Preserving the monitoring function of PNF.
In the company I work for the SOP for altimetry seems to go against the grain of tried and tested methods used around the world.
The handling pilot is responsible for lateral navigation, and for selecting which mode to climb or descend in. Vertical navigation is quite rightly prioritized, but is the responsibility of the non handling pilot, as it is him or her that is responsible for setting the altitude pre-select.
The problem is that the PNF is taken off monitoring duties, at the same time that the PF’s ability to monitor in return is seriously compromised. It is done in the interests of “bringing the PNF into the loop” but in fact negates the benefits of operating multi-crew. It is a legal requirement to operate our fleet of aircraft multi-crew, so is negating the benefit of having multi-crew negligence? And will it stand up to scrutiny in court the day after something unmentionable happens?