The most persistent objection in organizational job share program discussions is the career trajectory concern: that job sharing signals reduced commitment, limits advancement, and should be positioned as an accommodation rather than a career strategy. Liz Stapleton Zerella’s nine years in a Fortune 500 finance division—four roles, one promotion, in an environment where job sharing had never been done—is the definitive rebuttal. For HR and DEI leaders making the internal case for job sharing at the senior level, this is your evidence.
Key Takeaways:
• How Liz and her partner Michelle built the business case that secured approval with almost no organizational resistance and the proposal architecture that worked
• The team management structure they developed for a 30+ person team split across a shared week, and why it outperformed the previous model
• What the confidence trajectory looked like: from “grateful to have the arrangement” to “promoted”—and what organizational signals enabled that shift
• Why Liz believes job sharing is not only for women, and how that framing shift is critical for organizational adoption at the scale HR leaders need
Resources:
Fast Company article: Is Job Sharing the Solution to Our Flexible Work Problems?
Explore job sharing: workmuse.com
Episode Website: workmuse.com/64
Transcript here
