#20 Job Sharing - Driving Culture Change in Tandem with Dr. Nina Gillmann 

Job sharing seems to be the ideal solution to combine career and
family. So why do people still hesitate? We speak to Dr. Nina
Gillmann to find out more.


Since Nina Gillmann moved back to Germany from the States and saw
that "management in Germany looked very white and very male” by
comparison, she’s been on a mission to diversify our workplaces.
So she set up TWISE - Twice Wise - an agency that creates
job-sharing partnerships for people who want to work part-time in
high-powered, fulfilling jobs. The solution is to apply for those
jobs in tandem with someone who has similar experience and
skills.


“One company asked me, 'Frau Gillmann, can you explain why we
fill any vacancy with one single person?’” Nina Gillmann
remembers. It was a question that was meant to be ironic - but
her honest answer was: “I don’t understand it - it makes no
economic sense!”


As far as she’s concerned, working in tandem is a win-win for
everyone. Companies attract more female talent in leadership
positions, which means that they actually perform better. Parents
can work in a position that is truly part-time but still give it
their all. And companies get a much greater return than they
would from one full-time staffer. 


"You get the equivalent of 140 or even 150% productivity back,”
she says. “When two people have the same interests, they trust
each other and they have no fear - this is where the synergies
happen in a tandem. And that’s where we are arguing it goes from
120% productivity to maybe even 150. So it’s an economic
no-brainer.” 


I could go on and on quoting the things that Nina said in this
podcast - she said so many insightful and game-changing things
that I wanted to write them all down! Instead, I encourage you to
just listen to the whole conversation!


I will leave you with this: "Tandems lead to more women. Women
make companies more successful. It’s just a very simple
equation.”


Speaker: Dr. Nina Gillmann, Founder and CEO @TWISE


Interviewer: Dr. Ricarda Engelmeier - Founder @MyCollective


Music: sponsored by @Michaelkadelbach


Picture: Michael Kleinespel / Dr. Nina Gillmann 


Graphic & Production: MyCollective