Job Sharing Policy

The University is prepared to consider applications from staff members who wish to job share. Any application will be considered in the context of the needs of a particular School/Unit and the University must be satisfied that the requirements of any job are not compromised through the operation of any job sharing arrangements. The University will have total discretion on:

a) Approval or otherwise of any job sharing arrangement, and

b) the continuation of any job sharing arrangement, i.e. any staff member who job shares must return to normal full-time employment should the University request this for any reason.

All staff members with a minimum of 1 years’ service are eligible to apply for permission to job share.

The conditions of service for staff members who successfully apply for job sharing will be, equivalent to those of their full-time colleagues on equivalent grades, and will be applied on a pro rata basis.

Staff members who job share must return to full-time employment should the University request this for any reason. As much notice as possible will be given to the staff members where they are to return to full-time employment. Staff members who job share and wish to return to full-time employment may return provided

i) a suitable vacancy exists at an equivalent grade in the University;

ii) in the case of fixed term job sharing contracts, the period of contracted job sharing has been exhausted. In exceptional circumstances applications will be considered from job sharers to return to full-time employment prior to the end of their contracted period of job sharing. Where the job performance of a staff member who job shares is in question, the University may at any time request the staff member to resume full-time employment.

For staff who participate in job sharing conditions of service will be equivalent to those of full-time employment subject to the 50% maximum at all times.

(a) Payment: For each grade in which a job sharing arrangement might operate, the salary scale and salary point shall represent 50% of the corresponding scale and point appropriate to full-time staff. Subject to satisfactory job performance, annual increments will be awarded to staff who participate in job sharing.

(b) Attendance: The principle governing attendance arrangements under any job sharing arrangements is that attendance liabilities associated with a single, full-time post will fall to be shared equally between two staff members. Thus, for each individual participant in the scheme, the duration of the job sharing day will be 50% of the daily attendance liability of a full-time staff member in the same grade. Subject to this 50% condition, the particular arrangement that might operate within a School/Unit is a matter for agreement between the staff member, Head of School/Unit and the Director of Human Resources.

(c) Annual Leave: The annual leave allowances of job sharing staff, as expressed in units, will be the same as the allowances appropriate to full-time staff. However, in the case of job sharing staff, the duration of the "working day" for annual leave purposes will be the duration of the job sharing day as outlined in (b) above.

(d) Public and Privilege Holidays: In the case of job sharing staff who are not contracted to working a half day on/half day off arrangement, entitlements arising from public or privilege holidays will accrue to the staff member who would otherwise be scheduled for duty on the day in question. In such cases however, the normal attendance arrangements will, where necessary, be varied slightly by the Head of School/Unit with a view to allowing both job sharers to benefit equally from public and privilege holidays.

(e) Sick Leave: The sick leave arrangements of job sharing staff will, subject to the two minor variations set out below in the uncertified sick leave arrangements, be the same as those applicable to full-time staff. However, as in the case of annual leave, job sharing staff following a day on/day off, or week on/week off arrangement will be deemed to have used 2 days in respect of each full day's absence from work on sick leave. In the case of uncertified sick leave, staff who do not follow a half day on/half day off arrangement will:

(i) be allowed to make application for payment to a maximum of 8 job sharing days in a rolling 24 month period as outlined in circular 2012/16 ( See new details of Self-Certified Paid Sick Leave http://circulars.gov.ie/pdf/circular/per/2012/16.pdf)(i.e. 4 full days) rather than the normal 7 days and

(ii) will not necessarily be required to submit a medical certificate in respect of a sick absence of 2 full days (4 job sharing days).

(f) Superannuation: All job sharing staff will be eligible for superannuation benefits on a half service basis during any job sharing contract, while previous full-time service or future full-time service, if relevant, will qualify in the normal way. Members' contributions will be based on the reduced salary (i.e. 50% of full-time equivalent salary).

(g) Overtime: Notwithstanding their reduced attendance liabilities, job sharing staff will not be debarred from qualifying for overtime payments, provided that the extra attendance given by them is outside the full-time normal working week (33.75 for most staff) and the span of the normal working day of full-time staff in the grade concerned (9.15 - 5.15 for most staff). Overtime is, in the normal way, subject to University approval arrangements.

(h) Outside Employment: All job sharing staff should not engage in any form of outside employment, whether self-employment, working partnership, consultancy or any other arrangement without the prior consent in writing of the President. This is a condition of participating in the job sharing scheme. 

Staff members who wish to apply to participate in a job sharing arrangement should submit an application in writing to the Head of School/Unit This application should then be forwarded to the Director of Human Resources for consideration together with a statement of approval/non-approval from the Head of School/Unit. The decision on the application will be conveyed to the staff member by the Director of Human Resources.