17 Sep Employee Sabbaticals: A Good Idea?
As employees put more emphasis on work-life balance, companies are offering perks such as concierge services, massage therapy and in-office gyms. These extras make the workday less stressful but don’t acknowledge employees’ desire for a long break. Enter the employee sabbatical.
A sabbatical is a benefit that can enrich your employees while paying dividends for your company. It is useful for attracting and retaining talent, as it offers extended time to rejuvenate. As the employer, your hope is that when employees return to work they’re ready to dive in with new ideas.
Employees who have taken a sabbatical report they feel as though they are coming back to a new job. The exhale allows them to return to work with renewed focus; some have even found inspiration for new ways to grow their position or the business.
During the time off, employees may, for example, engage in professional development, rediscover interests, explore new ideas, travel, get fit, work on retirement planning, take on a special project or manage family needs. These opportunities broaden perspectives and make personal and professional priorities clearer.
Establishing eligibility
If you decide to add a sabbatical policy to your company’s benefits, you should review eligibility questions such as the following:
- How long must an employee be with the company before they qualify?
- Will they have to commit to staying with your company for a certain length of time after the leave is over?
- How long will the sabbatical be?
- How much notice does an employee need to provide before taking a sabbatical?
- Will sabbatical activities be restricted? That is, will you require employees to use the leave for a specific purpose, such as building work-related skills?
- Will you allow the leave to be extended? If so, for how long and under what conditions?
- What will be the plan for covering the on-leave employee’s work? Will someone take over their duties? Will you split their responsibilities among other employees? Will you hire someone to fill in? If the employee works directly with clients, you’ll need to leave ample time to introduce the clients to the replacement.
Assessing benefits
Employees mention the following benefits from having extended time off:
- Reduced stress, depression and anxiety
- Time for reflection
- Fewer instances of — and increased ability to recover from — burnout
- Freedom to pursue interests such as traveling or volunteering
- Opportunities for skill development, which leads to options to assume new job tasks, building greater depth and flexibility
- Increased loyalty to the company
One employee who took a sabbatical shared, “I stepped away completely disconnected, came back and was rejuvenated, was excited about my work again.” Employees who cover for a worker on extended leave may benefit as well by taking on new responsibilities.
Companies that offer sabbaticals mention these benefits:
- Improved employee retention, especially among younger employees who often jump from job to job
- Increased opportunities to train new leaders
- Elevated creativity and innovation
- A more well-rounded, satisfied workforce
- Quantifiable demonstration that the company cares about what employees want and need, including work-life balance
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, only 5% of organizations offered a paid sabbatical program. However, a more recent survey found that while “5% of the 455 employers surveyed offered a sabbatical leave[,] another 12% of employers were considering implementing this benefit over the next two years.”
Sample sabbaticals
Here are what some firms offer as sabbaticals:
- Adobe offers four to six weeks of unpaid sabbatical leave after five years of employment and every five years thereafter.
- PayPal gives employees four unpaid weeks off for every five years of service.
- Timberland offers 12 to 24 weeks of paid leave for community service projects.
- Deloitte provides two types of sabbaticals: an unpaid one-month leave for any reason and a partially paid three-to-six-month sabbatical for career development and volunteer opportunities.
- Patagonia offers up to two months of paid leave for employees who participate in its Environmental Internship program.
- Zillow allows employees with six or more years of service a six-week leave, of which the first three weeks are paid.
- BetterUp offers one paid month after at least five years of employment.
- Epic Systems (a health care tech company) extends its monthlong vacation by covering the costs for an employee to travel to a never-before-traveled-to destination.
If you’re looking to boost morale, retention, productivity and engagement, a sabbatical benefit could be an answer. It provides employees with time to reflect, grow and remember what they love about what they do.
Original content by © IndustryNewsletters. All Rights Reserved. This information is provided with the understanding that Payroll Partners is not rendering legal, human resources, or other professional advice or service. Professional advice on specific issues should be sought from a lawyer, HR consultant or other professional.