Secondment or temporary staffing: what fits an SME project?

In an SME, temporary cover is often the first reflex: there is work, no permanent seat is open, and you want someone who can join quickly. Temporary staffing and secondment both do that. They differ mainly in how long the assignment is meant to run, how specialised the work is, and how fixed you want that agreement to be.

That choice does not have to live in a job ad. It starts with what the person must deliver — and until when.

What temporary staffing does

With temporary staffing, the person is employed by the bureau and works at your site. You direct the work. The bureau is the employer: contract, pay, and replacement where agreed.

Temporary staffing fits flexible capacity: often shorter, with broader roles, when the need may still shift. Duration is usually weeks to a few months, with room to extend if the work continues.

What secondment does

With secondment, employment also stays with the bureau, but the assignment is usually longer and more sharply scoped. You want someone with specialist skill for a project, a peak with clear scope, or a role that runs for months without being a permanent hire today.

Secondment fits when specialism matters: not only “someone who can help”, but someone who must carry a concrete assignment.

How to make the choice

Three questions are usually enough. How long do you really need this person? How specialised is the work? And do you mainly want room to end or extend, or a fixed assignment through to an end point?

If the answers are still open, start with the brief. What must this person deliver, for how long — then the form follows. Bridly starts there: less noise in the question, a sharper match in the shortlist.