The university is committed to developing its staff. Secondments are a valuable tool for individual career development and for developing an organisation's skills. A ‘secondment’ is the temporary move or ‘loan’ of a member of staff. The university takes equality of opportunity seriously and has an equality framework applicable to staff to promote and ensure it. Implementation of this policy must be clear, transparent, and free of any unfair or discriminatory practices.
Line managers and supervisors are required to familiarise themselves with and understand this policy.
Guidance for staff and managers
- Who is eligible?
- What types of secondments are there?
- How can I request a secondment?
- Who is the line manager?
- What happens at the end of the secondment?
All staff members will be eligible to request a secondment. It is normally expected that staff will have completed 6 months’ service on the date the request is made.
Members of staff will not normally be permitted to undertake a secondment during their probationary period or training and development review period. However, the probation/training and development review period will count towards the above qualifying service period for a secondment.
All matters relating to eligibility may be subject to variation at departmental/divisional level.
There are three secondment types: available as set out below:
- Internal - between different university departments/divisions or within the member of staff’s own department/division
- External Secondment (Outward) - from Imperial university to an external organisation
- External Secondment (Inward) - from an external organisation to Imperial
For all types of secondment, all parties must be clear about their obligations, expectations, accountabilities and objectives
Members of staff wishing to apply for secondments should discuss this with their line manager before making an application. Approval for a secondment must be given by the member of staff’s current line manager before it can proceed. Should approval not be given, there is no right of appeal against this decision.
Managers should give serious consideration to a request for secondment, and, where they are unable to approve it, they should discuss the reasons with the member of staff concerned.
On a day-to-day basis, the member of staff will report to and be managed by the line manager for the seconded post. Any management issues during the secondment will be dealt with in consultation with the substantive department.
Before a secondment is due to finish and the member of staff returns to their substantive post, it is advised that a meeting be arranged between the individual and their line manager (in their substantive post) at least one month before the return date.
The purpose of the meeting is to ensure that both the line manager and the individual are up to date on any developments and issues before the individual returns. The meeting might also include clarifying the role and responsibilities, setting objectives, and discussing how any new skills can be used.