Job Sharing Policy and Procedure

Statement of intent

As a commitment to equality of opportunity, NICVA welcomes the principles of job sharing, particularly for those requiring flexible working arrangements for domestic and personal reasons.

Definition

Job sharing involves two people sharing the duties and responsibilities of one full-time job, on the pay scale and conditions of employment applying to the particular post. The leave entitlements and other benefits of the job will be shared on a pro rata basis. The responsibilities of the role are shared in full with an element of contact and co-ordination between them.

Eligibility

• Only full-time posts are open to job sharing.
• The Director of Corporate Services, Human Resources Manager and line manager of the post have the responsibility for specifying which vacant posts are open to job sharing prior to advertisement.

Recruitment and selection for posts

Vacant posts

• All vacant posts which have been designated as suitable for job sharing will be advertised accordingly and recruitment packs will include an application form for job sharing.
• Standard recruitment procedures will be followed and the normal principle of appointing the candidate(s) who match the personnel specification will apply.
• The recruitment panel will not be made aware of the application to job share until the decision to appoint has been made.
• No job share arrangement will be able to commence unless two suitable job sharers can be found.
• Job sharers selected for the same vacancy should be given the opportunity to meet each other once an offer is made and prior to acceptance.

Joint applications

Where a joint job share application is received, the applicants should be assessed in the same way as other candidates. Joint candidates should not be interviewed together – their ability to do the job should be assessed separately. Selection panels may consider it appropriate to appoint only one person from a joint application.

Employees wishing to job share own post

• An employee who wishes to job share their current post should apply in writing to the Director of Corporate Services.
• The proposal will be considered by the Management Group which will need to assess all the implications for the organisation. The individual will be advised of the decision as soon as possible.
• Where an application is approved, NICVA will endeavour to recruit a suitable job share partner and the position will be advertised specifically as a job share vacancy.
• Potential job sharers will be expected to remain full-time until a partner is found. If no partner can be found, the job share will not proceed.
• The existing employee will be given the opportunity to meet the candidates for the job share individually to discuss the duties of the post but will not be part of the selection process.

Employment conditions

• Each job sharer will have a separate contract of employment. This will state clearly that the appointment is on a job sharing basis and will specify the terms and conditions of the arrangement.
• The distribution of duties and responsibilities will be determined by the line manager in consultation with the sharers and will take account of the particular skills and interests of the sharers and the needs of the team. The overall responsibilities of the post should be shared by both partners.
• Only two employees will be allowed to share the post, usually on a 50:50 split. The minimum number of hours either sharer will be able to work each week is 16 hours as any other arrangement may adversely affect employment protection rights. The total hours must not exceed the established hours of the post. Agreed days and hours to be worked each week will be stated in the contract following agreement with the line manager.
• In the interests of continuity and efficiency, it is recommended that an appropriate overlap period is built into the contracted hours, eg in a 2.5 day/2.5 day per week time split, an overlap period of between 0.5 hours and one hour should normally be sufficient. Although personal contact is the most effective method of communication, job sharers may also use briefing notes, tape messages, etc. On occasions it may be necessary for job sharers to incur expenses (eg telephone calls outside office hours) where an overlap period is not possible. Approval must be sought in advance from the line manager for any such arrangement.
• A job sharer will not be expected to work extra hours to cover for the partner’s absences from work. However, the line manager may offer him/her the opportunity to provide cover.
• The salary will be on the appropriate scale for the post and will be pro rata to the number of hours worked. Sharers may be appointed to different points on a scale depending on service, experience and, for existing employees, current salary point.
• Annual leave will be calculated pro rata to the full leave entitlement. Entitlement to public holidays and closure days will be divided pro rata to the hours each job share partner works and will be added to the annual leave entitlement. Any days which the sharer is on leave (including public holidays and closure days) will be recorded against this leave entitlement. Holiday entitlement may be recorded in hours rather than days for ease of administration.
• Job share partners have the same access to additional incrementation as full-time staff and will be considered individually to increments in accordance with the appropriate criteria.

Procedure if a job sharer leaves

If one job sharer leaves, the following procedure will apply:

• The remaining job share partner will be offered the option of full-time working.
• If the remaining job share partner does not wish to work full time, NICVA will endeavour to recruit a suitable job share partner in line with agreed recruitment procedures. The position will be advertised specifically as a job share vacancy.

Hubs

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