Staff HR Policy D-758.01
Institutional Effectiveness Criterion: Culture

Job Sharing Procedure

1. Job sharing may be available to administrative, professional, and support staff employees when it serves the best interests of the College and the department.  The department's ability to meet its work requirements will remain the primary consideration.  All job share arrangements must be documented, signed by all parties, and approved in writing by the area's executive officer and the Director of Human Resources.  When a job share request is denied, the parties shall be provided with the reasons.
2. Regular administrative, professional, and support staff members who have worked at NMC for at least one year are eligible to  initiate a request for a job sharing arrangement.  A job sharer must work half-time or more in order to retain regular appointment status.
3. Each department is responsible for establishing work schedules, work hours, and performance expectations.
4. The supervisor will evaluate new job shares six months after implementation.  The areas of evaluation will include:
   1. work productivity
   2. cost or savings for overtime and absenteeism, training, and turnover
   3. co-worker, customer, and supervisory acceptance of the arrangement
5. If a job share is not serving department needs, a supervisor may, at any time, recommend terminating the job share agreement.  Such recommendation will be made to the executive officer.  When the supervisor recommends that a shared position be returned to one full-time position, the following will be considered in deciding who will be given the option of remaining in the position on a full-time basis:
   1. knowledge, skills, and ability to perform the available work
   2. prior experience and performance
   3. length of service to the College
   4. education, certification, or qualifications
   5. other relevant factors
      If neither job sharer desires full-time employment, the position may be posted.  The job sharer(s) may then be subject to lay-off procedures.
6. Responsibilities:
   1. Extended illness and vacations
      If one job sharer is on vacation or is absent for more than five consecutive days, the supervisor may request the other to fill in on a full-time basis until the partner returns to work.  Status and benefits will be reviewed if this arrangement exceeds a 90-day period.
   2. Resignation
      If one job sharer quits the job-sharing program, the remaining job sharer may be required to assume the job full-time until a replacement is hired and trained.  Status and benefits will be reviewed if this arrangement exceeds a 90-day period.
   3. Required meetings
      Job sharers may occasionally be required to attend certain meetings during their normal unscheduled hours.  If salaried, there will be no additional pay or compensatory time for these hours.
   4. Additional hours
      A supervisor may schedule part-time job sharers for additional hours as needed.  Non-exempt employees are eligible for overtime pay if their hours exceed 40 hours per week.
   5. Sharing
      Job sharers shall commit to volunteering an appropriate amount of overlap time to ensure necessary communication with each other regarding the status of work activities.
7. Each job sharer will be evaluated annually in accordance with College procedures on the basis of their individual performance.
8. Vacation, holidays, and sick days will be provided (if applicable) based on the hours the employee was scheduled to work in accordance with the job share agreement.
9. Benefits will be provided to eligible job sharers based on the College's existing policies for regular, part-time employees.
10. The parties shall sign a job share agreement prior to implementation.  Such agreement shall be authorized by the area's executive officer and the Director of Human Resources.

If any provision(s) of this policy or set of bylaws conflicts with laws applicable to Northwestern Michigan College, including the Community College Act of 1966, the Freedom of Information Act, or the Open Meetings Act, as each may be amended from time to time, such laws shall control and supersede such provision(s).