Job-sharing is becoming more common all over the world and not only for those mommy-share jobs like receptionists for doctors or the school secretary. More and more high-fliers in the corporate world are adopting the idea of sharing jobs. Notable examples in the United Kingdom are HR Executive Directors at the Bank of England, Jonathan Curtiss and Lea Paterson and Dyson's joint HR Directors Alix Ainsley and Charlotte Cherry. In South Africa it is still fairly rare, especially at higher levels or in corporate jobs, but there are distinct advantages in sharing a job with somebody else. For an employer; there is the advantage of talent doubled up, increased productivity, maintaining continuity; higher retention rates and reduced errors; and for the job-sharers there is the benefit of flexibility, being able to combine work with childcare, health or other care issues and it provides a better work-life balance. There are certainly challenges in job-sharing and it would take careful communication and planning to undertake this three-legged race. The biggest disadvantage is that there are limited opportunities for promotion, but Joanne S. Lublin writes in the Wall Street Journal about a case at Ford Motor Co in the US that serves as an example on how to climb the leadership ladder in a 2-for-1 job arrangement. – Linda van Tilburg

It takes two: How to turn job-sharing into a promotion… and another