10 A short-term developmental assignment (STDA) is an assignment of a limited duration (from one to six months) which has a learning and development purpose for the staff member. It can imply either a temporary geographical or functional move or both and can take place in the same or in another duty-station on a part-time (e.g. a special project or initiative within another unit) or full-time basis. Administratively, it consists of a temporary loan from the releasing unit to the receiving unit and entails the staff member’s right of return to their previous job.
20 STDAs aim to encourage opportunities for staff to enhance their skills and gain diverse experiences by broadening exposure in different work environments.
30 STDAs are one of the measures which support Pillar II of the HR Strategy, “Retaining talent” and of the
Corporate Framework for Learning and Development, particularly
Objective 2, “To support Staff Development: career paths and learning pathways”.
40 The present policy provides the framework and the practical modalities for STDAs to take place.
50 The purpose of a STDA is twofold:
- To foster staff’s professional development by providing them with exposure to other offices or different jobs, within or outside their duty station/Major Office, thus broadening their experience (this may also include improvement of their language skills); and
- To promote organizational learning, by facilitating the exchange of knowledge, experience, ideas and best practices within and among WHO offices.
60 STDAs are expected to benefit both the Organization and staff members.
70 In order to ensure an appropriate developmental opportunity, the supervisors who receive the staff member on a STDA (i.e., receiving supervisors) should focus on the skills and experience that the STDA will provide to the incoming staff member. At the same time, the staff member should express to their current supervisor (i.e., releasing supervisor) why these skills and experience will be beneficial to their development and their home unit.
Benefits to the Organization:
- Possibility to address temporary needs, including to fill-in for positions suddenly left vacant by a staff member;
- Development of internal talent through job enrichment and enhancement;
- Improvement of processes, development of networks and enhancement of consistency across WHO through the exchange experiences, knowledge and skills between offices;
- Promotion of and support to functional and geographical mobility.
Benefits for staff:
- Job enhancement and enrichment;
- Facilitates change of mindset and perspective in viewing geographical and functional mobility as an opportunity for growth and development;
- Learning and skills enhancement;
- Potential future professional and career development opportunities.
Scope of application
80 The present policy applies only to WHO staff members holding continuing and fixed-term appointments in all staff categories, i.e. international professional category at the P and D level (IPs), National Professional Officers category (NPOs) and General Service category (GS), who are willing to take up a STDA as a developmental and learning opportunity. The voluntary nature and the right and principal obligation to return to the previous job and/or duty station for at least the same duration as the STDA are key factors of the STDA model.
90 This policy does not apply to:
- Interns, JPOs and seconded staff;
- Individuals employed under non-staff contractual modalities and
- Individuals holding temporary appointments.
100 This policy does not substitute but precludes the simultaneous application of:
- Staff Regulation 1.2, placing staff members under the authority of the Director-General and to assignments at their discretion in the interest of the Organization;
- Staff Rule 320.4 on acting arrangements; and
- The decision to temporarily deploy staff members for emergency response, whether in the context of the emergency roster or outside.
- Other types of temporary loan arrangements.
Types of assignment
110 STDAs are short-term work assignments which provide opportunities to cooperate in a programme or to provide support for a limited period of time without a permanent or long-term move. STDAs do not entail a reassignment to a different position and do not qualify for entitlements other than those associated with the staff member’s current contract and position type.
120 The following types of STDAs could be envisaged:
- Short-term assignments in the same duty-station;
- Short-term assignments in another duty-station;
- Short-term assignments through job swaps of two staff members at the same grade in two different units in the same duty station or in a different duty-station.
When travel restrictions are in place, STDAs can also take place remotely provided that the work environment, the time difference and the nature of the tasks to be performed allow it.
130 In order to be eligible, staff members must:
- Have served in their current fixed term position for at least two years;
- Hold a continuing or a fixed-term appointment which is expected to continue for at least six months after completion of the short-term developmental assignment;
- Have received an overall rating of at least ‘satisfactory performance’ in their last performance management and development review;
- Have completed all the required mandatory trainings; and
- Obtain the approval of their Supervisor through the appropriate Approval Form in Annex B of this Policy.
140 STDAs will be advertised for a period of 14 calendar days, through the relevant corporate HR solution/platform, accessible to all staff.
150 Two staff members occupying a similar role at the same grade level may undertake two individual STDAs simultaneous by swapping their jobs for a set period. This will result in two staff members benefitting from a STDA at the same time. This will be a useful way to permit developmental stretches and to expand staffs’ development beyond their usual roles, and potentially, duty stations. Both receiving supervisors, as well as releasing supervisors, will need to be in agreement. Both STDAs will need to be carried out in the same manner and according to the same procedures as outlined in this policy.
160 Each STDA will have specific
Terms of Reference (TORs) developed by the supervisor/manager in the receiving office. TORs should include the learning objectives and trainings for the staff member as well as the benefits for the receiving office.
170 Staff members meeting the eligibility criteria and who have received supervisor approval, may apply through the corporate HR solution/platform for individual developmental assignments.
180 This mechanism does not preclude staff members from seeking their own opportunities for suitable
ad hoc STDAs by contacting their respective HR department or reaching out to a colleague who might be interested in such an opportunity. Once the
ad hoc STDA has been agreed, the formal HR procedures should be followed as outlined in the SOPs.
Ad hoc STDAs may be a particularly good approach for seeking and benefiting job swaps or simultaneous STDAs.
190 When a staff member identifies such an opportunity, they must inform their first level supervisor and discuss this opportunity during a one to one career conversation.
200 STDAs are not a right, nor an entitlement, and while such requests are strongly encouraged; financial, timing and backfilling constraints may lead to the supervisor to deny the request.
210 When a staff member accepts a developmental assignment, their contractual arrangements with WHO do not change. Should the assignment require the staff member to participate in an activity or attend a meeting outside the duty station where the short-term developmental assignment takes place, and should funding be available, the provisions of the WHO travel policy will apply.
220 Adherence to the host country requirements in terms of work and residence permits (visa applications) is imperative when a STDA takes place in another country.
230 No more than one STDA per year is allowed to staff members who fulfill all the eligibility criteria outlined in paragraph
130. Furthermore, preference will be given to staff members who have never undertaken an STDA.
240 The duration of a STDA may range
from a minimum of one month to a maximum of six months and they can be on
a part-time basis - when they take place within the same unit/division/duty-station - or on a
full-time basis.
250 The receiving office may ask for an extension of the initial period of the short-term developmental assignment, which will be subject to the agreement of the staff member and of the releasing office. In all cases, the maximum duration of six months may not be exceeded.
260 Once a STDA is agreed, staff members receive a memo issued by the respective HR representative of the receiving office informing them of the terms and conditions of the arrangement from the responsible HR department of the receiving office. The staff member returns a signed copy of the memo accepting or declining the proposal.
270 A STDA can be initiated at any point in time throughout the year and it should be discussed and agreed during the performance management and development discussion as part of the staff member’s learning and development plan, as appropriate.
280 Applications for a STDA must be supported by the staff member’s supervisor and HWO and/or budget owner, as appropriate. When a developmental opportunity arises, the respective HR Manager/HR Specialist of the receiving office will carry out an initial review of the applications for eligibility in the relevant corporate HR solution/platform based on the pre-screening questions.
290 Applications will subsequently be reviewed by the supervisor/manager of the receiving office who will make a final selection. In reviewing applications, due consideration will be given to staff’s proven commitment to learning and development, their performance record, as well as to the relevance of the staff exchange for the staff member’s personal and professional development. A motivation letter by the staff member is also recommended.
300 Costs for STDAs can be met through a variety of sources and can follow different modalities (i.e., the travel budget of the releasing, receiving department/office could be used).
310 While the principles outlined below provide some general guidance, a certain degree of flexibility is allowed in order to accommodate varying situations and needs.
320 The receiving office would normally be expected to meet all the costs of a short-term developmental assignment if the staff member will carry out all or substantial parts of the functions of a vacant position or is assigned to a special project which has received additional funding.
330 In all other situations, since STDAs are a mutually gaining experience for both releasing and receiving offices, it is envisaged that costs be covered in the following way:
- the releasing office continues to cover the staff member’s salary;
- the receiving office covers the costs for travel and the hotel component of the payable Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) for the entire duration of the short-term developmental assignment. The DSA comprises a hotel component, meals, transport/taxi and gratuities components occasioned by the travel status. The hotel component varies according to the average cost of a UN standard hotel room in the duty station;
- the receiving office may consider compensating the releasing office for the absence of the staff member on exchange if they need the support of the staff member to respond, for example, to a humanitarian crisis;
- both releasing and receiving offices continue to pay the salary costs of their staff member during job swaps.
340 If the receiving office has received external funding, it may also consider compensating the releasing office for the absence of the staff member during the period of the STDA. The releasing office may then use these funds to provide another office with the opportunity to create a new STDA, thus increasing even further the number of such developmental opportunities for staff in the Organization.
Entitlements when staff members are deployed to another duty station
350 Given the time limited nature of STDAs, staff members will be assigned without their families. They will retain their existing remuneration package (for example, IPs would maintain salary, post adjustment, education grant, rental subsidy, as applicable) of their official duty station. Travel will be in economy class irrespective of the travel duration or distance.
360 From the first day of an STDA and for its entire duration, staff members will receive a partial portion of the DSA rate. For all duty stations, the partial rate corresponds to the hotel component of the duty station where they will be temporarily based during their assignment. This hotel component percentage is calculated by the International Civil Service Commission. The same rate applies for the entire duration of the STDA.
370 When required to go on official duty travel while on STDA, staff will continue to receive the partial portion of the DSA rate in addition to the applicable DSA of the duty travel destination.
Annual Leave
380 If at any point in time during the STDA, the staff member takes annual leave, no partial DSA is paid during the leave period even if the staff member takes annual leave during the duty travel period of the STDA.
390 It is the responsibility of the staff and their supervisor to ensure that the partial portion of the DSA is deducted from the travel request or travel claim during the annual leave period. A recovery would need to be made if the partial DSA has been paid in advance and annual leave was taken.
Sick Leave
400 If at any point in time during the STDA, the staff member is absent due to sick leave, the partial portion of the DSA will continue to be paid during the sick leave period.
Deduction of the DSA if no commercial accommodation is used
410 Should staff not submit invoices/proof of payment for the accommodation during their STDA, staff will be paid 50% of the hotel component (first 60 days DSA rate). To the extent possible and to avoid recoveries, this should be reflected in the travel request approved in advance of travel.
420 Staff members availing of such developmental opportunities are strongly encouraged to include this experience in their WHO on-line profile in order to demonstrate their experience and key achievements.
430 Within one month of the end of the STDA, staff members are expected to submit a report to their supervisor through the receiving office, outlining the achievements of the STDA or job swap. The supervisor of the staff member will also contribute to this evaluation, underlining the general performance of the staff member, the lessons learnt, and the follow-up development plan to address any identified competency gap. The evaluation will be reviewed by the staff member’s supervisor of the releasing office. For the staff member, the evaluation will be part of their overall performance management and development process and be included in the relevant corporate HR solution/platform.
440 The evaluations of the other parties involved will be used by Human Resources to assess the overall value and outcome of the initiative.
