what is job assignment definition

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Meaning of assignment in English

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It was a jammy assignment - more of a holiday really.
He took this award-winning photograph while on assignment in the Middle East .
His two-year assignment to the Mexico office starts in September .
She first visited Norway on assignment for the winter Olympics ten years ago.
He fell in love with the area after being there on assignment for National Geographic in the 1950s.
act as something
all work and no play (makes Jack a dull boy) idiom
be at work idiom
be in work idiom
housekeeping
in the line of duty idiom
undertaking

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

assignment | American Dictionary

Assignment | business english, examples of assignment, collocations with assignment.

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global assignment

Quick reference.

Is a job assignment within a multinational corporation that involves expatriation; that is the relocation of an employee to another country. Specialists in international human resource management identify different types of global assignment. Technical assignments occur when employees with technical skills are sent from one country to another to fill a particular skill shortage. Developmental assignments, in contrast, are typically used within a management development programme and are used to equip managers with new skills and competencies. Strategic assignments arise when key executives are sent from one country to another to launch a product, develop a market or initiate another key change in business strategy. Finally, functional assignments resemble technical assignments but differ in one important respect. Technical assignments do not require the assignee to interact extensively with employees in the host country but this is a requirement of functional assignments and for this reason assignees are often prepared through cross-cultural training.

From: global assignment in A Dictionary of Human Resource Management »

Subjects: Social sciences — Business and Management

Washington State Department of Enterprise Services (DES)

Capitol Campus

EAP | Capitol Campus

Developmental Job Assignment

The state of Washington strives to attract, develop, and retain a talented and well-prepared workforce.

Providing employees opportunities to explore career interests through assignments that are uncommon in their daily work:

Allow them to grow professionally.
Allow the agency to pursue initiatives using resources that would not otherwise be available.

A developmental job assignment is a formal opportunity for an employee to develop professional knowledge, skills, and abilities that would not otherwise be available through their normal work activities.

Developmental job assignments should be primarily a product of the employee’s Performance and Development Plan (PDP). However, employees or the agency may pursue those assignments outside of this process.

Developmental job assignments are voluntary. Developmental job assignments will normally last no more than twelve months, and must have prior approval of the current Agency Head. Employees must have a six-month break between developmental job assignments. The time length and extensions of all assignments must include written justification.

Employees in developmental job assignments retain their own position number, draw their current salaries (including any scheduled periodic increments) and do not attain permanent status in any other classifications.

Funding is normally absorbed by the loaning (permanent) program unless prior arrangements are made to pay by the program with the developmental assignment. This includes travel and training. Developmental job assignments may be terminated by any of the parties with at least seven calendar days’ notice, unless a shorter notice period is mutually agreed upon.

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The scope of the developmental job assignment should be clearly documented and approved by the supervising and hiring managers, the agency head and HR, before advertising the assignment.
Learning goals should be established and documented before the employee begins the assignment.
Developmental job assignments may be part-time or full-time.
Employees are not expected to have all skills necessary to perform the tasks or project independently, but should have the aptitude, ability, and ambition to complete assignments with reasonable oversight.
Since the primary purpose of a development job assignment is to support employee growth, assignments should be beyond current skill level. For example, a Fiscal Analysis with 10 years of experience in accounting would probably not be the best choice for a development assignment in entry level accounting. The assignment would not expand the employee’s skill set and would deprive a less experienced employee of the learning opportunity.
The salary of an employee who accepts a developmental job assignment remains the same.
There are no guarantees of future pay increase, promotion, or permanent job change.
The developmental job assignment should not evolve into a permanent position without competitive recruitment.
Employees are expected to go back to their previous position.
Employees may not accept another developmental job assignment for at least six months after completing an assignment.
At the end of the developmental job assignment, the supervisor and employee should complete a detailed evaluation of the learning experience, and place this documentation in the personnel file.
Developmental job assignments are not transfers, and the employee is expected to return to their previous job. Therefore, the employee’s salary is typically paid by their home program. However, funding sources may be alternatively arranged through prior mutual agreement between programs.
Developmental job assignments may be ended at any time by the employee or hiring manager (with approval by the appointing authority) with seven (7) days’ notice. Reasons to end a developmental job assignment early may include, but are not limited to: unexpected end of project; poor attendance or the unreliability of an employee; performance issues, etc.

Resources For

New / Prospective Employees
Federal Employees
HR Professionals

Summary of Reassignment

This summary of reassignment covers the following topics:

Learning About Reassignment
Definition of Reassignment
The Agency's Right to Reassign
Reassignment Without Regard to RIF Retention Standing
Separation After Declining Geographic Reassignment
Qualifications and Reassignment
Relocation Expense Allowances
Additional Information from the Agency
Additional Information from OPM

1. Learning About Reassignment

The reassignment regulations give an agency extensive flexibility in reassigning an employee to a different position.

This summary covers the procedures in the reassignment regulations. With this summary, employees, managers, union representatives, and others will have an overview of both the agency's and employees' rights in a reassignment situation.

The appropriate human resource office (HRO) in the agency can provide additional information on specific questions relating to reassignment policies, options, and entitlements.

2. Definition of Reassignment

The regulations published in section 335.102 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations (5 CFR 335.102) cover reassignment of competitive service employees, while the regulations published in section 302.102(a) (5 CFR 302.102(a)) cover reassignment of excepted service employees.

Section 5 C.F.R. 210.102(b)(12) of the regulations defines reassignment as:

". . . a change of an employee, while serving continuously within the same agency, from one position to another without promotion or demotion."

3. The Agency's Right to Reassign

An agency may reassign an employee when:

The agency has a legitimate organizational reason for the reassignment; and

The vacant position is at the same grade, or rate of pay (i.e., if the movement is between pay systems such as from a General Schedule position to a Federal Wage System position), as the employee's present position.

The agency's right to direct reassignment includes the right to reassign an employee from a special rate position to a non-special rate position at the same grade, or to a position with less promotion potential than the present position. (Reassignment to a position with more promotion potential than the present position requires competition under the agency's merit staffing plan.) The position to which the agency reassigns an employee may be located in the same or a different geographic area (e.g., reassignment from Houston to Washington, DC).

4. Reassignment Without Regard to RIF Retention Standing

An agency may reassign an employee without regard to the employee's reduction in force retention standing, including an employee's veterans' preference status. A reassignment to a vacant position at the same grade is not a reduction in force action even if the agency abolishes the employee's former position

At its option, an agency may adopt a policy to select employees for reassignment on the basis of considerations such as retention standing, total service with the agency, length of time in a position or in the organization, etc. Again at its option, an agency may canvass its employees to determine whether an individual employee would prefer reassignment to a specific location, a new organization, and/or to a position with different duties and responsibilities.

5. Separation After Declining Geographic Reassignment

The agency must use the 5 CFR part 752 adverse action regulations when separating an employee who declines a directed reassignment to a position in a different geographic area.

An employee who is removed by adverse action for declining geographic relocation is potentially eligible for most of the benefits that are available to a displaced employee separated by reduction in force (e.g., intra- and interagency hiring priority, severance pay, discontinued service retirement, etc.).

An employee who declines reassignment to a position in the same geographic area as the present position (e.g., from an Atlanta position to a different Atlanta position) is not eligible for any career transition assistance or other benefits.

6. Qualifications and Reassignment

The agency's basic right to reassign an employee is based, in part, on the agency's determination that the employee is qualified for the position to which the employee will be reassigned.

An agency may also reassign an employee to a position if the agency modifies or waives qualifications for the vacant position, consistent with OPM's requirements for these actions.

7. Relocation Expense Allowances

An employee is generally eligible for relocation expense allowances for a directed reassignment that requires relocation to a different geographic area

The General Services Administration (GSA) publishes its Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) in 41 CFR subpart F. The complete FTR and other relocation-related information are available on GSA's website at www.gsa.gov .

8. Additional Information from the Agency

The agency's human resources office (HRO) can provide both employees and managers with additional information on OPM's reassignment regulations. The HRO can also provide information on potential benefits, such as eligibility for:

Career transition assistance
Separation incentives (if available)
Rehiring selection priority
Severance pay
Unemployment compensation
Relocation allowances.

9. Additional Information from OPM

OPM provides additional restructuring information on the OPM website at www.opm.gov .

Synonyms of assignment

as in lesson
as in appointment
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Thesaurus Definition of assignment

Synonyms & Similar Words

responsibility
undertaking
requirement
designation
appointment
authorization
installment
installation
destination
emplacement
investiture
singling (out)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

dethronement

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun assignment contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of assignment are chore , duty , job , stint , and task . While all these words mean "a piece of work to be done," assignment implies a definite limited task assigned by one in authority.

When is it sensible to use chore instead of assignment ?

While the synonyms chore and assignment are close in meaning, chore implies a minor routine activity necessary for maintaining a household or farm.

When is duty a more appropriate choice than assignment ?

Although the words duty and assignment have much in common, duty implies an obligation to perform or responsibility for performance.

When might job be a better fit than assignment ?

The synonyms job and assignment are sometimes interchangeable, but job applies to a piece of work voluntarily performed; it may sometimes suggest difficulty or importance.

When could stint be used to replace assignment ?

In some situations, the words stint and assignment are roughly equivalent. However, stint implies a carefully allotted or measured quantity of assigned work or service.

When can task be used instead of assignment ?

The meanings of task and assignment largely overlap; however, task implies work imposed by a person in authority or an employer or by circumstance.

Thesaurus Entries Near assignment

assignments

Cite this Entry

“Assignment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assignment. Accessed 10 Apr. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on assignment

Nglish: Translation of assignment for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of assignment for Arabic Speakers

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COMMENTS

ASSIGNMENT
ASSIGNMENT definition: 1. a piece of work given to someone, typically as part of their studies or job: 2. a job that…. Learn more.
Job assignment Definition
Define Job assignment. refers to an employee's job classification except where groups of employees within a job classification are assigned by the Sheriff a particular set of duties. Current examples of job assignments within a job classification include detectives, traffic team, work center, judicial security unit, jail deputy, patrol, marine patrol, forest patrol, community relations ...
What Every Job Seeker Should Know About Work Assignments ...
3. Outline Main Points, Only Tease the Details. More often than not, the primary reason companies dole out homework is to get a better sense of your thought process, as well as how you structure and convey your thoughts and ideas. There's not necessarily a "right" answer, nor is there a need to get way down in the weeds.
Assignment Definition & Meaning
The meaning of ASSIGNMENT is the act of assigning something. How to use assignment in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Assignment.
Answering the call: Job assignments that grow leaders
one job, or an assignment that was. part of a job, that was an important. developmental experience for you as. a leader—an experience from which. you learned a great deal. Chances are. that you ...
Assignment Definition & Meaning
1. : a job or duty that is given to someone : a task someone is required to do. [count] My assignment was to clean the equipment. = They gave me the assignment of cleaning the equipment. The students were given a homework assignment. The reporter's assignment is to interview the candidate. The reporter is here on an assignment.
Global assignment
global assignment. Is a job assignment within a multinational corporation that involves expatriation; that is the relocation of an employee to another country. Specialists in international human resource management identify different types of global assignment. Technical assignments occur when employees with technical skills are sent from one ...
assignment noun
Definition of assignment noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. ... [countable] a task or piece of work that somebody is given to do, usually as part of their job or studies. Students are required to complete all homework assignments.
Developmental Job Assignment
A developmental job assignment is a formal opportunity for an employee to develop professional knowledge, skills, and abilities that would not otherwise be available through their normal work activities. Developmental job assignments should be primarily a product of the employee's Performance and Development Plan (PDP).
assign
assign. From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English as‧sign /əˈsaɪn/ AWL verb [ transitive] 1 to give someone a particular job or make them responsible for a particular person or thing assign somebody a task/role I've been assigned the task of looking after the new students. assign somebody to something Jan's been assigned to the ...
assignment
From Longman Business Dictionary assignment as‧sign‧ment / əˈsaɪnmənt / noun 1 [countable] a piece of work that someone is given My assignment was to save the company, whatever it took. 2 [uncountable] JOB when someone is given a particular job or task, or sent to work in a particular place or for a particular person With the agreement ...
assignment noun
1 [countable, uncountable] a task or piece of work that someone is given to do, usually as part of their job or studies You will need to complete three written assignments per semester. She is in Greece on an assignment for one of the Sunday newspapers. one of our reporters on assignment in China I had given myself a tough assignment. a business/special assignment
ASSIGNMENT Definition & Meaning
Assignment definition: something assigned, as a particular task or duty. See examples of ASSIGNMENT used in a sentence.
ASSIGNMENT definition and meaning
7 meanings: 1. something that has been assigned, such as a mission or task 2. a position or post to which a person is assigned.... Click for more definitions.
What Is a Stretch Assignment? (With Benefits and Tips)
A stretch assignment is a project that's beyond your current level of knowledge or skills. It gets its name from the idea that it allows employees to "stretch" themselves developmentally, enabling them to learn new abilities and grow professionally. Stretch assignments help you prove your adaptability to your management team, who may then ...
Job vs Assignment
In computing terms the difference between job and assignment is that job is a task, or series of tasks, carried out in batch mode (especially on a mainframe computer) while assignment is an operation that assigns a value to a variable. As nouns the difference between job and assignment is that job is a task while assignment is the act of assigning; the allocation of a job or a set of tasks.
meaning
1. Additionally, at school an assignment is a specific task for a student to do in class time or as homework, and the word also refers to the document which is produced during the assignment and handed in for correction. On the other hand a job is a task unrelated to the students studies, for example rubbish bin duty. - Peter.
Summary of Reassignment
Summary of Reassignment. This summary of reassignment covers the following topics: 1. Learning About Reassignment. The reassignment regulations give an agency extensive flexibility in reassigning an employee to a different position. This summary covers the procedures in the reassignment regulations. With this summary, employees, managers, union ...
ASSIGNMENT Synonyms: 97 Similar and Opposite Words
Synonyms for ASSIGNMENT: task, job, duty, project, mission, chore, responsibility, function; Antonyms of ASSIGNMENT: dismissal, discharge, firing, expulsion ...