Work Life Training Module - Job Sharing Arrangements - Assignment Example

Description of the Program In this training module, I will present information on job sharing arrangements. This is an important topic, because, in today's age, there are so many time commitments that people face that it is important that an organization have some kind of flexibility in their work schedules. It's not just for working mothers, although that would be a strong contingent for the program. It's also for individuals who are caring for ailing parents, men and women who might be battling an illness themselves, or any number of reasons why individuals might need more flexibility. Therefore, organizations must adapt with the times, if they are to recruit and keep the very best talent, because, if they are not flexible, then the best talent will find an organization that does offer this kind of flexibility. That said, even though this program is designed for anybody who might need flexibility, the real target audience is working mothers. They are the employees who are most likely to need flexibility, particularly if they also have aging parents to care for. The program is also geared towards employers, who are the ones who need to implement these job sharing arrangements. With this program, I hope to accomplish the designing of an excellent work sharing program that would attract talented females from every walks of life. The goal would be to show the potential workforce that this organization cares about them and their complex issues regarding the balance between motherhood and work life, and to show them that this organization will offer them the flexibility that they need to care for their children properly while rising through the ranks of the company. By the end of the training module, the employers and managers who are going through the program will know how to design the program and how to implement it properly. Training Module Course Syllabus The topic is job sharing arrangements. The training would consist of a one day presentation that would be offered from 10 AM to 2 PM. The people taking the one day course will be supplied with a book that will outline everything that was discussed in the training module. The training will consist of a lecture, followed by group exercises that would present real world demonstrations of the issues that they face. Included in the training will be an explanation of why the job sharing arrangement is necessary, and how to recruit individuals by emphasizing that the organization has this kind of arrangement for its employees. Moreover, the training will also consist of how to propose a job sharing arrangement to employers. This part of the training will be geared towards the actual working mothers who are most likely to need this type of arrangement. Purpose of Training This course is important because of the need for it in the workplace. The purpose of this training would be to stress the importance of job sharing upon the employers who take the course, as well as give them the tools to make this type of arrangement a successful one. Moreover, another purpose of the training would be to give the employees who are looking for this type of an arrangement a way to ask for the arrangement and propose it in such a way that the request will most likely be accepted. There are also going to be obstacles which crop up, and it is important to know how to overcome these obstacles. There will also be fears that might arise – such as fear that the two job sharing partners will not get along; fear that the two partners might be of differing goals and abilities, which would mean that there might not be a good fit for the two; fear that people will be confused by the arrangement; and fear that everything will be needed to repeated twice. To overcome these obstacles, the two people who are job sharing need to be in sync with one another and need to be able to strategize how they will work together. Their communication skills and their ability to share information will be paramount in making this arrangement succeed. Therefore, the managers need to be able to surmount these difficulties, as will the employees. So this is another goal of the program – to help everybody involved make the arrangement as seamless and successful as possible. Course Objectives Develop a road map for implementing a successful job sharing arrangement. Create an atmosphere of communication for the individuals who want to job share. Assist the managers who are a part of this program in facilitating a successful job share arrangements for their employees. Assist the employees who are a part of this program in proposing a job share arrangement by giving them the specifics on what a job share entails. Enable all of the parties involved to ascertain the costs of the job sharing arrangement, as well as the challenges that might be overcome. Course Outline Communication skills – there are two employees covering one job, so the employees need to have excellent communication skills with one another. This part of the course will cover the dos and the dont’s for job-sharing, with regards to communication skills, and how to best keep in touch with one another. Included in this part would be instructions on how to keep one another in the loop of any projects that are on-going, and what the progress is of these projects. Managerial skills – the managers need to know how to manage the job-sharing arrangement. This would include how to apportion projects between the two employees, how to communicate with both employees, how to keep track of what each employee is doing, and the importance of letting other employees know about the job sharing arrangement. How to propose a job share – the employee might be the one who would be proposing the job share to the employer, so the employee needs to know how to propose it, as well as know what questions to ask of the job sharing arrangement is approved. Among these questions are the following: What will be the regular schedule? What benefits will each employee receive? How will after-hours work emergencies be handled? What is the plan for promotion for each member of the job share team? What happens if one partner wants to end the arrangement? Advantages and disadvantages of job-sharing. This part of the course will let the employees and employers know what the advantages and disadvantages are of this type of employment arrangement. This is important, as both employee and employer need to go into the arrangement with their eyes open. Lesson Plan Lecture – from 10 AM to 11 AM. Small group exercise – from 11 AM to 12 PM. Lunch Question and answer session – 1 PM to 2 PM. References Duke Human Resources. Job sharing. (Online). Javitch, D. (2006) The pros and cons of job sharing. Entrepreneur, 9 Nov. 2006 (Online). Lewis, K. What is a job share? About.com: Working Moms (Online). Weinrub, E. (2011) How job sharing may be the secret to work-life balance. Forbes, 24 Oct. (Online). Read More