Sabbaticals: a win-win for employers and employees?

There are many ways of looking at the whole work life balance thing, but mainly it is about carving out more quality time. The four-day week, flexible working and the right to disconnect are all linked to this.

New research published this week talks about another aspect of the issue – sabbaticals, the opportunity to take time out of work in order to deal with other issues, to do something different or simply to recharge.

The Chartered Management Institute’s poll of over 1,000 managers found over half worked for organisations that offer sabbaticals, mostly unpaid ones that require a minimum level of service for eligibility.  Large public sector organisations are the most likely to offer them. The main reasons for offering sabbaticals centre around mental health, flexibility and retention. Most managers are in favour of retaining the policy. Managers under 55 are significantly more likely to say that it is important for employers to offer sabbatical leave compared to those who are 55 or over, although both think it is important.  

Managers working in the private sector were significantly more likely than those working in the public or third sector to say that they have noticed an increase in the frequency of employees taking sabbatical leave in the last 12 months while 40% of managers said they simply didn’t know if demand for sabbaticals had increased or decreased in recent months.

A chance for some time out

One employer that does offer unpaid sabbatical leave is Phoenix Group. It introduced its policy in July 2020, later clarifying the wording to make it clearer that a career break could be used for caring purposes.  The policy is role modelled from the top. Last year General Counsel Quentin Zentner took three months off to travel to Latin America with his wife. He told our sister site, workingwise.co.uk about the benefits. He said: “Taking a sabbatical gives you a different perspective on work. It gave me the chance to improve my Spanish, to have contact with other societies and cultures, to read lots of books, to spend quality time with my wife and to get out of our 9-5 existence. In a long working life, it should be normal to take time out and have some time for yourself without sacrificing your career.”

Transformations

Research published by the Harvard Business Review last year found people who took sabbaticals reported greater self-clarity and confidence in their managerial skills and were eager to step up. Moreover, those who filled in during the sabbatical-taker’s absence had their own experiences of self-discovery and were able to showcase hidden talents.

The review splits sabbatical takers into three types: those who want a break to do a passion project; those who want to explore the world; and those who have been “pushed out of work by unsustainable expectations and toxic organisational cultures”. The third group had the most dramatic transformations and rarely went back to their old jobs. 

Managed well and equitably, however, the research shows they can be a win win for employer and employee. Having more options that allow people more time and space – even if it is unpaid – is certainly something that many workers would welcome.

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