Fully-formatted version and full archive available free at: > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Jinfo Newsletter http://www.jinfo.com/ ISSN 1749-740X 1st May 2006 No.120 > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = *** Market Research services compared *** Ever wondered how aggregators of market research reports measure up? The March issue of VIP provides a comparative review of MarketResearch.com and Market Research (Profound) on Thomson Business Intelligence. The April issue will compare individual market research publishers. > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = "Could Job-sharing be the Answer?" Written by Alison Forrest The question is - are you ready to increase motivation, become an equal opportunities employer AND get a "one-plus-one-equals-three" effect? In that case, the answer is to take job-sharing seriously! In researching an article for CILIP Update this month, I discovered that business really is taking job-sharing seriously as a way of retaining valuable staff. Libraries have a long way to go to catch up and dispel the rumours of job-sharing being "complicated", "hard to manage" or "costly". Businesses as diverse as Asda, Littlewoods, legal firms and the NHS all have policies in place to support flexible working, and are reaping the benefits financially of better recruitment and retention. In a female-dominated profession like information management it is crazy not to follow suit. Valuable skills are being lost, along with years of training, by forcing women (and some men) out of the workplace with restrictive practises. Often women only need to be part-time for a few years whilst their children are small - and surely it is better to maintain their skill levels and confidence for this key period rather than begin afresh? There are many ways to be supportive as an employer and the first is to be honest and open in your recruitment - only say "Job-share applications welcome" if they genuinely are! Think flexibly about the possibilities of every post arising - arguably only the post of surgeon might prove tricky to share. As a manager in the public library setting, I manage staff effectively with my partner, sharing out appraisals and management issues. Staff-management is simply not a good enough reason to say the post can't be shared. A minimal degree of overlap time is desirable to ensure a partnership works at its peak, and a supportive management structure is absolutely key. Being open in communication is vital both for the job-sharing team and their manager - if things aren't working, they need to be discussed. A very real advantage of job-sharing is having two skill sets for the price of one, but this can lead to resentment if partners get type-cast - allow partners to manage their own workload once they prove they can. Another thing to remember is that they are only one person in terms of hours - whilst "one-plus-one-equals-three" is often what employers report, it should not be demanded. On a personal note I know that my employers occasionally forget this, and we can be placed on double the working parties as our "single" colleagues! Job-sharers themselves need to be flexible and indeed often are as they are so grateful to have the chance to achieve a work-life balance that doesn't leave them feeling guilty and miserable! Differences in partners can be very valuable if managed well, but if one is obsessively tidy and the other more "creative" in their filing practises, for instance, it helps if both can move towards the centre. Job-sharing is a valuable chance as an employer to do both the right and the practical thing. As an employee, it gives the chance to increase your motivation and productivity - and give your kids the best support you can in the pre-school years. It's a winning formula just waiting to be discovered in your work place. > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Alison Forrest has worked in public libraries since completing her library diploma in 1994. She has worked for Kent, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster and now CIP, a trust providing library services on behalf of Hounslow Borough. She is currently Team Leader, Children's (Job-share). > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Latest Job Listings =================== Here are the latest additions to FreePint Jobs in the last two weeks at http://www.jinfo.com/ To receive it by email or to modify your subscription, visit http://www.jinfo.com/subs/ or email support@jinfo.com Please forward this Jobs Update to anyone who may find it useful. > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Records and Information Officer (added 28th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5208 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: London - North, United Kingdom Cataloguer (added 28th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5207 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: London - North, United Kingdom Acquisitions project Librarian (added 28th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5206 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: London - Central, United Kingdom Information Services Manager (added 28th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5205 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: London - Central, United Kingdom Information Officer (added 28th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5204 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: East Anglia, United Kingdom Strategic Analyst (added 28th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5203 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: London - South, United Kingdom Strategic Analyst (added 28th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5202 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: London - South, United Kingdom Marketing Research Manager (added 28th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5201 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: London - City, United Kingdom Research Analyst (added 28th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5200 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: London - City, United Kingdom Graduate Trainee (added 25th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5199 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: London - City, United Kingdom Library Assistant (added 25th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5198 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: London - South East, United Kingdom Filing and Archiving Manager (added 25th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5197 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: London - South, United Kingdom Research Analyst (added 25th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5196 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: London - South, United Kingdom Part-time Information Assistant (added 25th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5195 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: London - City, United Kingdom Research Analyst - TMT sector (added 25th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5194 Recruiter: Glen Recruitment Location: London, United Kingdom Legal Portal Manager (added 25th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5193 Recruiter: Glen Recruitment Location: London, United Kingdom Corporate Analyst - UK Research (added 25th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5192 Recruiter: Jones Lang LaSalle Location: United Kingdom Corporate Finance Researcher (added 24th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5191 Recruiter: Glen Recruitment Location: London, United Kingdom Researcher / Workflow Coordinator - 6 months (added 24th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5190 Recruiter: Glen Recruitment Location: London, United Kingdom Senior Researcher / Analyst (Comms + High Tech.) (added 24th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5189 Recruiter: Glen Recruitment Location: London, United Kingdom Senior Financial Services Research Analyst (added 24th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5188 Recruiter: Glen Recruitment Location: London, United Kingdom Executive Search Researchers (added 24th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5187 Recruiter: Glen Recruitment Location: London, United Kingdom Part Time Legal Library Assistant ( 3 days p.w.) (added 24th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5186 Recruiter: Glen Recruitment Location: London, United Kingdom Temporary Legal Library Manager (added 24th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5185 Recruiter: Glen Recruitment Location: London, United Kingdom Legal Know-How Editor (14 hours p.w.) (added 24th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5184 Recruiter: Glen Recruitment Location: London, United Kingdom Librarian - MAIDENHEAD (added 24th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5183 Recruiter: Glen Recruitment Location: Maidenhead, United Kingdom Corporate Finance Researcher ( 6 month contract) (added 24th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5182 Recruiter: Glen Recruitment Location: London, United Kingdom Part-time Know-How Editor (added 21st April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5181 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: London - Central, United Kingdom Projects Officer (Partnerships Development) (added 21st April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5179 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: Northern Home Counties, United Kingdom Part-time Librarian (added 21st April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5178 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: Kent, United Kingdom Information Officer (added 19th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5176 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: Coventry, United Kingdom Assistant Librarian (added 19th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5175 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: London - City, United Kingdom Metadata Support Assistant (added 19th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5172 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: North Home Counties, United Kingdom Senior Information Officer (added 19th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5171 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: London - Central, United Kingdom Library Services Manager (added 19th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5169 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: Coventry Evening Researcher (added 19th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5168 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: London - City, United Kingdom Support Officer (added 19th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5167 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: London - City, United Kingdom Librarian (added 19th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5166 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: Manchester, United Kingdom Information Officer (added 19th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5164 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: East Midlands, United Kingdom Knowledge Coordinator (added 19th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5163 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: M3 Corridor, United Kingdom Knowledge Manager (added 19th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5161 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: London - Central, United Kingdom Part-time Library Assistant (added 19th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5160 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: London - Central, United Kingdom Assistant Librarian (added 19th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5159 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: Oxfordshire, United Kingdom Young People's Librarian (added 19th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5158 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: Berkshire, United Kingdom Legal Information Services Assistant (added 19th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5157 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: London - Central, United Kingdom Content and Technology Coordinator (added 19th April 2006) URL: http://www.jinfo.com/go/j5156 Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Location: London - Central, United Kingdom > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = To subscribe to the Jinfo Newsletter or to modify your subscription, login to your account at http://www.jinfo.com/subs/ or send an email to . 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