Job Sharing

[Lakewood90712]

I was speaking with someone getting laid-off and mentioned job sharing. ( where 2 or more employees agree to part time / reduced benefits, or split the year with one on full time / full benefits , one off each mo. or quarter). She pitched the idea to HR, who said they never herd of such a thing. It's not a new concept.

The upside is keeping a talent pool during a downturn, and talent not going to competitors, the downside is increased HR cost , even if zero sum gain / loss on benefit cost, with the employees picking up the additional cost of insurrance, etc.

A real shame most companies in the US can't give a serious look.

 

[MRG]

A former colleague did that. He moved to Alaska he and another person he knew shared an IT job. It's too bad more companies don't use that technique to retain talent.

 

[Lakewood90712]

An additional + . California does, or at least used to award UI benefits to job sharing participants, so it softens the economic blow until the unemployment benefits run out.

 

[Walt34]

Where I used to work they would do job sharing. A huge disincentive was that if you were near retirement that also meant halving your retirement benefits since those were based on your last three years. I think it was aimed at younger women who wanted part time for a few years until kids were in school.

 

[Greencheese]

Doesn't this just contribute to the part-time economy issue we're seeing today? Why hire a fulltime employee if I can get 2 suckers to work 1/2 jobs and thus reduce the overall benefits I have to pay.

I think its a great idea in theory, but far too easy to open up for abuse to ever be something I'd like to see widespread.

 

[dallas27]

Doesn't this just contribute to the part-time economy issue we're seeing today? Why hire a fulltime employee if I can get 2 suckers to work 1/2 jobs and thus reduce the overall benefits I have to pay.

Gosh i hope so, imagine a world where most people work mostly part time. Instead we raise our children better, pay attention to our governments actions, and generally improve society.


What's the use of productivity gains if we don't work less than our forefathers?


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

 

[marko]

Doesn't this just contribute to the part-time economy issue we're seeing today? Why hire a fulltime employee if I can get 2 suckers to work 1/2 jobs and thus reduce the overall benefits I have to pay.

I think its a great idea in theory, but far too easy to open up for abuse to ever be something I'd like to see widespread.

Gosh i hope so, imagine a world where most people work mostly part time. Instead we raise our children better, pay attention to our governments actions, and generally improve society.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

My SIL's company has just gone to this model in response to what they call "the benefits problem" (aka ACA requirements)

Not sure it "generally improves society" if your pay is cut and you can't get company HC...but it does get people to "pay attention to our governments actions" as you say.

 

[Big_Hitter]

job sharing has a lot of problems for employers - personally I wouldn't want to trust half of my work to someone else, for starters


the only upside I see is getting out of having to provide affordable health coverage

 

[marko]

Gosh i hope so, imagine a world where most people work mostly part time.

I went to a place like that once.

I think it was called.......Haiti.
Wasn't working out so well for them at the time; nor now from what I hear.

Greece comes to mind more recently.
They don't seem too happy with part-time of late either.

 

[Lakewood90712]

It's not intended for more than a temporary downturn.

The way it works is : in each month or quarter, one employee works full time, gets full benefits and pension vesting, the other employee does not work, pays cobra rates for medical insurance. During the first year, un-employment insurance kicks in during the time off work. This would not work for the majority, but sure beats taking a crappy low paying full time job while waiting to be re-called .

A real pita for hr, but firing then recruiting and hiring, is very costly too. I remember in my last job,back in 2000, my first supervisor told me approx 8,000 applications were received, for 10 positions. Out of that , 2500 were invited to test, I don't know how many made it to interviews, background check, medical etc. The process takes up to a year..... Then quit's the first year seemed like 10 % ....... ( The job looks sweet , until you get there ).

We hired too many around 2005 -2007 ( got extra money ? so we better hire and spend it ) then had the the second lay-off in an 90 year history of this particular agency in 2010, then a mad rush to hire in 2012. Only about half of those laid off came back when invited. Poor judgement on planning and staffing IMO. But how rare is that in government