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WA7. Job-Sharing

Statement

Please read the case study “What Would You Do?: Staffing Trade-offs” from chapter 10 of the Business ethics textbook that you find in the reading assignment. Based on what you have learned in this unit, answer the following questions:

  1. What points support the job-sharing plan? How would it benefit the company? The employees?
  2. What negative effects might it have on the company and the employees?
  3. Do you have any concerns about potential employment discrimination if this plan is implemented? If so, what would they be?
  4. Is creating job-sharing positions the right thing for the company/customers/employees to do in this situation?

Answer

Job sharing refers to the practice of two or more employees sharing a single full-time job, that’s not two part-time jobs, but rather two persons working on the same tasks that a one full-time employee would do (Indeed, 2023). The case study mentioned in the problem statement from Byars & Stanberry (2018) features a company that is considering replacing full-time employees with more part-time or job-sharing employees.

Several points support job-sharing from the employer’s perspective; including financial benefits as companies are not legally required to provide the same benefits they provide for full-time employees such as health insurance, paid holidays, and other benefits. The company enjoys more diverse skill sets and experiences as two brains working on the same task. The company can also utilize the flexibility in scheduling to cover more hours outside of the regular 9-5 workday.

More points also support job-sharing from the employees’ perspective; including the ability to work fewer hours which may give more hours to other responsibilities such as family, education, or care for a loved one. The employees also enjoy the flexibility in scheduling which allows them to schedule their work hours around their personal lives. The employee may be doing more than one job at the same time, which may give them a boost in their skill set and experience. The employees are usually less stressed, healthier, and more productive.

Negative effects of job-sharing from the employer’s perspective include the need to train two employees instead of one, and the need to split tasks, manage, and organize two employees which may increase the overhead of work. The hiring process may be more difficult as it takes twice the work. The company may risk losing employees if they find a full-time job elsewhere.

Negative effects of job-sharing from the employees’ perspective include the need to share the job with another person which greatly depends on the compatibility between the two, if the two employees are not compatible, the job may be less productive and more stressful. The competitive nature of the job market can create conflicts between the two employees. The benefits of the job are usually less than those of full-time employees.

Concerns about potential employment discrimination are real; while job-sharing provides benefits the employers more than employees, it is important that employees have chosen this path and not enforced it on them. The discrimination starts when the company decides to replace its full-time employees with part-time ones as it may indicate that the company is trying to avoid providing benefits to its employees. Another discrimination may arise from the exact opposite as if the company announces all jobs as full-time, people who are not able to work full-time may be discriminated against.

The reasoning behind considering if job-sharing is right or not depends on a lot of factors; some jobs can not be shared like lawyers, consultants, and doctors. Some partners also apply to a full-time job as a team, they usually work well together and their compatibility is not an issue. The company hiring managers should balance the pros and cons of job-sharing and make the decision on a case-by-case basis. The company should also consider the legal and ethical aspects of the process as companies may get fined for misusing the job-sharing system.

To conclude; job-sharing, while not the best option for all companies, is a good solution for hiring shortages if more people are willing to work part-time due to personal reasons. There are economical, legal, and ethical aspects to be considered before implementing job-sharing; and the best way to do so is to decide on a case-by-case basis.

References

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