[On-screen title: Gender equality in action: job-sharing.]
[Close profile shot of Carrie O'Shea and Liz Hughes sitting side by side and speaking to camera to share their story.]
Carrie O'Shea: I sort of see job sharing as a little bit like share housing, it can be really challenging because you're working so closely with somebody but when it works really well, it's fantastic.
[On-screen title: How were you appointed to the job-share role?]
Liz Hughes: We didn't know each other very well in the early years working at different parts of Legal Aid,but we just happened to come across each other at our first time parenting group. I came in tired, bewildered and surprised to see someone I knew there, and there was Carrie. After parental leave, I went back to Sunshine, Carrie went to Broadmeadows. When an acting manager position became available, I thought, let's try to get Carrie over and we can job-share this. I don't think I would have been able to take up the manager role by myself at full-time at that point in time. Firstly, acting when my eldest child was two and then we were actually appointed ongoing to the role when I was 38 weeks pregnant, in fact already on parental leave. So in terms of being supported, you know, I am a prime example, there was no exclusion from the ongoing role because of taking an additional 12 months leave immediately to follow.
Carrie: I was also pregnant when we interviewed for the full time role and we I think we had to get the interviews pushed forward a bit because Liz was worried she was going to go into labour. I just remember thinking how amazing that was and how privileged we were to work in a workplace where they would be so flexible as to accommodate earlier interviews to make sure that we didn't go into labour.
[On-screen title: How did your team benefit from job-sharing?]
Liz: I think there were benefits within our team to have a management team, not just one manager.
Carrie: I think they actually saw us a little bit as the same person. I think there was, we were nicknamed we were nicknamed ‘Cliz’ at one stage, but they also got, you know, different styles of leadership, people who had different skills and valued different things.
[On-screen title: How did your families benefit from job-sharing?]
Liz: They're only young for a short amount of time, so it's a really great opportunity to work part-time, keep fulfilling myself and my professional progression, but also, you know, spending time with my children as they're growing up.
Carrie: I think my husband was so grateful that I had Liz to debrief with constantly because otherwise he would have copped it all, they benefited from getting to know Liz and her family. Our sons still, you know, they do Auskick together, we still see each other frequently.
[On-screen title: How did job-sharing help you grow?]
Liz: I really think that the opportunity to job share meant that I could take up the manager opportunities as they came along, rather than feeling that I wouldn't be able to work part-time therefore, I couldn't take up what is a really busy role.
Carrie: I wouldn't have had the opportunity to be a regional manager if it wasn't for Liz. She really helped me get across the line and just personally that amazing five years of our lives where we worked so close together and we helped each other get through that and through the pandemic, that connection was really special.
[On-screen closing title with Victoria Legal Aid logo: Fairness, Care, Courage, Inclusion www.legalaid.vic.gov.au]
Updated