Job sharing

What it means

Job sharing is a form of work in which two or more employees share one position and its working time. Each has their own employment contract with reduced hours, and together they cover the position’s full weekly working time.

The employees usually agree between themselves how to split the time, for example by day, week or half-day, and give the schedule to the employer. The Labour Code sets out what happens when one of them does not come to work or leaves.

Job sharing suits parents of young children, students, people approaching retirement or those who want to run a business or study alongside work. The company gets the position covered without having to create two full-time jobs.

How it works in practice

When introducing job sharing we prepare contracts with the client for each employee with pro-rated hours and a corresponding basic wage. In payroll we keep them as separate employments with their own leave and benefit entitlements.

It is important to agree how work is handed over between the employees: a shared calendar, access to documents, a shared mailbox for clients. In accounting and administrative roles this keeps things running smoothly as people alternate.

For contributions we treat each employee separately. With lower hours we keep an eye on minimum assessment bases in health insurance and any top-up in the annual reconciliation, which we warn employees about.

What to watch out for

Job sharers have the same rights as other employees, pro rata to their hours. Excluding them from benefits or training merely because of reduced hours would breach the principle of equal treatment.

When one of the employees leaves, the employer cannot automatically shift all the working time to the other. The law sets out how the situation is resolved, and changing the remaining employee’s hours requires their consent or another legal procedure.