The joys of sabbaticals
A sabbatical (or career break) can
vary in length from one month to a few years.
It may be fully paid, unpaid or somewhere in between but all have the
valuable guarantee of a job to return to.
Options include going on an extended travelling trip, pursuing further
education, developing new skills, taking up charity work or devoting time to
hobbies or a young family. The key
aspect is to temporarily retire from the rat race, correct your work/life
balance and recharge the batteries.
Potentially appealing but what are the obstacles?
Concerns about the effect on your
career are common but the reality is that a sabbatical can have a very positive
influence. If you are feeling a bit
stale or jaded then a career break can bring renewed enthusiasm for your job –
at least once you get over the usual “return to work blues” on your first
Monday morning. Experiences such as
travelling or charity work can have a lasting effect on how you deal with day
to day problems, increase your creativity and improve your ability to cope with
stressful situations.
Taking time out may also give you
the impetus to move on in your career, seek a promotion internally or switch
jobs. If you had been feeling
unappreciated, you may find that you’re sorely missed and are welcomed back
with open arms. Of course, you may not
have been missed at all indicating that it’s probably time for a move and
taking a sabbatical will have kick-started the inevitable. As an added benefit, your cv will now clearly
demonstrate that there’s more to you than your actuarial prowess and gives
interviewers plenty to ask about.
However the timing of the sabbatical
can be important. Taking a break mid-way
through your exams may make it harder to motivate yourself to finish them off
or it could be just what you need to tackle them with renewed vigour. Try not to burn any bridges by leaving your
employer in the lurch at a key time – aim to be as flexible and as
accommodating as possible to ensure everyone can gain from your break.
Financial worries may be another
concern for the individual, especially if the sabbatical is on reduced or zero
pay. As well as raiding your savings,
you could consider a short-term let to cover mortgage payments. And it’s worth remembering that in a number
of popular destinations such as
From an employer’s point of view,
offering sabbaticals as a staff benefit, perhaps after a number of years of
service is a relatively cheap incentive to potential employees to join a
company and remain there. And a key
employee being on sabbatical can allow for a useful exercise in succession
planning as junior team members temporarily take on increased
responsibilities. This may also encourage
more efficient ways of operating as the extra workload is absorbed into the
team and free up the returning employee for new projects.
The returning employee may decide to
resign but losing an unmotivated staff member is also likely to be beneficial
in the long run as recruitment brings fresh ideas and new life into the
company. Allowing or encouraging staff
sabbaticals can also be a convenient way of allowing for a temporary downturn
in business without resorting to redundancies. Many staff will be delighted at
the opportunity to take extended unpaid leave and there should be no shortage
of volunteers.
In the lead up to taking a
sabbatical, the employee may naturally find it harder to be motivated about
work as their mind is elsewhere. Giving them
different short terms projects to get involved in can help to overcome
this. Similarly on their return, it’s
well worth trying to utilise their fresh enthusiasm and ideas by providing new
challenges to help them get back in the swing of things.
With careful management a sabbatical
can bring benefits for both the employee and the employer and really can be a
win-win situation.
So, why not plan a sabbatical, take
some time out and enjoy yourself?
Sue Hodges