Secondments
A secondment is the assignment of a member of one organisation to another organisation for a temporary period. The employee typically retains their salary and other employment rights from their primary organisation but they work closely within the other organisation to provide training and the sharing of experience.
Secondment is a more formal type of job rotation and is not to be confused with temporary work. Secondments may also occur internally where an employee temporarily moves from one team or Service to another for a limited period of time and to undertake a specific project.
North Lanarkshire Council recognises that secondments offer an excellent professional development opportunity to gain new skills, or develop skills you already have in a new context.
Where an employee takes on a role in another organisation, it is important that the line manager speaks to the HR Business Partner team in the first instance to allow for the preparation of a secondment agreement. The secondment agreement will specify all details including the duration of the secondment and agreed approaches to confidentiality, conduct and performance management. During the period of the secondment, the employee will continue to accrue service with North Lanarkshire Council.
Temporary Employment
The council recognises that, from time to time, employees in permanent roles may wish to apply for temporary positions which they consider will help with their professional development but may be prevented from doing so from fear of relinquishing their permanent role.
While it is also recognised that a Service cannot continue to run with a temporary “backfill” position on an indefinite basis, the council wants to support employees to apply for temporary positions in the knowledge that they will be able to return to their permanent substantive roles (subject to certain criteria).
To this end, it has been agreed by the Corporate Management Team that employees will be able to apply for temporary positions in the knowledge that their substantive post will be held for them with a right to revert for up to two years.
If, at the two year point, the employee wishes to return to their substantive post they should do so. If at the two year point, the employee does not wish to return to their substantive post then their right to revert will be relinquished.
Further advice on this matter can be sought from the HR Business Partner team.