INTHEBLACK June 2022 - Magazine - Page 43
Right: Anushka
Bandara, Elegant
Media Australia
CASE STUDY: ANATOMY OF
THE WIN-WIN WORKPLACE
ANUSHKA BANDARA, CEO OF ELEGANT MEDIA AUSTRALIA, VIEWS
J O B - S H A R I N G AS A W I N -W I N F O R B O T H T H E C O M PA N Y A N D H I S
E M P L OY E E S .
“We benefit from two sets of experience, insights,
ideas and creativity,” says Anushka Bandara,
whose mobile app development business includes
several roles that follow a job-sharing framework.
“Our people can achieve better work–life
balance – there is less stress on each individual,
as work outcomes don’t depend on a single
person.”
One job-sharer, Elegant Media’s content
creation specialist Harry Fields, says job-sharing
in his marketing group has allowed the team to
multitask and tend to the most important
priority first.
“If someone working on a priority task was
unavailable…then with job-sharing, another is
able to fill in and get it done and see the task
through,” he says.
Tasks, therefore, are assigned based on the
skills, experience and availability of each party.
“We always ask each other if the other would
be comfortable with the task and if they are
confident they can deliver it within the
timeframe,” he says.
Strong communication is the most important
part, Fields says, and the team uses cloud-based
collaboration tools to keep track of tasks.
This makes it easy for anyone on the team to
pick up the work if and when required, he says.
To further enhance job-sharing, Bandara is
looking to introduce a common platform for all
project management to ensure that “corporate
memory” is parked in the cloud rather than with
one or two people.
“When dealing with specific projects, corporate
memory often sits with the project manager, and
they carry specific knowledge about the project,”
he says. “As a result, there can be communication
gaps and data recording issues.”
Under a shared-cloud approach, all available
project managers will be able to respond to
enquiries by looking at the universal system,
rather than having to follow up with one
dedicated project manager, Bandara says.
Job-sharing also increases scope for
mentorship in the business, and expands the
number of people capable of acting as both
mentors and mentees.
“With the use of virtual tools such as Zoom
and Microsoft Teams, mentoring can be
undertaken regardless of where people are
located,” he says.
From a business perspective, having multiple
hands on the one job also reduces risks and staff
turnover.
“If job-sharing is managed well, then all those
involved should feel valued, engaged and
enthusiastic about their role and responsibilities,”
he says. “The key is to implement a system that
rewards and encourages both people
as individuals, as well as a team.”
TOP TIPS FOR
E M P L OY E R S WA N T I N G
T O C R E AT E A
SUCCESSFUL JOBSHARING MODEL
Start with noting the
common processes for
each job or task that can
be managed and tracked.
Involve staff in the
development and
adoption of these
where possible.
Use a centralised and
transparent system to
enable the job-sharing.
Ensure there is ownership
across all team members
involved in job-sharing, so
that everyone is
connected and
committed.
Source: Anushka Bandara, Elegant
Media Australia
intheblack.cpaaustralia.com.au June 2022 43