Secondment

Secondment is a temporary assignment of an employee to another team, department, or organization while the individual remains employed by the original employer. It is used for skills transfer, project delivery, or professional development without a permanent change of employer.

What is Secondment

A secondment is formalised through an agreement that sets the duration, reporting lines, objectives, salary responsibility, and return conditions. It can be internal between departments or external between partner organisations and may be full time or part time.

How Does it Work

HR, legal and payroll teams coordinate to create a secondment agreement, address benefits and insurance, and document performance expectations. Cross-border secondments need additional checks for visas, social security and tax rules.

Practical uses in HR, recruitment and workforce management include:

• Developing high potential staff via placements in other teams.
• Providing specialist support for time limited projects.
• Loaning staff to a partner organisation for collaboration or capacity support.
• Maintaining operations during hiring freezes or restructures.

Related HR Concepts

Related terms include secondment agreement, internal mobility, temporary assignment, talent mobility, secondee, payroll implications and cross border deployment.