secondment

1 8.2

A temporary move of an employee to another job or office for a set time

noun
/sɪˈkɒndmənt/

: comisión

During her secondment at a different department, she gained valuable experience and skills.

Examples

Temporary secondment to Baker Productions.

Their Finest (2017)
Interpol has asked me to apply for a secondment.

Iamerica (2025)
He's back from his secondment.

AstroVan (2025)
Fitzharris & Price will be paying your salary while on secondment.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2012)
Miranda is a student on secondment from PsychStat.

Fiction book (1994)
As part of it, she will go on a six-month secondment later in the year, and she is due to complete her training in June 2011.

Academic text (2010)
After a successful review, her company offered her a six-month secondment to their London office.
He is currently enjoying his secondment with a non-profit organization in another country.

How Long

transfer

63 3.2

secondment

1 8.2

short-term job

1 3.0

Surface Forms

secondment singular

secondments plural

Morphology

secondment = second (semi-transparent) = second + ment

Morphologically a regular nominalization of the verb 'second' with '-ment', but the HR-specific meaning 'temporary transfer' is specialized and may not be predictable from the common senses of 'second'.

Etymology

The word secondment comes from the verb second, which originally meant 'to help' or 'support' someone, as when a person 'seconds' a proposal. So, a secondment is when an employee is 'sent' to another job for a time to help, gain experience, or share skills.