Job sharing allows two or more individuals to split a traditional full-time job. One employee might perform the job from 8:00 a.m. to noon and the other from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., or the two could work full but alternate days. Only 18 percent of U.S. organizations offered job sharing in 2014, a 29 percent decrease since 2008. Reasons it is not more widely adopted include the difficulty of finding compatible partners to job-share and the historically negative perceptions of individuals not completely committed to their jobs and employers.

However, eliminating job sharing for these reasons might be shortsighted. Job sharing allows an organization to draw on the talents of more than one individual for a given job. From employees’ perspectives, job sharing can increase motivation and satisfaction if they can work when they wouldn’t normally be able to do so. Ideally, employers should consider each employee and job separately, seeking to match the skills, personality, and needs of the employee with the tasks required for the job. An employer’s decision to use job sharing is often based on policy and financial reasons.