Want more diversity? Try job sharing!
Job sharing could be the key to achieving diversity at the leadership level.
Talking to clients recently I’ve noticed many are looking for ways to create a more diverse and inclusive workplace. A key driver for that is to ultimately broaden the pipeline into leadership roles, so that decision making reflects the diversity of their customers.
In my work to create more flexible workplaces I can’t help but see an obvious, yet untapped, opportunity: job sharing. A job share is typically when two part-time people share a full-time role.
In terms of those we’re missing at the leadership level I often hear variations of the same story. People with valuable leadership skills or potential don’t see role models inside their organisation that they relate to. They don’t want to be the ‘hero leader’, putting their career ahead of all other important aspects of their life, and feel frustrated that there is no obvious path for their progression. They reluctantly self-select out of leadership roles. The types of people we’re losing include:
Parents juggling the demands of family-life and work-life
Older, experienced leaders who want to spend time pursuing interests beyond their career
People managing a disability or illness
Community leaders with substantial roles outside their paid professional career
Those pursuing other interests outside work, such as sports, creative hobbies or other side-ventures
The best version of the leaders we’ve already got!
A job share enables people with a preference for part-time work to fill our leadership roles. It’s a win-win. Businesses gain access to talent they didn’t have access to previously, which is really valuable in this tight labour market. Those people juggling work and other life priorities gain access to the professional challenge and progression that they’re ready for.
For those leaders working part-time now, or with a silent preference to do so, the advantages of a job share are striking. One person I spoke to who has worked part-time for the last five years in leadership positions found a job-share partner a few months ago. Her words were, “It has completely changed my life!” She no longer has to be ‘always on’ when she’s not at work. She’s noticed how much more effective (and refreshed) she is at work, as well as more relaxed at home and present when she’s with her family.
If you’re looking for a different approach to create the diversity you need in your leadership team, try out a job share. Get in touch and I can help you navigate a way to trial a job share and see what it can do for your leadership teams!