My Jobsharing Journey · Blog

Jobsharing Pioneer in Germany

Forty years in stages: historical photos, documents, and milestones – from the thesis through Luxembourg and Maastricht to today's cross-generational tandems. The series is continuously expanded. (Last Update: October 2026)

1983 My Beginnings with Jobsharing

Pioneer in Germany: How It All Began

Jobsharing pioneer Marie Therese Musterfrau. From the first encounter with jobsharing to the diploma thesis – how my journey began in the 1980s

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1984 The Origins of Jobsharing

The Roots of Jobsharing

The roots of jobsharing – qualified part-time work. Where do the roots of jobsharing actually lie? How did this way of working come about in the first place? The earliest traces lead back to 1937 in the USA

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1985 A Field Report from the USA

First Experiences in the USA: Does Jobsharing Really Work?

Comprehensive findings on jobsharing in the USA in 1978

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Office scene in the USA, 1970sAI generated
1986 Fellowship at the European Parliament

Jobsharing in Europe: A Fellowship at the European Parliament

To what extent was job sharing already known in Europe in the 1980s? My research and the report I prepared for the European Parliament offer some answers.

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© Photo by Marie-Therese Herbers, Bâtiment Schuman, Luxembourg, 1986
1987 From Luxembourg to European Cooperation

The First Steps Towards European Cooperation – EURO-TZA

During my Robert Schuman Fellowship at the European Parliament, I realised that job sharing and new forms of part-time work needed a European perspective. This insight inspired the idea of bringing people, researchers and organisations together across national borders – the first step towards EURO-TZA.

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A letter from London, 21 April 1987 – Jo wanted to help build the European job-sharing network. © Marie-Therese Herbers
1987 Towards the Founding of EURO-TZA

From Early Supporters to European Cooperation

Conversations with researchers and key figures in the world of work strengthened my conviction in 1987: job sharing needed greater collaboration and the exchange of experience across national borders. What began with early supporters and a shared idea eventually led to the founding of EURO-TZA e.V. – the European Cooperation for the Promotion of New Forms of Part-Time Work.

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Köln © ravi-tripathi-27UG-uqd2e8-unsplash
1987 29 October 1987 – A European Network Takes Shape

The Founding of EURO-TZA e.V.

From idea to reality: on 29 October 1987, together with committed economists at the University of Oldenburg, I founded EURO-TZA e.V. – the European Cooperation for the Promotion of New Forms of Part-Time Work. This began a new chapter of my journey for jobsharing and European cooperation

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© my own photograph, Marie-Therese Herbers – Board of the association EURO-TZA e.V., from left to right: Marie-Therese Herbers, Jörg-Rüdiger Fischbeck, Doris Klaus, Jürgen Soppart
1987 A network of nine European countries

A European Network Takes Shape: The First Letters

Two letters from different countries and commitments from representatives of eight European countries made it clear: the idea of cross-border cooperation on jobsharing had found its first supporters.

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Nine people from Europe promoting jobsharingAI generated
1988 The First International Research Discussion

From Oldenburg to Düsseldorf and on to Maastricht

From Luxembourg to Maastricht: A Dutch friend, a shared interest in job sharing and new research contacts opened up the next chapter of my journey.

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Maastricht

The series is continuously expanded – each entry with a title image, text and graphics.