Temporary work arrangements can help employers respond to staffing needs while giving employees opportunities to gain experience in a different role or setting.
For employers, understanding the secondment meaning is important because these temporary moves require clear expectations, responsibilities, and planning.
This blog explains how secondment works, what HR teams should consider, and the key workplace implications employers should know.
What is a Secondment?
A secondment is a temporary assignment in which an employee leaves their usual role for an agreed period to work in another department, office, position, or organization before returning to their original employer.
Secondments may be internal, where an employee moves within the same organization, or external, where they temporarily work with another organization.
Employers commonly use secondments to fill short-term staffing gaps, bring specialized skills to projects, develop employees for future roles, and encourage collaboration.
How Does a Secondment Work?
A secondment normally begins when an employer identifies a temporary staffing, project, or development requirement.
Step 1: Define the Assignment
The employer should clearly identify why the secondment is required.
This includes defining the employee’s duties, objectives, workplace, reporting manager, and expected outcomes.
Employers should also specify a start date and expected end date. Clear objectives make it easier to evaluate whether the assignment is meeting its intended purpose and reduce confusion for the employee.
Step 2: Establish the Duration
Secondments should have a defined period rather than remaining open-ended. The length can range from several weeks to a year or longer, depending on the purpose.
Employers should also consider tax consequences.
IRS guidance generally treats an assignment at one location as temporary when it is realistically expected to last, and does last, for one year or less.
Step 3: Create a Written Agreement
A written agreement should explain the conditions of the secondment, drawing on the core sections covered in this employee contract writing guide.
It can cover duties, salary, benefits, work schedule, supervision, leave, travel expenses, confidentiality, performance reviews, and return arrangements.
OPM guidance for certain federal temporary assignments also requires written agreements that establish responsibilities and assignment conditions.
Step 4: Confirm Reporting Responsibilities
Employees should know who manages their daily work and who has authority over employment decisions.
The receiving manager may supervise tasks while the original employer continues handling payroll, benefits, disciplinary matters, or other HR responsibilities.
Establishing these boundaries before the secondment begins helps prevent conflicting instructions and ensures employees know where to raise questions or workplace concerns.
Step 5: Plan the Employee’s Return
Discuss return arrangements before the employee leaves their original position.
Employers should state whether the employee will return to the same job or a comparable position. Planning early reduces uncertainty and allows managers to prepare for the employee’s return.
It also helps employees understand how the skills gained during the secondment may fit into their future responsibilities.
Management Considerations for a Secondment
HR teams and managers need to consider how the employment relationship will operate throughout the assignment.
- Compensation and Benefits: Confirm how salary, bonuses, leave, health coverage, retirement contributions, and other benefits will be handled during the secondment.
- Performance Management: Specify who will set goals, provide feedback, conduct reviews, and share performance information between both organizations.
- Expenses and Travel: Clarify responsibility for travel, accommodation, meals, transportation, and relocation costs, while considering any applicable tax implications.
- Workplace Policies: Explain which rules apply regarding attendance, remote work, confidentiality, safety, harassment reporting, data protection, and workplace conduct; these are the categories a well-built employee handbook template should cover from the start.
- Communication: Maintain regular contact with the seconded employee, especially during longer assignments, to keep them informed about changes within their original team or organization.
Workplace Implications of Secondment
Secondments can affect workload, legal responsibilities, team structures, employee development, and workplace relationships.
|
Consideration |
What Employers Should Address |
|---|---|
|
Employment Responsibility |
Clarify which organization controls daily work and which retains responsibility for employment matters. |
|
Effect on Original Team |
Plan for staffing gaps by redistributing work, adjusting deadlines, or arranging temporary support. |
|
Employee Development |
Connect the secondment to learning goals, new skills, leadership exposure, or career development. |
|
Workplace Relationships |
Explain the receiving team’s structure, expectations, reporting lines, and working methods. |
|
Return-to-Role Expectations |
Confirm the employee’s expected return position and communicate any changes that arise during the assignment. |
What Should a Secondment Agreement Include?
A secondment agreement gives employers, employees, and receiving organizations a shared understanding of how the arrangement will operate. The document should reflect the specific assignment rather than relying on informal discussions.
Assignment Details
The agreement should state the assignment’s purpose, start date, expected end date, work location, duties, and reporting structure.
It should also explain how the extend the secondment or end it early. Defining these terms prevents the temporary assignment from continuing indefinitely without review.
Employment Terms
Employers should document salary, benefits, leave, work hours, bonuses, expense reimbursement, and any temporary allowances.
The agreement should identify which organization is responsible for each payment or employment-related obligation. Clearly explain any temporary changes to existing employment terms.
Confidentiality and Information Security
External or cross-department secondments may give employees access to information that was not available in their original role.
Employers should identify applicable confidentiality, intellectual property, privacy, and information-security obligations.
Ending the Secondment
The agreement should explain what happens when the assignment reaches its scheduled end date and whether either party can end it earlier. It should also state what position the employee is expected to return to.
Having a documented exit process makes the transition easier for both the employee and the employer.
Final Thoughts
Understanding secondment meaning can be a useful staffing and development option when it is planned carefully.
Employers should clearly define the purpose, duration, responsibilities, reporting structure, compensation, and return arrangements before the assignment begins.
A written agreement helps prevent confusion and ensures both the employer and employee understand their responsibilities.
Before starting a secondment, review the arrangement carefully. Make sure all key terms are documented, communicated, and agreed upon so the assignment runs smoothly from beginning to end.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a secondment the same as a transfer?
No. A transfer is permanent. A secondment has a set end date and a plan for the employee to return to their original employer or role.
Who pays a seconded employee’s salary?
Usually the original employer. The receiving side may cover part of the cost if the agreement says so. Put this in writing. Don’t assume it.
Can an employee refuse a secondment?
It depends on the employment contract and whether the change is fair. Most employers treat secondments as a choice and work out terms instead of ordering the move.
