INTHEBLACK November 2021 - Magazine - Page 53
STORY AMANDA WOODARD
SUCCESSFUL
SECONDMENTS
S E C O N D M E N T S C A N B E A L I F E - C H A N G I N G O P P O R T U N I T Y. A
S E C O N D M E N T – T H E C H A N C E T O T E M P O R A R I LY W O R K I N A D I F F E R E N T
R O L E , D E PA R T M E N T O R O R G A N I S AT I O N – C A N H AV E P R A C T I C A L A N D
I M M E D I AT E B E N E F I T S F O R B O T H S TA F F A N D E M P L O Y E R S .
D
uring the pandemic, secondments have grown
in importance, as companies concentrate
on building the skills of their existing staff
in order to keep valuable employees in the
business or because talent from abroad is unavailable.
“Australia is a popular destination and, over the years,
we have been the beneficiary of that, easily attracting
people to come and work here, says Catherine Walsh,
partner and head of people and culture with PwC
Australia. “But COVID-19 has created a whole range
of challenges for our resourcing levels and how many
qualified people we have available to do the work.”
Secondments have provided a solution for the
organisation, while conferring numerous benefits to
staff members, as “one of those great stepping stones”
at critical points on their career journeys.
“When we have an experience that takes us out of
our comfort zone, people grow and develop and learn.
We find people come back with greater insight and
perspective, and often with greater technical skills,”
Walsh says.
One example is Maria Wozny, associate director of
infrastructure advisory at PwC Australia, who has been
seconded to the team working on South Australia’s
flagship contract with Tesla to build the world’s largest
lithium-ion battery system.
Wozny says being seconded to another team led her
to discover a passion for infrastructure projects she
AT A
GLANCE
A secondment can
offer an individual the
opportunity to step out
of their comfort zone
and build their skills.
Throughout the
pandemic, businesses
have come to see the
value of a secondment
program even when it
is conducted remotely.
Employees participating
in secondment programs
have reported increased
confidence, a greater
ability to adapt to
change and increased
resilience to stress.
didn’t know she had. It was the difference between
“fitting in” and “belonging” in terms of how she felt
about her career.
“Across my career, I’ve worked with many different
teams, did short-term rotations and long-term
secondments. I can definitely see how this helped me
figure out what I want to do and how, step by step, it
led me closer to this place, where I enjoy my work on
a daily basis,” Wozny says.
SECONDMENTS IN LOCKDOWN
Like all other aspects of business, secondments have
been affected by physical distancing and limitations
imposed by COVID-19.
However, secondments have proven valuable even
when they are conducted remotely.
Westpac’s long-running Jawun Indigenous
secondment program transitioned to a virtual
model in 2020.
For two decades, about 950 employees have put
their hand up to work in Indigenous community
organisations on six-week regional, urban and
remote secondments.
UPSKILL NOW
Discover CPA Australia’s
Micro-credentials
intheblack.com November 2021 53