Via Allied Talent

“A Tour of Duty represents a commitment by both employer and employee to a specific mission objective that benefits both sides, and a timeframe over which that mission can be achieved. By committing in smaller time increments rather than expecting a lifetime commitment up front, a tour of duty allows the employment relationship to deepen over time as each side delivers value to the other.”

— Tour of Duty (2 of 4), at 0:08

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“A Tour of Duty represents a specific agreement between employer and employee on a mission objective and timeframe that benefits both parties.”

Rather than expecting undefined “loyalty” or making promises about lifetime employment, both sides commit to smaller and more concrete time increments. This approach allows the employment relationship to deepen naturally over time as each side delivers tangible value to the other.

Essentially, you are saying, “Here’s what we’re going to do during this tour; here’s what we’re going to change in the employee’s life; here’s what we’re going to change in the employer, and this is the mission that we will accomplish together.“

Types of Tours

1. Rotational Tour of Duty

• What? Similar to the two-year programs you’d see fresh graduates go through at Goldman Sachs or McKinsey.
• Why? The goal is to give the person a broad range of experiences that will allow them to make more informed decisions about where their career will go after the rotational tour.
• Benefits? The strength of rotational tours lies in their scalability—they help companies efficiently onboard talent without having to customize each arrangement, while providing employees with the necessary foundation for a successful career.

2. Transformational Tour of Duty

• What? Typical if you’re at a startup and someone who was a pioneer now has to shift into a different role because the company is growing fast. Unlike rotational tours of duty, which are more generic, transformational tours of duty are highly individualized. While durations vary, the typical breakdown for a 5-year tour involves 2 years learning, 2 years doing the job, 1 year transitioning to the next tour
• Why? The goal is to offer a role that’s tailored to the individual’s values and aspirations, as well as the company’s mission and objectives at that point in time. It’s designed to transition the employee to a new role.
• Benefits? This type of ‘tour’ provides adaptability to the company, plus a career boost to the employee, and makes the employee more valuable both to the market and to the company that they’re working for

3. Foundational Tour of Duty

• What? For employees who believe they’ll be at the company for the rest of their career and who the company sees as integral to the intellectual and emotional foundation of the company. Foundational tours have less specific time horizons and focus on long-term continuity
• Why? The goal of the company in offering this type of tour of duty is to build continuity around a core group of people
• Benefits? With continuity, a core group of people can make decisions quickly, make major commitments with confidence, and serve as the cultural core of the team or company.

The Tour of Duty framework acknowledges modern reality: most employees won’t stay at one company forever, but they can still make meaningful contributions through focused commitments.

• Most large companies use all three types with different employee groups. No single tour type is superior—effectiveness depends on matching the right tour to the right role and person.
• Great employees will complete multiple, sequential tours at the same company. This framework shifts the focus from “Are you loyal forever?” to “What should we accomplish together next?”—creating a sustainable cadence of commitment, delivery, and renewal that serves both parties better than vague ‘lifetime employment’ expectations.