COSTA MESA : Job Sharers Trade Hours, Benefits

A new job-share program that began in Costa Mesa last month means that city planner Kim Brandt can now spend more time with her 6-year-old and 7-month-old sons. Under the same program, her colleague Kristen Caspers can return to school.

Caspers and Brandt, two Costa Mesa employees, are the test subjects in a program developed to help workers scale down their hours for personal reasons while keeping their jobs and benefits.

“We recognize that there are changes in the work force that necessitate creating schedules for qualified, productive employees,” said Personnel Director Steve Hayman.

Both Brandt and Caspers are associate planners with the city Planning Department.

Costa Mesa, with 592 full-time employees, will review the program in six months and decide whether to allow other employees to split a normal 40-hour-a-week position with someone else.

“I think for the most part people think this is a good program for women, but men could benefit from it too,” Brandt said. “This is good for anyone who wants to go back to school or has to take care of elderly parents.”

Such an arrangement has been available to Tustin city employees for several years. Other cities, the county of Orange, and several private companies now offer the job-share alternative.

Employees negotiate among themselves to split up the benefits. Brandt chose not to take the medical coverage offered by the city because she is covered under her husband’s policy. Other employees may decide they don’t need the retirement benefits if they don’t plan on working very long with a city.

Job-share employees are credited with a half year for retirement benefits. The arrangement also can affect an employee’s eligibility for increased benefits and vacation time, Hayman said. The employees also split holiday pay.

In essence, the two employees share the same job, usually occupying the same work space.