Understanding Secondments
Understanding Secondments
A secondment is a strategic temporary assignment where an employee works in a different role while keeping the employment relationship, benefits and compensation structure with their original employer. These setups can happen within the same company (with what is called an internal secondment) or with a separate host organization (external secondment).
The seconded employee usually takes on specific projects or responsibilities for a determined secondment period before coming back to their original role, hopefully bringing valuable new points of view and capabilities. Unlike a temporary transfer or job rotation, a secondment maintains a clear connection to the employee's primary position.
Optimal Timing for Secondment Opportunities
Organizations create a formal secondment program for various strategic reasons, with the ultimate goal of creating a mutual beneficial situation for all parties involved. While smaller companies may find secondments challenging to coordinate, they become more and more valuable as companies grow and develop more specialized departments that benefit more from secondments.
Common scenarios where secondments are particularly effective:
Accelerating professional development and skill development, and building specialized capabilities
Covering extended absences such as parental leave
Preventing redundancies during organizational changes
Retaining talented workers while allowing external experiences
Leveraging specialized expertise across departments or organizations
Types of Secondments
There are several types of secondments that organizations might take into consideration:
Cross-departmental secondment: A temporary move between departments within the same company
External secondment: Moving from your organization to a different company or host employer for a certain amount of time
International secondment: Placement in an overseas office or partner organization
Non-profit secondments: Temporary assignments with charitable organizations
Client secondment: Working directly with a client organization for a specified period can be both useful for the employee and building a relationship with the client
Real-World Secondment Examples
Examples of secondment:
Cross-Functional Knowledge Exchange: A sales person temporarily joins the marketing department to align campaign strategies with field insights while also getting a deeper understanding of the company processes and creative approaches from the marketing team.
Company to Company Expertise Sharing: A senior manager from one company spends time at another to improve and hone their practices. The secondee provides established expertise while gaining experience themselves in different operational contexts to their usual.
Specialized Skill Deployment: A learning specialist temporarily joins a host organization to revamp their training programs. This arrangement can give immediate value to the host while also providing the secondee with implementation experience directly in the field.
Implementing Effective Secondment Programs
Whether initiated through formal applications for secondment or direct selection, successful secondments need thoughtful planning and clear agreements between employees and the HR team. The following framework helps all parties benefit from the arrangement:
1. Establishing Clear Timeframes
Effective secondments typically last several months to a year. Predetermined durations with specific start and end dates help all parties plan and set realistic expectations for the temporary assignment.
2. Defining Employment Relationships
Most commonly, the original employer maintains the employment relationship, continuing their salary payments and benefits administration. However, you could have alternative arrangements where the host organization temporarily assumes employment responsibilities. The secondment agreement must address these relationships explicitly to prevent misunderstandings and protect employment rights at all times.
3. Addressing Financial Considerations
Secondments often involve additional responsibilities warranting compensation adjustments. Organizations should consider:
Potential salary adjustments reflecting expanded responsibilities
Relocation expenses for international secondment arrangements
Training costs if necessary to prepare the secondee for their temporary role
Clear communication about the financial arrangements between all parties
4. Specifying Role Responsibilities
A comprehensive secondment agreement should give details on:
Which original responsibilities continue during the secondment
New duties and deliverables in the new temporary role
Reporting relationships for both organizations
Performance evaluation mechanisms during the defined secondment period
5. Managing Potential Conflicts
Establish measures for finding and addressing conflicts of interest that may come up during the secondment. Create reporting channels and resolution processes that protect all parties involved.
6. Safeguarding Confidential Information
Develop robust confidentiality agreements that addresses:
Protection of the original employer's sensitive information and data
Safeguarding the host organization's proprietary knowledge
Clear boundaries regarding what information can be shared upon return and with who
Signed confidentiality commitments before the secondment begins
Weighing Advantages Against Challenges
Secondments offer several benefits but also challenges that should be taken into account:
Advantages | Challenges |
|---|---|
Enhanced retention: Secondments foster better organizational connection and investment, encouraging long-term commitment from your talent. | Adaptation difficulties: Some employees need significant adjustment time in new environments, potentially reducing efficiency of the secondment. |
Strengthened organizational cohesion: Knowledge exchange builds understanding between departments, improving collaboration and breaking down certain silos | Readjustment concerns: Returning to original roles can present challenges as secondees reacclimate to an environment potentially forgotten. |
Flexible resource allocation: Secondments provide specialized capabilities to areas need a certain expertise at a certain time. | Workload management: Balancing ongoing administrative responsibilities from the original role with new secondment duties can create overload or burnout. |
Reduced burnout risk: Temporary role changes provide refreshing new challenges that can reinvigorate employees that are stagnating | Work-life balance disruption: The learning curve and dual responsibilities could increase demands on secondees' time and energy |
Optimized talent utilization: Secondments allow companies to deploy capabilities where they create max value while developing transferable skills. | Knowledge transfer challenges: Ensuring that learning from secondments successfully transfers back to the original department needs planning and isn't a given |
Common Questions About Secondments
What Does Secondment Mean in Professional Contexts?
Secondment refers to a temporary assignment where employees work in different roles or companies while keeping their employment relationship with their original employer.
Who Typically Covers Salary During Secondments?
In most setups, the original employer continues paying the salary unless the secondment agreement specifies that this responsibility to the host organization.
What Key Benefits Do Secondments Provide?
Strategic secondments deliver many advantages:
Increased talent retention through expanded development opportunities
Enhanced cross-functional understanding and collaboration
Targeted expertise deployment to high-priority initiatives
Renewed engagement through varied experiences
More effective workforce utilization
How Is Secondment Different From Other Employment Types?
Secondment are a temporary arrangement with defined rules and duration, distinguishing it from permanent transfers, contract work, or standard employment relationships. Unlike job rotation, which usually involves planned movement through multiple positions, secondments look at specific skill development or knowledge exchange opportunities.
What Does Secondment Mean in Professional Contexts?
Secondment refers to a temporary assignment where employees work in different roles or companies while keeping their employment relationship with their original employer.
Who Typically Covers Salary During Secondments?
In most setups, the original employer continues paying the salary unless the secondment agreement specifies that this responsibility to the host organization.
What Key Benefits Do Secondments Provide?
Strategic secondments deliver many advantages:
Increased talent retention through expanded development opportunities
Enhanced cross-functional understanding and collaboration
Targeted expertise deployment to high-priority initiatives
Renewed engagement through varied experiences
More effective workforce utilization
How Is Secondment Different From Other Employment Types?
Secondment are a temporary arrangement with defined rules and duration, distinguishing it from permanent transfers, contract work, or standard employment relationships. Unlike job rotation, which usually involves planned movement through multiple positions, secondments look at specific skill development or knowledge exchange opportunities.
Maximizing Workforce Development Through Strategic Mobility
Thoughtfully structured secondments create ideal environments for skill development while deploying talent where it delivers max value for the company.
Identifying the right candidates and opportunities requires robust performance management reviews. Humaans provides comprehensive tools to facilitate performance reviews, development discussions, and goal-setting that can identify ideal secondment candidates and track their progress.
By implementing well-designed secondment programs supported by appropriate technology and clear agreements, companies can create powerful development pathways that benefit individual employees while strengthening the company's capabilities.
Book a demo to discover how Humaans can support your organization's talent mobility and development initiatives.
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