How to go on secondment
By Nathalie Towner
A secondment is a great opportunity to temporarily transfer to another department or even to another organisation. It’s generally viewed as great for career development. The secondee will be exposed to new experiences they would never get in their substantive post. Although taking a secondment is often an excellent long-term career move, it does need to be well thought through.
1 How does a secondment work?
A secondment will have a fixed beginning and end with the employee going back to their original job once it’s over. There is no time limit: it can last from as little as two weeks to well over a year and you will usually be expected to fulfill a set task or project. “You can either go internally or to an outside organisation such as the government or a charity,” explains Angela Baron, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development adviser. “It is normally done to motivate people and to develop careers.”
2 Supportive boss needed
Dave Sargeant, area director for adults and community care services for south west Surrey, has successfully completed two secondments and says it is crucial to have the support of your employer. “I had a very supportive line manager who saw it as a good personal opportunity and also great for the organisation,” he said. “The organisation would gain as I was going into the health service and would then be able to help with partnership working.”
3 When is a good time?
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s Baron recommends considering secondment after you have been in your current job for a minimum of two years. Sargeant had been in his post as director of mental health services for five years and was ready for a new challenge. “I had always worked in social services, starting out as a mental health social worker, and I saw a secondment to a partnership organisation (the NHS) as an opportunity to refresh my career.”
4 High expectations
In both instances Sargeant took on challenging secondments: his first post was as director of strategic partnership to East Surrey Health Authority and the second as chief executive of East Surrey Primary Care Group with the project brief of merging the organisation and creating a primary care trust. “It’s not like a normal job: you’re expected to come in running,” he said. “You don’t have two to three months to ease yourself in.”
5 Transferring skills
The secondee will have a real opportunity to grow and develop new
skills. “I learnt a lot about project management in the NHS
and and as a result of the secondment I went up several notches in
this area and it is now very valuable in my current role,”
says Sargeant. It also works the other way round and secondees can
apply skills from their social services background to the new
environment. “In social care we value the process of engaging
people and explaining how and why something is done and I was able
to use this experience to get people involved during my
secondment.”
5 Going back
“The return has to be carefully managed,” advises Baron. “You can come back revitalised, keen to get on with more training but if you were bored before you left you will be bored on your return.” Sargeant knew that on his return he would be looking for a promotion or new opportunity and he was fortunate that as a result of restructuring he could apply for his current post. “My success in getting this job was as a result of my secondment: it really added to my career prospects,” he says.
6 Do it for the right reasons
“Have a career plan and consider how a secondment will
help you further it,” says Sargeant. “Don’t just
do it for a change: you will have to work hard and the new employer
will expect you to deliver but for me it was a very postive
experience and I’d really recommend it.”
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