, I want to encourage you to do five things: Number one, start with employers whose values match yours. Number two, embrace caregiving as a competitive advantage. The soft skills you’ve developed are assets to the role and the company. Number three, be bold about your expectations around salary and the flexibility you need to work the most productively. Number four, take advantage of shifts in employer norms and mindsets on how we work due to the past several years. Things have changed. They really have. So take advantage of those mindset shifts that leaders at the top have. Number five, consider finding a job share partner and job sharing *in* their job to bypass interview woes and ageism while getting built-in professional development on the job by your supportive job share partner!

So if you’re making a career change. I mean, that is the big hard thing is getting up to speed and upskilling in that new career, right? It’s like an apprenticeship. You’re getting hands-on, on-the-job training by way of your partner, and the fact that it happens to be a really tough job market for a lot of people, is very tricky, depending on different parts of the country and where you are… Well, that’s just a second kudos. That person will bring you into their job. The things that are harder about the interview process, and maybe harder now, will lighten up. So I hope that has helped.    

I know we can do hard things, but the truth is, often we don’t have much of a choice. Trust me, I don’t take it lightly that you choose to be part of our community—to spend your time and energy thinking through these bigger issues with me. Your feedback has been a guiding force behind our offerings at Work Muse. So, I have shared some proactive ways you can help your employer and possibly save your job with job sharing, as well as some advice if you’ve considered a career change during this time that feels a bit unstable. 

But I also want to give you practical advice if you’ve experienced a layoff. Here is my best job share advice for you in a straightforward way as I know you’ve got a lot on your plate: Number one is self-care, my friend.  Take care of yourself, starting with a morning journaling or meditation ritual, a regularly scheduled friend or therapist check-in date, and exercise. Give yourself an abundance of grace and space to process your emotions before moving on to the practical steps of your next career move. 

Number two is budget.  Look at your expenses, trim the fat for example, unnecessary subscriptions, and create a budget for what you need to bring in monthly and how many months you can go without a paycheck.

Number three is to upskill solo or with a job share partner. Skills and professional development. Brainstorm a skills list of your wheelhouse areas, including skills that translate from your personal life and community involvement, especially those you actually like doing. Use the time to upskill with courses in relevant areas you’d like to grow in. P.S. This is the perfect time to be thinking of skills that might fill in your gaps with a job share partner.

Number four, research companies hiring that align with your values. Brainstorm all those things you value like your commitment to work-life compatibility or mental health and wellness, flexibility, inclusion, or growth opportunities, and look at companies hiring for positions that align with your skills. You’ve got a unique opportunity to not just go for a job, but a work environment that will nurture you professionally, appreciate the full person you bring to work, and allow you autonomy and the flexibility you need to do your best work.

And number five is to put your plan into place. Set timely goals around your job search, including networking and interviewing goals. The biggest support system will be your network of friends and community members. So reach out, share what you’re looking for in a company and position, and earnestly ask for their help including if that’s for a job share partner. The happiest, best job referral placements come through people who know people. And you, my friend, you know some of the best people because I know you. I know if you are here what a go-getter you are, how heart-centered you are, and how much you put into every area of your life. You are some of the best people and you know some of the best people. Use them. Trust me, they will jump in with fervor to help you. And I want you to remember that it is also perfectly fine to find a gap job to have that sense of security

Remember, if you’re considering job sharing, you can bypass interview and ageism woes altogether by finding a supportive, wonderful partner in a role you would just love sharing. I also want to say this: there is no shame in a layoff right now. And I want you to also remember that it is perfectly fine to find a gap job just like a gap college year, the right now job that gives you and your family the stability you need while you put your plan into place, whether that’s for your dream job, or your job share, or your job share in your dream job. That’s fine too. 

So whether you stay or go, or whether you’ve been let go,  you don’t have to go it alone with job sharing. Leaning into your job share partner during uneasy times—whether an economic downturn, layoffs, or company changes—will be your saving grace and allow you to shine, while others cower under their cubicles. Trust me, as I’ve shared I have direct experience with this. I negotiated my second job share while pregnant during the 2008 Great Recession. In advertising. There is nothing special about me. If I could do it, you can do it. You are worthy. You are talented. You are valuable. Hang in there, I love you. I’d like to ask you a favor.  If you have a friend who could use this episode, it’d mean so much to me if you could share it. 

And if you are really wanting to put your plan into place, make sure to grab The Work Muse Guide to Job Sharing. Just go to the show notes or work muse dot com forward slash twenty to get it. Whatever obstacles or challenges come your way, take them day by day, my friend, and for goodness sake, be kind to the person who matters most in your life—you. You deserve nothing but the best. See you next Thursday friend, same time, same place. Sending you my love. Remember, it’s all in you.