The following summarizes conclusions made in considering how Trusted Servant job-sharing could be expanded. It is not a proposal, nor does it require any action on your part. However, if you want to make comments, please feel free to do so. Your input could influence our future discussions of job-sharing. There is no deadline for comments.
Statement on Job-Sharing
Our October 2021 Business Meeting ended with a list of four subjects that we wanted to follow up on this April.
Now, April is here. The side-by-side comparison is done and posted both to the group and on our website. There will be a proposal to make changes to the Secretary’s position description. Our Listkeepers have, with input from our greeters, decided not to submit a proposal for job-sharing at this time. There has been no follow-up on proposing a meeting on the 12 Concepts of World Service and, unless someone has a concrete proposal, the subject is tabled for now.
The idea of job-sharing had two major objectives: to make some Trusted Servant positions more appealing to potential volunteers and to ease workload burdens on people serving in TS positions. Underlying these objectives are the larger and over-riding goals of helping alcoholic women get and stay sober and ensuring the smooth operation of our e-mail meeting.
Keeping all of these objectives in mind, we have decided that it is not necessary at this time to propose job-sharing for other GROW TS positions. Many of our positions are complicated and involve one or more of the following demands:
- maintaining a current list of a subset of members over time
- following up on requests or correspondence over time
- providing specific accurate and timely information to GROW members
- being a focal point for GROW members on a specific topic or issue
Given the above, as we looked at various GROW TS positions, job-sharing had a real potential of causing confusion for GROW members and creating a heavier workload for the TS due to the extra communication that would be required with their job-share partner.
The Listkeeper and Greeter positions have been successful in job-sharing largely because their duties entail responding to specific requests and taking actions that do not require follow-up. The workload requires checking email several times each day; thus, the job-share approach gives team members a break. In addition, a listkeeper term is two years—a heavy daily workload without the team approach.
After reviewing all Trusted Servant positions, we found that one other position might benefit from job-sharing – that of 12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper. However, because that workload is relatively light, we question the value of adding a second position to that function.
For these reasons, we do not think it is necessary to submit a proposal or change GROW’s positions at this time. However, if a Trusted Servant should find that their workload is unmanageable (due to their own schedule or volume of activity within GROW), we agree that it would be appropriate for that TS to request job-sharing.
Prepared by our Listkeepers with input from our Greeters
and writing assistance from the Business Chair