Empower women in technology<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Celebrating women in IT<\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/header>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOur 2021 report surveys thousands of women in tech and IT to find out how the pandemic affected their working lives.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\tRead report<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\nBeyond part-time challenges and limits<\/h2>\n
Ellen Wilson and Helena Zaum shared an executive role at Microsoft for four years<\/a>. They found job sharing a more appealing and effective way to maintain seniority and career momentum after having children.<\/p>\nKeen to balance work and family but told her role couldn\u2019t be part-time, Wilson, her manager and director wrote a business case for a job share involving each partner working three days a week.<\/p>\n
When the business advertised the position, Zaum was the successful candidate, bringing new and useful experience to the role. The director who approved their job share has since set up a new unit and advertises all roles as possible job shares<\/a>.<\/p>\nJob sharing made me appreciate the seniority the team saw in me. You work hard to get to where you are. I have friends who found working and raising a family too much and took longer career breaks, but I didn\u2019t want that.<\/p>\nEllen Wilson, former executive job sharer at Microsoft<\/p><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n
Zaum shared similar motivations. She\u2019d gone part-time after parental leave and reported challenges like a stop-start career, working on non-work days and a feeling of treading water. \u201cJob sharing has been invaluable. It\u2019s let me keep my hand in. I think it\u2019s a good way of keeping women in the workplace.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have been a good example of how job sharing can work. People sidle up to me in the corridor wanting to know more about how we set it up. My initial experience of going part-time wasn\u2019t easy as there wasn\u2019t so much precedent in the business then, but Microsoft has since proven itself a flexible employer and I feel great loyalty.\u201d<\/p>\n
How to run a successful job share<\/h2>\n
Wilson and Zaum agree their job share \u201cworked brilliantly\u201d as they brought different skills and experience, complementary personalities and eagerness to communicate.<\/p>\n
Zaum points to the \u201cpeer mentorship\u201d she and Wilson established in their partnership, which was so successful they both eventually went four days a week. It let them develop their own scopes so their positions became standalone, showing how job sharing can improve both career progression for women and how much the company gets out of a role.<\/p>\n
Not just helping working mothers<\/h2>\n
Job sharing isn\u2019t just for women with children but anyone wanting a different work-life balance. Nicola Johnson-Marshall is in a job share leading communications for banking software standards leaders Open Banking Implementation Entity. She works three days a week and runs a coaching consultancy the rest of the time<\/a>.<\/p>\nAnd more men are taking up flexible working. Parenting website DaddiLife\u2019s 2020 survey found 32 percent wanted more quality time with family<\/a>. Flexible jobs website Find Your Flex<\/a> says half its users are men.<\/p>\nRoleshare highlights how Brendan Clark previously shared his iSupply CEO position because he wanted more quality downtime<\/a>. Sam White shared group sustainability and policy director role at Aviva and cites as advantages, prioritizing family and having a more equal marriage<\/a>. Zaum\u2019s husband shares his Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation role at Reading University.<\/a><\/p>\nWhy companies should support job-shares<\/h2>\n
While 50 percent of Fortune 100\u2019s Best Companies to Work For offer job sharing<\/a>, up 15 percent on the previous year, reported numbers of people job-sharing are low. Statista figures show 123,000 UK employees on job-share contracts in 2020 down from 185,000 in 2013<\/a>.<\/p>\nSmallwood points out many job share contracts are written as part-time so they may not show up in data. But she and Wilson\u2019s experiences show job shares tend to be candidate-driven rather than company-initiated.<\/p>\n
Our 2021 report surveys thousands of women in tech and IT to find out how the pandemic affected their working lives.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Beyond part-time challenges and limits<\/h2>\n
Ellen Wilson and Helena Zaum shared an executive role at Microsoft for four years<\/a>. They found job sharing a more appealing and effective way to maintain seniority and career momentum after having children.<\/p>\n Keen to balance work and family but told her role couldn\u2019t be part-time, Wilson, her manager and director wrote a business case for a job share involving each partner working three days a week.<\/p>\n When the business advertised the position, Zaum was the successful candidate, bringing new and useful experience to the role. The director who approved their job share has since set up a new unit and advertises all roles as possible job shares<\/a>.<\/p>\n Job sharing made me appreciate the seniority the team saw in me. You work hard to get to where you are. I have friends who found working and raising a family too much and took longer career breaks, but I didn\u2019t want that.<\/p>\n Ellen Wilson, former executive job sharer at Microsoft<\/p><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n Zaum shared similar motivations. She\u2019d gone part-time after parental leave and reported challenges like a stop-start career, working on non-work days and a feeling of treading water. \u201cJob sharing has been invaluable. It\u2019s let me keep my hand in. I think it\u2019s a good way of keeping women in the workplace.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have been a good example of how job sharing can work. People sidle up to me in the corridor wanting to know more about how we set it up. My initial experience of going part-time wasn\u2019t easy as there wasn\u2019t so much precedent in the business then, but Microsoft has since proven itself a flexible employer and I feel great loyalty.\u201d<\/p>\n Wilson and Zaum agree their job share \u201cworked brilliantly\u201d as they brought different skills and experience, complementary personalities and eagerness to communicate.<\/p>\n Zaum points to the \u201cpeer mentorship\u201d she and Wilson established in their partnership, which was so successful they both eventually went four days a week. It let them develop their own scopes so their positions became standalone, showing how job sharing can improve both career progression for women and how much the company gets out of a role.<\/p>\n Job sharing isn\u2019t just for women with children but anyone wanting a different work-life balance. Nicola Johnson-Marshall is in a job share leading communications for banking software standards leaders Open Banking Implementation Entity. She works three days a week and runs a coaching consultancy the rest of the time<\/a>.<\/p>\n And more men are taking up flexible working. Parenting website DaddiLife\u2019s 2020 survey found 32 percent wanted more quality time with family<\/a>. Flexible jobs website Find Your Flex<\/a> says half its users are men.<\/p>\n Roleshare highlights how Brendan Clark previously shared his iSupply CEO position because he wanted more quality downtime<\/a>. Sam White shared group sustainability and policy director role at Aviva and cites as advantages, prioritizing family and having a more equal marriage<\/a>. Zaum\u2019s husband shares his Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation role at Reading University.<\/a><\/p>\n While 50 percent of Fortune 100\u2019s Best Companies to Work For offer job sharing<\/a>, up 15 percent on the previous year, reported numbers of people job-sharing are low. Statista figures show 123,000 UK employees on job-share contracts in 2020 down from 185,000 in 2013<\/a>.<\/p>\n Smallwood points out many job share contracts are written as part-time so they may not show up in data. But she and Wilson\u2019s experiences show job shares tend to be candidate-driven rather than company-initiated.<\/p>\nHow to run a successful job share<\/h2>\n
Not just helping working mothers<\/h2>\n
Why companies should support job-shares<\/h2>\n