Job Sharing
A Viable Option for Law Enforcement?
By Lisa Perrine, M.P.A.
Law enforcement agencies around the country are contending with a shortage of officers and trying to lure new applicants with various incentives, such as hiring bonuses, eased standards, and extra vacation time.1 Several factors have contributed to the problem, including demographic changes; higher-paying positions in the homeland security industry; more baby-boomer officers retiring; and the younger generation’s advanced level of education that now often makes a career in policing, with its well-known salary shortfall, not as attractive.
These types of staffing changes and shortages could affect public safety and the well-being of law enforcement officers. “When you have single officers in vehicles, a lack of backup, slower response time, cuts in prevention programs, and fewer school resource officers, things could obviously be affected. Also, with fewer recruits entering the system and a large number of veterans exiting, officers’ street knowledge—critical to effective law enforcement—is evaporating.”2 What can the law enforcement profession do? Is job sharing a viable option that can help agencies recruit and retain employees?
UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the 1990s economic expansion not only removed years of long-standing labor market problems, such as unemployment and stationary wage rates, but also increased the use of flexible work schedules. What is flexible scheduling? Simply stated, it is when an employer offers employees alternatives for defining when, where, and how the work gets accomplished. Employers can choose from many different methods or combine them in such a way that benefits both the organization and its personnel.3
As a type of flexible scheduling that employees can choose within the framework of a program established by their employer, job sharing allows two (or possibly more) workers to apportion one job. It also offers employers an opportunity to retain knowledgeable, experienced employees that they normally would lose due to such issues as family obligations, retirement, or medical concerns. While job sharing can help eliminate the need to train new personnel, it also can aid in retaining other seasoned employees to compensate for the loss of a veteran worker. Job sharing can seem intimidating to managers, who may fear that it could lead to confusion, more paperwork, and a host of other difficulties. They can avoid these issues, however, by having a proper plan in place and holding all job sharers accountable for their duties.4
Research has indicated that job sharing can improve productivity and offer numerous benefits for both the employer and employee. As retiring baby-boomers threaten to deplete corporate workforces, many organizations are taking a fresh look at the recruiting and retention advantages of this aspect of flexible scheduling.5 While not the sole solution, job sharing may offer a viable option that can help law enforcement agencies recruit and retain valuable employees.
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"Research has indicated that job sharing can improve productivity and offer numerous benefits for both the employer and employee." |
| Lieutenant Perrine serves with Pasadena, California Police Department. |
APPLYING IT TO LAW ENFORCEMENT
Law enforcement, like other public service professions, requires its employees to remain current with training mandates. It also harbors a traditional expectation that its personnel will use the expertise they gain to serve their citizens on a daily basis. In addition to job shortages, however, California law enforcement agencies also face challenges due to a retirement benefit that has resulted in many officers opting for early retirement and has caused a gap in efforts to retain expert personnel. The general slowing in the growth of the labor force forecast for the years ahead may intensify this gap. As baby boomers retire, succession planning and alternate staffing strategies become even more important.6
Both employers and employees can benefit from job sharing, even in a setting with the rigorous training requirements of policing. But, would this type of work-schedule flexibility interest law enforcement professionals? Interestingly, the author’s research revealed that several law enforcement agencies in other countries have job-share programs and that two California law enforcement departments also employ this strategy.
California Departments
The Huntington Beach Police Department, with 234 employees, approved job sharing in January 2001.7 Proposed by an officer, the program was initially done on a trial basis. After an evaluation, however, the department approved it as a permanent arrangement. The teams are reliable, communicate well with each other and their supervisors, and make the job share program a smooth operation. The department based these conclusions on debriefing the job sharers and their supervisors, as well as evaluating the employees’ work products.
Since November 1999, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department has offered job sharing to its professional staff and deputies of the 4,000-member agency.8 The program came about as a way to retain qualified employees and as a recruitment tool. Supervisors have indicated that it has worked well based on positive feedback from current job sharers and exit interviews with those who have left the program.
Canadian and European Agencies
Many Canadian, British, and French law enforcement organizations post detailed outlines of their job share programs on their websites. The Thames Valley Police Department in Great Britain has an extensive written job sharing policy and documentation. The 19-page policy includes an appendix section that contains a formal application and other sample forms needed to document and track job sharing. The department has experienced few problems with the application, processing, and actual job share guidelines as all are handled in a fair and consistent manner.9
Advantages of Job Sharing
For Employees
- Have a more balanced life and can spend more time with their families or pursue
educational endeavors or personal interests.
- Experience less stress, which, in turn, increases job satisfaction and leads to greater productivity.
- Have decreased absenteeism because job sharers rely on professional child care less and are more prone to be at work, thus using less sick time.
For Organizations
- Can save money because of shared benefits and less overtime costs. Job sharers can work more during busy times, thereby eliminating position-coverage overtime.
- Have more flexibility while maintaining productivity. The job share position is covered at all times. Usually, if one job sharer is absent or goes on vacation, the other works full time for the duration.
- Can use job sharing to retain and recruit employees. Also, job sharers tend to appreciate an organization willing to offer flexible hours and, thus, do their work with dedication and enthusiasm.
Source: Judi Casey, Sloan Work and Family Research Network, Boston College, “Work-Family Information on Flexible Work Schedules,” Effective Workplace Series, Issue 2, (2006, updated March 2008); retrieved on April 14, 2008, from http://wfnetwork.bc.edu/pdfs/EWS_FlexibleSchedules.pdf; Harriet Hagestad, “New Ways to Work: Telecommuting and Job Sharing”; retrieved on May 26, 2006, from http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/careerbytes; Carolyn Hirschman, “Share and Share Alike,” HR Magazine, September 2005; retrieved on May 26, 2006, from http://Findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3495/is_9_50/ai_n15627800; and Dave Shipley, “Job Sharing”; retrieved on May 26, 2006, from http://www.magma.ca/~urbship/jobs.html. |
The Calgary, Canada Police Service’s website centers on the “employee life balance” job share advantage, focusing on police work and family responsibilities. The site states, “juggling the commitments of police work and the responsibilities of a family is not easy.” However, many officers have proven that it can be done. One constable faced the challenge of balancing her career with her family. After the birth of her second son, she decided to job share and advised, “The Calgary Police Service has been a great employer. They’ve worked with me to find positions in policing that accommodate my professional goals and the desire to spend time with my young family.”10
The Victoria, Canada Police Department has allowed job sharing for the past 10 years.11 The Victoria Police Board and Victoria Police Union worked together to form the job sharing letter of agreement. Of the department’s 222 sworn employees, 11 job share. Initially approved for a short period, such as while children are young or to pursue educational endeavors, the program has expanded to a permanent lifestyle program because of demographics, a struggle to retain qualified employees, and a realization that the department was missing a segment of the population during recruitment. Administratively, the program has worked well. In terms of scheduling, however, work flow sometimes can stumble. According to job sharers, keeping up with changes in laws and maintaining training standards represent the only challenges. Overall, they enjoy the program and acknowledge that they would have had to resign if not for job sharing. The success of the program is based on the productivity and satisfaction of the job sharers and the length of time the program has existed.
COMPARING SURVEYS
As a way to determine the extent of interest in job sharing, the author examined the results of a study conducted by a human resources consulting service.12 The firm surveyed 8,693 employees from 18 core industry groups that ranged from marketing, education, healthcare, and information technology to nonprofit, government, and retail. Asked if they would consider job sharing as an employment option now or in the future, 72 percent of respondents said yes.
Next, to assess possible issues of implementing job sharing in policing, the author polled members of her department, a midsized law enforcement agency located in the San Gabriel Valley of California, regarding their interest in job sharing now and by the year 2016. Based on the responses of 78 participants, the survey showed that a balance between work and life was the motivator for individuals looking to job share. The majority of employees interested in job sharing cited having young children as the reason. Others gave pursuing educational endeavors as another. In a similar vein, the respondents in the consulting service’s report cited balancing either family needs, such as caring for children or elderly parents, or educational goals with work. The two surveys also remained consistent in the area of employees who might seek job sharing in the future as a transition into retirement by moving from full-time to part-time employment for an agreed period.
Overall, the author found three primary advantages to job sharing. First, organizations can engage directly with the issue of work-life balance as part of their overall retention and attraction strategies. Next, job sharing can allow flexibility without putting career progression on hold. Third, job sharing can become an effective segue to retirement. In addition, the author determined that three basic disadvantages existed. First, organizations may resist the idea because they fear additional administrative and training costs.13 Second, job sharers may feel that they achieve proportionately more than full-time employees and, thus, receive inadequate pay.14 Third, individuals sharing positions may be impacted by the actions of their partners.15 However, the author found that ongoing communication, consistent accountability, and solid job share policies and procedures can eliminate these concerns.
CONCLUSION
With the emergence of the millennial generation and competition with the private sector for potential job candidates, law enforcement agencies must commit to offering flexible work schedules. They need to recognize the benefits that such practices can offer to both the organization and personnel. To maintain a viable workforce, the law enforcement profession must consider alternatives to traditional methods of attracting and retaining competent, vibrant, and dedicated employees. Job sharing constitutes one option.
Endnotes
1 John Pomfret, “Police Finding It Hard to Fill Jobs,” Washington Post, March 26, 2006; retrieved on April 17, 2006, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/26.
2 Ibid.
3 Amber O’Brien, “Flexible Work Schedules: A Growing Trend,” Business Women, May 2004; retrieved on October 25, 2006, from http://www.snohomishcoutybusinessjounal.com/archive/bw04/obrienbw04.htm.
4 Reference for Business, “Job Sharing”; retrieved on May 26, 2006, from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/small/Inc-Mail/Job-Sharing.html.
5 Carolyn Hirschman, “Share and Share Alike,” HR Magazine, September 2005; retrieved on May 26, 2006, from http://Findarticles.com/p/articles.
6 U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Annual Rates of Labor Force,” Working in the 21st Century; retrieved on October 25, 2006, from http://www.bls.gov/opub/working/page1b.htm.
7 Officer Lisa Gallatin gave insight into the job share program via personal communication with the author on August 21, 2007.
8 Human Resources Analyst Kim Scaife provided information on the job share program via personal communication with the author on August 21, 2007.
9 Thames Valley Police, “Part-Time Working and Job Share for Police Officers and Police Staff,” Flexible Working Regulations 2002; retrieved on May 26, 2006, from http://www.thamesvalley.polic.uk/.
10 Calgary Police, “Women in Policing”; retrieved on August 13, 2007, from http://www.calgarypolice.ca/recruiting/html/women_in_policing.htm.
11 Sergeant John Craig via personal communication with the author on August 13, 2007, and Inspector Del Manak via personal communication with the author on August 21, 2007, discussed the job share program.
12 Hudson Highland Group, Inc., “Job Sharing: A Fresh Look at Flexible Working,” The Hudson Report, January-March 2006.
13 Ibid.
14 Acas, “Job Sharing,” Advisory Handbook: The A-Z of Work; retrieved on May 26, 2006, from http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=993.
15
Jane Easter Bahls, “Getting Full-Time Work from Part-Time Employees,” Management Review, February 1990; retrieved on September 29, 2006, from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286‑9216293_ITM.
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March 2009 | FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin
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