A secondment is known as a process, where an employee or worker, who is working in a certain organization, temporarily shifts and starts to work at another organization. This shift in the job is done by the consensus of the employee, his current employer or organization, and the new employer or the hosting organization. The new organization, in which the employee is being transferred, can either be a private or public organization, a non-profit or charitable organization, or any government and federal organization.
Secondment can also be done within a single organization – in different departments. However, the process of secondment is more common within multiple organizations. The contract is made by the consensus of all the parties. Usually, the length of a secondment’s contract is between 3 months to 2 years.
Benefits of Secondment:
There are various benefits of secondment. These benefits are not only for the employee, the person who is being transferred. All the parties involved in this secondment contract enjoy various benefits respectively, whether it is the employee, the employer or the hosting organization. Following are some of the important benefits that are availed by all the parties respectively.
- 1. Benefits for the Employee:
Probably, the biggest beneficiary of the secondment’s contract is the employee, who is being transferred from one organization to the other. As secondment is usually done by the organizations that have flat organizational structures, and do not have the required level of potential for promotions and growth, the employee gets great benefit in shifting to a different organization.
One of the biggest advantages or benefits for the employee is that he becomes prone to enhance his skills, talent, capabilities and understanding of different things, when he is exposed to a different environment altogether. He gets transferred to a different organization; learns all the various tactics, strategies and tricks of the trade, without losing his actual job. He can then come back, after the stipulated time, to his organization as a more refined professional and an experienced head for others, with much more respect and skills.
- 2. Benefits for the Employer:
Employers are aware of the fact that their organization is not strong or complex enough to refine their employee’s skills. In order to give them the required level of knowledge, training and expertise, extensive workshops and resources need to be funded and spent. On the other hand, the process of secondment provides this opportunity by technically no cost at all.
The employer, who returns after completing his secondment period, can then share his expertise, knowledge and learning, which he got by working in the hosting organization. In this way, the training for the other staff members can be started with the least amount of resources spent.
- 3. Benefits for the Hosting Organization:
Along with the employee and the employer, the hosting organization also gets benefitted from this entire secondment process. There are two major benefits for the hosting organization. One of the most important benefits for the hosting organization is that it gets the service of a highly professional worker, who was chosen to nominate his former company in the secondment process. Another benefit is that by working with that employee, the hosting organization gets to know about the tricks and strategies of his organization. These strategies can then be applied in the hosting organization to mitigate any loopholes in the structure.
Secondment is beneficial for all the parties. The key here is to strike the right deal with the right people.