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Bosses see benefit in giving sabbaticals to workers
Managers take a page from academia, see extended time off as a way to reward and retain employees.
By Marilyn Gardner | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitorfrom the September 24, 2007 edition
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After working as a divorce lawyer for 12 years, Lisa Angel needed a change from the rigors and emotions of the job. So when her firm announced a paid sabbatical for employees who had been there five years or more, she was the first to raise her hand.
"It was the perfect time to take a break and reassess," says Ms. Angel of Raleigh, N.C. "I walked away from my life for a while." That decision led to a three-month sabbatical, biking alone in China and Southeast Asia. She even studied meditation in a Buddhist monastery in Thailand. "I wouldn't have been able to do that on a normal vacation," she says.
Sabbaticals have long been a way of life in academic settings. Now they are getting more attention in the corporate world as well, although the number of companies offering them is still relatively small.
About 18 percent of firms offer unpaid sabbaticals, and 5 percent give paid sabbaticals, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. These are often available to those who have worked for a firm between five and 10 years.
"Most sabbaticals are confined to organizations that are pretty progressive," says Charlotte Anderson, managing director of a consulting firm in Hillsborough, N.J.
Employees who take advantage of these programs speak enthusiastically about coming back relaxed and rejuvenated. Managers see them as a way to reward and retain employees.
Most programs come with no strings attached. Those taking sabbaticals are free to use the time as they wish. "We encourage them to do something that's meaningful to them," says Lee Rosen, CEO of Rosen Law Firm, where Angel works.
For those taking time off, plans and motives range widely. One of Mr. Rosen's employees who has a passion for surfing plans to teach surfing in Hawaii.
A woman at Standing Partnership, a public relations firm in St. Louis, will spend two weeks in Croatia, her birthplace, exploring her roots. One of her colleagues spent part of a two-month paid sabbatical with her grandmother, capturing her life story. "It energizes our team and our clients," says Melissa Lackey, the company's chief operating officer. Her own sabbatical included spending time with her four children, traveling, and taking an art class and golf lessons.
At Jackson Spalding, a creative services firm in Atlanta that gives paid four-week sabbaticals after 10 years of service, one staff member, Pat Hill, used the time to attend Boy Scout camp with his son and go hiking in Colorado with his sister.
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