Job Sharing Policy and Procedure - September 2020

10. Conditions of Service

All terms and conditions of employment will be applied consistently in the same manner as a as a full-time employee, with payments, allowances and holidays being pro-rata to the number of hours worked.

Specific features, where different, will be included in the employee’s Statement of Particulars:

Statement of Particulars

Each job share partner will be issued with an individual statement of particulars.

The contracted hours will be individually stated for each job sharer. The total hours worked shall equal and not exceed those of the full-time post. The job description and person specification will be the same as the full-time post.

Probationary Period

All new employees to the authority will be subject to the satisfactory completion of a probation period in line with the Council’s Probationary policy and assessed in the same way as a full-time employee.

Rates of Pay

The salary will be calculated on a pro-rata basis in accordance with the grade and number of hours worked. Commencing salary will be determined on an individual basis in accordance with Council’s Recruitment Salaries Guidance. Jobshare partners may be on different pay points within the same grade based on objective criteria as outlined within this guidance.

Increments

Incremental progression will be in accordance with conditions which apply to fulltime employees. Individuals who share jobs may be placed on different incremental points at commencement in line with the Council’s Recruitment Salaries Guidance. Your HR team will provide advice in these circumstances.

Overtime/time off in lieu (TOIL)

Each job sharer would not usually be expected to work beyond their contracted hours. However, if there is an authorised request to do so e.g. to cover sickness absence of their job share partner, then any additional hours will be paid at the normal hourly rate (no enhancements).

If a job sharer is required to work additional hours beyond the 37 hour working week or beyond the contracted working pattern that averages a 37 hour working week (e.g. rota/annualised hours) then the applicable overtime hourly rate is payable.

If the employee requests TOIL, then the Manager may agree this, based on the actual hours worked.

Standby and call out requirements

Where standby and call out is a requirement of the post, this should be shared between the job share partners on a rota basis. Payment will be made at the prevailing rate according to the agreed standby rota and individual call out. Job Share partners can agree to swap or amend their standby/callout rotas between them but must advise their manager/Careline of any such changes.

Annual Leave

Leave entitlement will be pro-rata to the hours worked and calculated in line with the Council’s Annual leave and Holiday Pay Policy

Public Holidays and Statutory Holidays

Public/Bank holiday entitlement will be shared between the job share partners on

Example:

Job share partners each work 2 ½ days per week:

• Partner 1: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning, and
• Partner 2: Wednesday afternoon, Thursday and Friday.

Each are entitled to 4 Public/Bank Holidays but during the annual leave year 6 public holidays fall on a Monday and 2 on a Friday.

Jobshare Partner 1 is not entitled to 6 public holidays so can either book annual leave for the excess 2 days or work the equivalent hours back on mutually agreed days.

Jobshare Partner 2 is entitled to 4 public holidays, 2 of which fall on a Friday during his/her normal working week and the remaining 2 can be taken at a mutually agreed days.

a pro rata basis. If a bank holiday falls on a working day those hours will be debited from the bank holiday entitlement.

Where the job is shared on a split week basis it is likely that one job share partner will benefit from more bank holidays than their entitlement will cover. Any shortfall in public/bank holiday leave entitlement must be deducted from annual leave entitlement or additional hours worked to balance the hours.

Excess public/bank holiday leave entitlement may be booked at other times of the employee’s leave year, in the same way as annual leave.

Statutory/Occupational Sick pay

Entitlement to sick pay will be in line with Statutory Sick Pay Regulations; Council’s Occupational Sick Pay Scheme and Sickness Absence Policy.

Maternity Leave

Job share employees will be entitled to maternity leave and/or maternity pay in line with Statutory Maternity Pay Regulations and the Council’s Maternity Policy.

Pension

Job sharers will be entitled to join or remain in the Local Government Pension Scheme. However, job share employees should be aware that reduced hours affect pension benefits.

Full time employees wishing to job share should seek advice from the Dyfed Pension Fund or Teachers Pension Scheme prior to entering a job share working arrangement so that the impact on their pension benefits can be clarified.

Special Leave

Applications for special leave as laid down in the Council’s Time Off Policy will be considered in the same manner as full-time employees and will be granted pro-rata to the hours worked.

Absence Cover

Where one partner in a job share post is not at work due to sickness, maternity or other leave the remaining job sharer may be asked to work additional hours up to but not exceeding the full time hours of the post (subject to authorisation). Where one partner is on annual leave the remaining job sharer would not normally be asked to work additional hours unless it is essential for maintaining service delivery.

The job sharer is not under any obligation to undertake these additional hours.

Travel and subsistence

Where it is necessary for job sharers to undertake business related travel to fulfil the responsibilities of the job, travel and subsistence will be reimbursed in line with the Council’s Travel and Subsistence Policy for authorised journeys undertaken by each job share partner.

Performance objectives and development opportunities

Job share partners will have joint objectives in terms of the requirements of the role but will have individual Helping People to Perform (HPP’s) performance appraisals. This will focus on personal contribution to the objectives in addition to exploring personal development needs and performance.

Job sharers will have access to training and study leave on the same basis as full-time employee’s pro rata.

Promotion

Job sharing partners may apply for promotion on an individual or joint basis. Where it is a joint application, they will be interviewed separately and for them both to be appointed, they both must each meet the requirements of the post.

Secondary Employment and Employee Code of Conduct

Subject to the provisions laid down in the Council’s Code of Conduct, job share employees are not precluded by their contracts of employment from accepting other employment outside their normal contractual hours.

However, under the Council’s Code of Conduct there is a general requirement on all employees not to undertake additional work, which might conflict with the Council’s interests or have a detrimental effect on the employee’s work with the Council. Employees are advised therefore to pay particular attention to Sections 8 and 9 of the Code of Conduct in respect to this matter. If in doubt, employees should seek advice from their line manager before undertaking other employment.

Flexi-time and job share

Working in a job share partnership does not preclude employees from participating in the Flexi-time scheme. This should be considered as part of the application procedure and agreed by the Line Manager if it is feasible from an operational perspective.

Termination of Agreement

It will be necessary to include in the contract of employment for the jobsharer a clause to the effect that, should the authority not be able to recruit a suitably qualified person to fill the part vacant job share post and if the existing jobsharer is unwilling or unable to work full-time, the Authority reserves the right to terminate their employment under the Scheme by the giving of the appropriate period of notice, as specified in the Employment Rights Act 1996. Such action would only be taken after consultation with the existing job sharer and his/her Trade Union Representative, if s/he so wished, regarding the various options available at that time.