Secondment definition
A secondment is a temporary arrangement in which an employee works in another role, team, organization, or location while usually retaining a connection to their original employer or position. Its terms, duration, reporting line, and return arrangements should be explicitly agreed.
The two handovers in a secondment
A secondment normally needs a handover out of the employee's current role and another at the end of the assignment. Before it begins, the home team decides what pauses, what transfers, and who has authority. The host team provides role context, access, relationships, and expected outcomes.
During the assignment, useful learning should be captured without breaching confidentiality or moving information beyond its permitted audience. Before the end, the employee transfers active host work and prepares for changes that occurred in the home role.
A security specialist joins a transformation program
A security specialist is seconded to a twelve-month cloud program. A colleague assumes routine reviews, while the security director retains approval for high-risk exceptions. The host program defines the specialist's decision rights and connects them with architecture and procurement leads.
The specialist maintains a sanitized decision log of reusable lessons. Before returning, they hand active program risks to a successor and receive a briefing on changed policies, team members, and priorities in the security function.
Where secondment arrangements create confusion
Secondments fail when the employee effectively keeps two full jobs, when home and host managers give competing instructions, or when no one plans the return. Informal arrangements also create uncertainty about appraisal, access, confidentiality, and ownership.
Define the operating agreement before work starts and review it if dates or scope change. Keep sensitive employment terms in the appropriate HR record; the operational handover should contain only what people need to perform and coordinate the work.
Related terms for temporary role changes
Internal mobility is the broader movement of employees within an organization. Redeployment often responds to a changing or unsuitable role, while a leave of absence transfers work because the employee is unavailable. Knowledge retention helps the organization keep lessons gained during the assignment.
Frequently asked questions
What is an example of a secondment?
A finance manager may spend six months with a transformation team, temporarily transferring their usual responsibilities to a deputy before returning to the finance function.
How is a secondment different from an internal transfer?
A secondment is usually temporary and includes an expected end or return arrangement. An internal transfer is often open-ended or permanent, although terminology and contractual treatment vary.
What should a secondment plan include?
It should cover objectives, duration, reporting, responsibilities, decision authority, pay or employment arrangements where relevant, confidentiality, ownership of the employee's previous work, and the process for return or next steps.