Secondment is a method of talent management with considerable power and strategic importance, using a flexible approach to meet organisational needs, while also building employee development. Secondment is defined as deploying an employee for a fixed term to specific roles or projects within another part of their own organisation, or to help another part of a completely different organisation. Secondment is also dynamic in that it serves as a bridge for the organisation that is addressing a temporary skills gap and for the employee who is gaining experience and developing skills, and an alternate perspective on their career.
Secondment is much more than a simple change to an alternative workspace; a strong and established secondment program is a speculative and forward-thinking investment in human capital. For the employee, secondment is an opportunity to learn on the job, pulling them out of their comfort zone, broadening their professional network, and building their career development and pace.
Secondment is an effective and straightforward method for organizations to share valuable organizational knowledge, foster internal collaboration among typically permanent departments or collaborating organizations, or, when such collaboration is unfeasible, to retain an individual in whom they have shown a significant investment for their long-term development. In an age of change, secondment can be a valuable catalyst for some fairly effortless talent redeployment.
A secondment is a temporary assignment of an employee in a different role with similar responsibilities, either within the organisation (internal secondment) or at a different organisation (external secondment). Secondments allow for employee learning while relieving the employer's stress due to a resource shortage.
During the secondment term, the employee (the "secondee") often maintains their employment contract and rights with their first company. There typically is a benefit to all, in that the employee receives professional development, the host organisation gets particular expertise in respect of a project, and the parent organisation receives back an employee with greater skills and experience. There will usually be secondment agreements identifying the arrangements, the length, and the responsibilities on all sides of the secondment. This clarifies arrangements, especially surrounding the employee's continuing employment relationship.
There are many possible strategic purposes of a secondment. Secondments are often created to fill long-term absences like maternity leave or to respond to special projects that require specific skills, or to enrich partnerships or relationships with client organisations. A recent survey found that over 60% of companies use these mobility-type programs to develop high-potential employees, reinforcing the significant vested expenditure and value in leadership pipelines and succession planning. This is all part of a proactive way to develop a more agile and resilient workforce.
Depending on the company and the type of temporary position, secondments can take many forms or structures. This knowledge enables organisations to select the best type of secondment to suit their needs.
This is the most frequently used secondment scenario and occurs when an employee transfers internally to apply their talents and skills to a different area of work, typically within the same organisation. It is an effective way to break down silos and barriers within organisations, to encourage cross-functional collaboration to foster employee appreciation for the opportunities that exist within the course of a vocation or profession.
In an external secondment, an employee is seconded to another organisation outside of their own for a brief loan. Employees can be seconded to an organisation that is either a client, supplier, partner organisation, or even to a not-for-profit organisation to strengthen relationships or share expertise. External secondments provide employees with the opportunity to be exposed to other business practices in their industry.
An international secondment occurs when the employee relocates (potentially) to a different country where the organisation has a role or position as an employee or in a partner organisation's international office. This secondment experience provides major benefits for employees to develop their global business behaviours, thinking (global business acumen), and is essential for those organisations that are or looking to standardise their practices across their global locations.
A successful secondment program will be established with a clear process for a consistent approach for all stakeholders, and to ensure everyone has clarity and positive outcomes. Each step is important to manage the associated expectations for all and to maximise the benefits associated with the temporary relocation to another work environment.
1.Accelerated Skill Development: A secondment offers a supported immersion into a new area or function, providing employees the opportunity to acquire valuable technical and soft skills in a much shorter time than formal training can. The employee's professional profile is ultimately improved and diversified.
2. Wider Professional Network: A secondment enables employees to build relationships with a wider variety of colleagues and industry contacts in a new team, department, or organisation. Ultimately these connections are a strong option for future opportunities for collaboration, referrals, and introductions.
3. Increases Job Satisfaction and Engagement: An employee's motivation and passion for their work can be rekindled by addressing a new challenge. According to Gallup research, highly engaged business units enjoy 41% lower absenteeism and 17% higher productivity , both of which a secondment can help to provide.
4.Career Path Investigation: A secondment represents a low-risk way of pursuing another pathway or specialization. The applied experience will help employees to more clearly articulate their future career goals and make a decision about their future direction, without committing to a new position.
5.Increased Visibility: Working for a different team on a strategic project adds visibility to the employee with the most senior management and stakeholders. This visibility enhances future pathways for new opportunities, mentorship, and consideration within leadership opportunities in the organization.
1.Increases Employee Retention: Investing in a secondment demonstrates to employees that the company values their development and well-being. LinkedIn research has shown that companies with strong internal mobility retain employees for an average of 5.4 years , which is almost double the time that companies without strong internal mobility retain employees.
2. Less Expensive Solution to Skill Gap: Secondment provides companies with a mechanism to temporarily fill resource or skill/opportunity gaps while also avoiding the costs associated with external recruitment. The secondment leverages existing talent, allows the company to keep institutional knowledge within the organisation, and addresses immediate business needs.
3. Access to New Knowledge and Innovation: When the employee returns to their home organisation, they return with new ideas, processes, and ways of thinking. This knowledge sharing creates a rich environment of ideas that can disrupt the status quo, spark new innovative ideas, and ultimately drive efficiencies in their home department and the organisation overall.
4.Strengthen Succession Planning: Secondments act as an excellent proving ground for high-potential employees. By placing these people in temporary roles that are demanding, the organisation has the opportunity to determine if they possess certain aspects of leadership potential and if they are ready for a senior position. Through this process, the organisation builds a more reliable succession pipeline for critical roles.
5.Supports a more agile workforce: Organisations that promote secondments cultivate a climate that is more adaptable, one that is agile and flexible as a workforce. Employees will become more accustomed to this change and further build on an array of skills, making the organisation as a whole nimbler in responding to changes in the market.
1.Disruption to the Home Team: When an employee temporarily departs the home team, the workflow is disrupted, and the workload is redistributed among the other remaining employees on the home team. Unless planned and backfilled, the healthy morale of an employee's original team can be diminished, and the remaining employees may face overwhelming workloads or the potential for burnout .
2. Difficulties with Reintegration: After a period in a new role, some employees may struggle to re-acclimate to their original role. Their new skills may not be used, they may feel disassociated from their previous team, or they may feel more disconnected from the home team's work culture, leading to abdication or disengagement even further down the road.
3. Possibility of Departing Employment: An external secondment can unceremoniously transform into a long-term job interview. Many employees can become so enamoured with the new environment and culture that, upon completion, they opt to remain and assume a permanent position inside the host organisation following the secondment.
4.Administrative Burden: The secondment increment is an additional administrative burden. Writing up secondment issues, communicating and working with the host organisation, and keeping track of employee pay and benefits during the secondment time. These administrative tasks take up both time and money in the company.
5.Potential for Conflict: Conflict may arise between the home organisation and host organisation over the employee's role, performance management, and the handling of any issues that occur during the secondment. This conflict can impact the relationships between organisations.
5.Cost of Backfill: To minimise the disruption from the absence of the employee, the home organisation may be required to hire a temporary replacement or a contractor. This will incur extra costs and potentially require a significant effort in terms of training and onboarding.
A detailed secondment agreement is important to protect all parties involved and to set defined expectations. It should be a legally binding agreement that spells out all the parts of the interim arrangement.
1.Duration and Termination Clause: The agreement should state the relevant start and end dates of the secondment. Preferably, a termination clause will be included that details the notice period and conditions for any party to terminate the arrangement early.
2.Roles and Responsibilities: This section should define the employee's job title , duties, reporting lines, and performance expectations in their role with the host organisation. This section should also clarify or direct the employee as to whether they have ongoing responsibilities to their parent employer.
3. Remuneration and Benefits: The policy should clarify how the employee will be paid during the secondment, such as who will be responsible for paying salaries, bonuses, and reimbursable expenses. The policy should also specify that benefits, for example, health insurance, pension contributions, and leave, will continue uninterrupted during the secondment.
4.Confidentiality and Intellectual Property: The agreement will need clauses to protect any sensitive information of both the parent and host organisation. The agreement should also clarify the ownership of any intellectual property that is created by the employee while seconded to the host organisation.
5.Performance Management Process: The agreement should specify how the secondee's performance will be managed and assessed. It must ensure, to the extent possible, that it specifies who will provide feedback and who will conduct reviews, the host manager, the parent manager or both. It must also detail how this performance will contribute to its record.
5.Right to Return and Reintegration: It is important to specify the employee's right to return to their original position or a similar position after they have finished. It is also important that the policy outlines the reintegration plan to assist in a smooth transition and to ensure that their new skills are properly utilised.
Secondment and deputation are commonly used interchangeably, although they are not the same. They are different in how they are usually used and how they are set up for employees.
| Basis of Difference | Secondment | Deputation |
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