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For example, transferring doctors from their specific departments to infectious diseases, where they have no specific knowledge or experience, because there is a pandemic. Transferring a graphic designer to the shop floor because of a product recall incident.
Similar verbs that come to mind are mostly used in the military: 'commandeered', usually applied to things (e.g. ships or buildings), and 'drafted' or 'conscripted'.
While a hypernym,
second in one of its senses is usually the result of a perceived need:
Definition of second (Entry 5 of 5) [transitive verb] ...
3\ si-ˈkänd \ [OALD has /sɪˈkɑːnd/] chiefly British:
to release (someone, such as a military officer) from a regularly assigned position for temporary duty with another unit or organization
An example from Deloitte [2017]:
- In 2008, a UK retailer (UK Co) set up an Indian joint venture company (JV Co) with a large Indian retailer, with a view to expanding the presence of the UK company in India. JV Co thereafter concluded an agreement with UK Co, under which several UK Co employees were seconded to India to help set up the Indian business.
And a COVID-related example from BMJ Emergency Medicine Journal:
To ensure adequate manpower, leave was embargoed and doctors from other departments were seconded to DEM.
An emergency reassignment would be called a redeployment. Although military in origin, it is also used generally:
re·de·ploy or reassign temporarily)
v. re·de·ployed, re·de·ploy·ing, re·de·ploys
v.tr.
To deploy (personnel, especially military forces) to a different place or on a different assignment.
To put to a different use or action; deploy in a different way: redeploy the company's resources.
v.intr. To be deployed to a different area or assignment.
AHD https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=redeploy
The US military has an acronym (no surprise) for exactly this situation: TDY, short for Temporary Duty. I regularly worked with people on TDY to our base for training or support. It sounds like a good analog to what you describe.
Unfortunately, while anyone who's had military experience will get it right away, no one else will unless you manage to spread it. (-:
I think assign may work in your case:
If someone is assigned to a particular place, group, or person, they are sent there, usually in order to work at that place or for that person.
- I was assigned to Troop A of the 10th Cavalry.
(Collins Dictionary)
From: Seventeen Minus Two by Virginia Phlieger-Kroos
Our sisters were first sent there in 1956. Many of the young sisters hoped to serve there. Sister Mary Charity ( Celine) asked the Mother Superior to be assigned to the African Mission and was refused. Instead she was assigned to a smaller hospital.
Allocate
to apportion for a specific purpose or to particular persons or things
Reallocate
to apportion or distribute (something) in a new or different way
Transfer
to move to a different place, region, or situation
interim
It is possible to prepend the word interim to the position, as in this example from Wiktionary:
You are interim manager until he returns from hospital.
The word is defined in Merriam Webster:
an intervening time interval
