Job Share Policy

Introduction

Tendring District Council is committed to promoting equal opportunities in employment and accepts that “job share” is one important way in which this can be achieved.

Job Sharing is an arrangement whereby people share one post and the salary and benefits are divided on a pro-rata basis. Job Sharing is recognised as a way to increase the range of employment and career opportunities for those persons not wanting or not able to undertake whole-time employment. It assists in the re-employment or retention of skilled and experienced staff by enabling them to remain or return to work within an environment offering equality of job opportunity The Council considers that all posts within the services can, in principle, be considered as suitable for job share, unless it can be positively demonstrated otherwise.

Management of Job Sharing Schemes

Applicants enquiring about job share should be encouraged to discuss the possibilities with the appropriate Manager or Human Resources. A Job Share Register will be maintained in Human Resources. Those interested in job share are expected to complete the attached application form (see Appendix A). On receipt of the request for job share the individual’s manager should carry out a formal interview with the applicant (or applicants in cases where two full time staff are requesting job share between them) in the presence of a member of Human Resources. Managers should make every effort to accommodate job share requests wherever possible and will be guided by Human Resources. In cases where job share is inappropriate for a specific post the manager must produce a written case justifying why it would not be possible to convert a fulltime post to a job share post. In some instances a job share arrangement may be agreed in principle on the understanding that job share can only take place if a suitable job share partner can be recruited.

The criteria which managers should work to when making a decision about agreeing a job share arrangement is as follows:

• Is it operationally possible for two people to undertake this post? (i.e. would it affect the continuity/efficiency of the work undertaken?);
• If not, why not? i.e. a manager must be able to demonstrate that there is good reason to maintain the continuity of one person in a particular post; and
• Is my judgment fair and reasonable?

The Council should not refuse job share arrangements purely on the basis of inconvenience to established methods of working particularly if this does not result in reduced efficiency. Managers should use the knowledge and expertise of Human Resources for best practice advice.

Terms and Conditions

• On commencement of the job share, each applicant will receive a formal contract stating the individual conditions of the job share, in accordance with the minimum requirements laid down by s.1 of the Employment Rights Act 1996.
• The job sharers are accountable to their manager and the Council for the individual performance of their duties.
• The job share will be that of the hours applicable to the post with the endorsement ‘job share’.
• The job description will be applicable to that of the post.
• Job Share partners may be on different salaries within the same grade.
• The division of hours does not have to be equal but the total hours worked between the job sharers would not exceed the hours for the post unless extra funding were agreed.
• The applicant’s time of work will be in agreement with the respective job share partner and the relevant Head of Department.
• Job sharers should not be expected to cover each other’s absence (e.g. annual or sick leave). Annual leave arrangements must be discussed with the job sharers’ manager and will be agreed in line with operational requirements. These arrangements will be agreed at the start of the job. Normally job share partners would not be authorised to take annual leave during the same weeks.
• Flexi-time will continue to be a condition of employment. However, this is subject to the agreement of the job share colleague and the Head of Department.
• If a circumstance arises that means overtime could be worked by one of the job sharers (e.g. other job share partner on sick leave) overtime will only be paid in excess of basic rate when hours exceed the full time equivalent of 37 hours per week, as applies to all part time staff.
• The job sharer partners will be required to work flexibly and attend office meetings etc. on their days off if necessary.
• In the event that one of the job share partners vacates the post the Head of Department has the discretion to consider in the first instance whether there is a requirement to fill the vacant part of the post. If the Head of Department does not intend to fill the vacant part of the post the person working in the other part of the post will lose their job share status in favour of a change to the position of part time employee. If the decision of the Head of Department is to fill the vacancy, there will be an automatic right to full time occupation of that post by the remaining job share partner. If the employee does not wish to take up full time post every attempt will be made to find an alternative job share partner. If that is not possible the postholder may be made redundant.
• To ensure that any outside work does not conflict with, or have any adverse impact upon the interest of the Council, the employee in the job share post may not, without prior consent of the Council, engage in any form of business or employment other than employment with the Council whether inside or outside their normal hours of work. Consent will not be unreasonably withheld.
• Fair distribution of bank holidays, statutory holidays (where appropriate) must be arranged in conjunction with the appropriate manager.
• Entitlement to occupational sick pay will be calculated on an individual basis, the qualifying days for statutory sickness pay (SSP) will also be determined on an individual basis.
• Allowances will be in line with the individual’s terms and conditions and will be payable on a pro-rata basis according to hours worked.
• Job sharers shall be given equal access to training, career development and promotion.
• All changes to the agreed working arrangements, whether temporary or permanent, shall only be made after consultation with both job share partners and their Manager.

Complaints

If an application for job-share is refused, employees have the right to appeal through the Council’s Grievance Procedure. For any further information please contact Human Resources.

Appendix A

Job Share Application Form