To apply for 12 month secondment in new job?

[Ihatemynewcandle]

I’ve been in my job 10 months and have just passed my probation and had very positive feedback. My manager says often she doesn’t know what she’d do without me.

An amazing 12 month opportunity has come up - it’s a maternity cover role. A step up and something I’m very qualified to do in an area that I have a lot of experience in.

I could very probably incorporate an element of my existing role to ensure continuity.

Would I be U to apply for this and can my manager ask me not to?

Sorry should clarify the opportunity is within my team.

Definitely apply!

Apply.

No they can't ask you not to

No harm in asking

Thank you! If my manager does say she’d rather I didn’t... what do I do?

You sell it to her - better have you that she already knows, easier to backfill the lower position etc etc.

Go for it

Thanks for encouragement. I guess I’m also worried that if I go for it and don’t get it my manager will question my commitment to my current role.

Definitely go for it. When you said new job I thought you were going to say a couple of months. 10 months is nearly a year.
In my job you do need management go ahead to apply for secondments but it’s worth an ask. Good luck!

Go for it , I got a temp promotion two months after I joined civil service

Thank you! Not sure if I need official permission to go for it - I will find out tomorrow from HR.

Do you need your manager's agreement to apply for a secondment? You do where I work. Being a manager myself though I would support my staff and try my best to make it work. Good for their development and morale.

I had an excellent admin assistant who was in a challenging but not well paid role (civil service). She applied for a temporary position in a higher classification.

We had trouble finding people to do her role as it involved telephone work with sometimes very difficult and angry people. We had one person who lasted only a week!

I really wanted to give her the chance but HR said they would not approve it. I had to tell her no.

Some months later she left for a job in a higher classification in another government agency.

I felt awful and we lost an excellent employee. If I could, I would support you if I could but there are no guarantees. It depends really on how easy backfilling your job is.

We have also had long hiring freezes subject only to ministerial approval. Really terrible for planning and coverage.