| Summary: | Purpose – The purpose of this research is to report findings from an exploratory study into job-sharing as a means of supporting career progression of women in the NHS.
Design/methodology/approach – The study was conducted using a method of semi-structured interviews of a sample of six women who have been, or are currently, job-sharers within the NHS.
Findings – The findings show that women in the NHS can and do use job-sharing to support career progression. The research also found that job-sharing is not only used by women seeking a better work-life balance, for example after having children, others use this approach primarily secure career development opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable.
Practical implications – Variable levels of corporate support and understanding of the benefits of job-sharing mean that women may need to display heightened levels of determination and resilience in order to secure and then maintain such arrangements in order to reap the hoped-for career benefits. Success of such arrangements is also dependent on the relationship between job-sharers and their job-sharing counterparts and also with their managers.
Originality/value – Usually job-sharing is studied in the context of achieving work life balance. This study examines job-sharing from the seldom researched perspective of career progression.
Keywords Job sharing, NHS, career progression, organizational behaviour, work life balance.
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