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Two people, one job? Startup matches workers looking to share a role

For people who need to care for children or elders, or who want to fill their non-salaried life with more than can fit in a weekend, moving to a part-time role usually means giving up strategic functions and senior positions. But that doesn’t have to be the case — the alternative is to share a job with someone of similar skills and experience.

Aiming to make that happen, UK startup Roleshare is building a matching site for job-sharing — a concept that’s been around for decades, but never really took flight. Employers fretted about processes, and employees couldn’t find shareable jobs or peers willing to take on a role together. 

It’s not just employees who benefit from working as a tiny team — employers get two brains and two skill-sets for the price of one. And unlike a typical full-time role, job-sharing means coverage is built in. When one person is on leave, the other can keep projects moving forward.

Roleshare recently closed a preseed funding round and plans to roll out its platform globally.

Trend Bite

In a March 2021 survey of over 16,000 people across 16 countries, EY found that 54% “would consider leaving their job post-COVID-19 pandemic if they are not afforded some form of flexibility in where and when they work”, and 33% wanted a shorter working week full-stop

Managers who were once adamant that remote work just wouldn’t work at their company discovered their fears of sloth and mayhem were unwarranted. Similarly, flexibility in working hours — including Roleshare’s job-sharing and the four-day workweek — could finally become widespread. And thanks to the Great Resignation, employees and job seekers have more bargaining power than ever to demand greater autonomy over their schedules.

Innovation of the day

Spotted by: Bouke Brockhus