Why Your Company Should Pay You To Go Away
by Ruth Ann Harnisch on 01/21/10 at 4:00 pm
Day 21
”Sabbatical is the new black,” I said earlier this year, and I’ve been told that a sabbatical is also the new “status symbol.”
More importantly, sabbaticals are a new way to reinvigorate employees, and their workplaces are the eventual beneficiaries.
Compass Point provides some proof in a new study of nonprofit leaders who took three months of sabbatical leave.
I shared this with Elizabeth Pagano of YourSABBATICAL (a priceless resource if you’re dreaming about a sabbatical, or if you’re a visionary corporate leader interested in offering sabbaticals to your employees). In turn, she sent me her company’s white paper on corporate sabbaticals. Drop her a line (epagano@yourSABBATICAL.com) and she’ll send you a copy, too.
I think it’s risky for employers to do this – just like it’s risky to offer coaching to employees. What if the employee decides to chuck this job as a result of my generous offer of sabbatical time (or coaching)? I have chosen to offer the services of professional coaches to people on my team. It’s a gamble. Perhaps they will discover that “finding themselves” means leaving my employ.
Would I really want to hold anyone back from their greatest happiness and opportunities for personal and professional fulfillment? No, I would not, even if it’s inconvenient for me. I’m committed to helping people tap their untapped capacity. It would be hypocritical to stunt someone’s growth for my own selfish reasons.
I seriously contemplated not putting that in writing. If it’s this difficult for me to do, I can imagine what a challenge that will be for a corporate manager in this economy.
Sabbaticals will continue to be “status symbols” until the culture undergoes a powerful change. YourSABBATICAL and Compass Point are agents of that change.
I’d join them, but, you know, I’m on sabbatical.
3 Comments
Elizabeth Pagano
Jan 22nd, 2010
While we still have a long way to go, the change is taking place. 100+ companies are on our “Workplaces for Sabbaticals” list of employers that offer career breaks for employees (http://tiny.cc/TSbjX), and more are coming. Since you’re a big supporter of TED, Ruth Ann, you know about Stefan Sagmeister’s talks on the “power of time off”. In his video on the TED website, he has a fantastic way of showing a life time line: educate for 20 years; work for 40 years; retire for 20 years. Why not work 5 years longer and then intersperse those 5 years into your career, as sabbaticals? But of course! Sagmeister does it. You’re doing it. And so are countless others. The key, I believe, to sabbaticals truly becoming part of the new model for work and life is to connect the transformational experience to success. Thank you for creating this discussion and helping to move this ball forward!
Daniela Candillari
Jan 22nd, 2010
This is very true; giving the employees a chance for new personal developments, can be a gamble. But I think smart and confident leaders, like yourself, know that giving that chance to an employee will only help the company in the long run.
Sherry Lowry
Feb 3rd, 2010
Ruth Ann, I just discovered your blog tonight with the current focus appearing to be on your year-long sabbatical and the ongoing learnings it is helping surface.
I’ve read all the post and learned something refreshing in each. Am very much looking forward to following along with your refreshing and exploratory, plus relaxing, journey.
Thanks also for sharing the resource here for the sabbatical white paper through epagano@yourSABBATICAL.com. I’ll request that tonight.
Meanwhile, I look forward to your continuing posts and appreciate you sharing these.
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