Staff Secondments (Temporary Personnel Loans)

Purpose

The purpose of this page is to clarify how KI manages Staff Secondments (Temporary Personnel Loans), meaning the temporary lending or borrowing of staff between government agencies.
Staff secondments are a tool to strengthen KI’s strategic workforce planning, contribute to competence development, and promote collaboration within the public sector.

Scope

This policy applies to all employees at Karolinska Institutet and covers only staff secondments between government agencies. It does not apply to assignments, consultancy services, or employment with other organisations.

Definition

A staff secondment means that an employee, for a limited period, performs work at another agency while remaining employed by KI, or is borrowed by KI from another authority where they remain employed. Staff secondments take place within the framework of the employee’s duty to work, are generally based on voluntariness, and normally last no longer than six months.

Basic Principles

• Staff secondments (personnel loans) must always have a clear and documented purpose, such as competence development, temporary resource needs, or support in a crisis situation.
• An agreement on the staff secondment must be concluded between KI and the other authority. The agreement shall regulate responsibilities, costs, work environment issues, and other practical matters.
• The loaned employee remains covered by the primary employer’s terms of employment, collective agreements, and insurance.
• The lending authority retains the overall employer responsibility, while the borrowing authority is responsible for the day-to-day work environment.
• Decisions on staff secondments are made by the immediate manager with delegated authority to decide on personnel matters, following dialogue with HR.
• Staff secondments normally last up to six months. In exceptional cases, an extension may be granted following a new assessment.

Responsibilities and Roles

• Managers are responsible for assessing needs and suitability and for initiating contact with HR.
• Local HR is responsible for providing support in the process, ensuring the agreement, and managing consultation with trade union organisations. Local HR is also expected to ensure that all cases are registered and recorded with the registrar.
• Employees participating in a personnel loan are responsible for being aware of the terms and conditions, following applicable routines, and contributing to experience feedback after the loan has ended.

Agreements

At present, KI has agreements in place with the Public Health Agency of Sweden (Folkhälsomyndigheten) and Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency (Myndigheten för civilt försvar). In the future, agreements with additional goverment authorities may be established.