I'm tired, I'm leaving. What is sabbatical and why is it needed

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Not going to work for a year. Doing what you like: traveling, building a house, watching your son grow up. And then come back and fly up the career ladder. Sounds like a dream. But this is reality. This is a sabbatical.

More and more often, articles about cool managers quit their jobs and move away from megacities are flashed on the Web. One of the main reasons for downshifting is. In pursuit of the phantom of luck, people work in for 12 hours a day, not paying attention to chronic fatigue, lack of sleep, chaotic diet and health problems. They make deals with their conscience and try not to look their loved ones in the eye: “I’ll finish the project and I’ll definitely stay with them.” And when the level of stress and frustration begins to go off scale, there is no moral or physical strength left, they just run away. Quitting work seems like the only way out. But this is not the case.

What is sabbatical

From English sabbatical literally translates as "stop doing something." The etymology of the term is associated with biblical scripture, in which the word sabbath means "holy day of rest."

Sabbatical - This is a paid or partially paid long vacation lasting from three months to a year (or more) with a guaranteed retention of a place for an employee. In other words, this is a pause in work, a professional time-out.

The Sabbatical phenomenon originated in the 19th century at Harvard. Professors, having worked for six years at the university, received the right to go on a year's sabbatical. So they could calmly write scientific works without being distracted by teaching. At the same time, they retained half of the salary.

In the XXI century, the Sabbatical is again in demand. According to statistics, 29% of American companies give their employees long vacations. Among them are such giants as Google, Intel, IBM, eBay, BCG, Genentech, Wegmans, American Express, General Mills and others.

Many European companies also practice sabbatical. Thus, every BMW employee, regardless of the position, can take a six-month leave. During his absence, he must distribute his workload among colleagues.

Elizabeth Pagano co-founder of YourSabbatical.com The concept of continuous work for 40 years with retirement at the end is outdated. People should be able to take career time-outs.

Sabbatical patterns vary. Somewhere the vacation is fully paid, somewhere partially. For example, in Denmark there is a government program for financial support for workers who have taken the sabbatical. The state is interested in this, since the vacated places are used for the employment of the unemployed. And in Finland, a long paid leave is granted to one of the parents when the child goes to first grade.

In some organizations work experience is important for the sabbatical, in others it is not. Some companies are ready to part with employees for only 3–6 months, while others let them go for several years. The only invariable condition of the sabbatical contract is the guarantee of the employee retaining his position.

Why do you need a sabbatical

The most common reason people take the sabbatical is because they want to improve their skills. When you know your job like the back of your hand, you start to get bored. It seems that this is your ceiling. In an effort to expand intellectual horizons, a person takes a long vacation and spends it on additional education, learning foreign languages, and the like.

Also, the sabbatical is used to solve personal problems:

• travel;
• to build a house;
• restore health;
• play a wedding;
• move and so on.

For many, the path to their dreams begins with the sabbatical. Thousands of people dream about their business, but are afraid to quit their jobs: what if the startup goes out of business? A long vacation is a great opportunity to try. So, the six-month voyage helped to strengthen his ambitions and launch his business Vipin Goyal, the founder of SideTour, which in just a year managed to attract $ 1.5 million in investments.

Dan Clements co-author of Escape 101: Taking Sabbatical Is Easy Many people think that it is better not to take a vacation in times of crisis. It seems to me the opposite. Especially if you have a lot of experience. When the economy falls, employers are sometimes forced to layoffs, losing talent. A long vacation can be a solution to the problems of both parties.

Sabbatical benefits not only employees but also companies. After returning from a long vacation, people take on work with particular enthusiasm. This leads the company to bright successful projects, and the employee - to a promotion.

Thomas Heinlein Head of HR, IBM Austria In a year, we get an employee full of energy and creative energy. The people who take the sabbatical are not tortured losers, but brave avant-gardeists.

How to prepare for the Sabbatical

Going to the sabbatical is harder than it sounds. It is not at all about the specifics of labor law or corporate policy. It's just that most people are so used to pauses of 2-3 weeks that they get lost on a long vacation, begin to feel unnecessary, and become depressed. One must prepare carefully for the sabbatical.

Step 1. Choose the exact start and end date of the vacation

“I'll leave sometime in September, maybe I'll be back for the New Year - we'll see” - this approach means wasting the sabbatical. It is necessary to accurately determine the start and end date of the working time-out. This period should correspond to the work to which you will devote the sabbatical (more on this later). For example, if you want to take one of the MBA programs, then you need to find out when the recruitment begins at the educational institution you are interested in and how long the training lasts.

It is also important to discuss the timing of the sabbatical with loved ones. It will be a shame if you, trying to spend time with your family, go on vacation, and your significant other at that moment flies off on a long business trip.

Step 2. Understand what you want to do

Sabbatical ≠ idleness and hedonism. This is a pause in the routine to get the most out of. What do you really want to do? Comprehend Zen While Traveling Asia? Learn a second language? Find yourself a mate? Learning to sail a yacht? Choosing a business for a sabbatical is almost intimate. You can not look back at others and give in to fashion trends. It is important to listen to yourself: what are you dreaming of?

No ideas? At all? Read the following articles and ask yourself again, "What do I want?"

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Step 3. Plan your finances

Even if your employer retains 50% or 70% of your earnings on the Sabbatical, you will be acutely short of money at first. Therefore, before leaving work and leaving for Bali, distribute all debts. Agree, looking for money that the lender urgently needed is not the best thing to do on sabbatical. It is not recommended to take sabbatical if there are any credit obligations.

The decision to take a career timeout is not usually made at lightning speed. Therefore, start saving money as soon as the first thought that you are tired comes to you, you need a reboot. This will give you an airbag for a rainy day. In addition, this money may be needed to make your dreams come true.

Make a financial plan for the entire sabbatical period. How much money will you have per month? What are your expected expenses? Try to calculate everything so as not to be left without electricity or gas at one fine moment.

Dan Clements co-author of Escape 101: Taking Sabbatical Is Easy Money is the biggest obstacle keeping people from sabbatical. But long vacations often do not reduce the quality of life. For example, if a person spends it in a country where everything is cheaper - housing, transport, clothing, food.

Step 4. Take action

Enjoy every minute of the sabbatical marathon. Try to be. Remember the best moments. Be open to new experiences. Chat with people. Get better. Take action!

Step 5. Consider ways to return

Three months, six months, a year - no matter how long the Sabbatical lasts, the moment will come when you have to return. But is it worth it? If you still love your job and feel that you are ready to move mountains, feel free to knock on the boss's office. True, before that it is recommended to test the waters: what is the business of the company, does it yearn for your triumphant return, or are even old-timers already fleeing from there?

If during your absence you realized that you were doing the wrong thing, then terminate the employment contract and start a new life.

Sabbatical perspectives

Sabbatical as a strategy for working with personnel has proven itself well in the international arena. According to the Global Career Company, 36% of the managers they surveyed are ready to take the Sabbatical for up to six months, another 39% dream of leaving their jobs for a year or more. Moreover, more than 30% of respondents are ready to donate a third of their salary, and 28% - half.

In countries and enterprises with a traditional work ethic (work - well done, rest - a quitter), the Sabbatical is difficult to spread. Nevertheless, according to 27% of Russians dream of a vacation for more than 20 days. Moreover, mainly residents of megalopolises prefer to rest for as long as possible. Perhaps it is the exhausting pace of life.

It is unlikely that the Sabbatical will soon become the norm in the post-Soviet space. But it is clear that the landscape of the labor market is changing. The time of desperate workaholics is passing. not ready to lock himself in office slavery. Their career priorities are changing rapidly. Time will tell whether the Sabbatical will become an obligatory item in the social package of companies.

In the meantime, we invite you to discuss the idea itself. What are the pros and cons of long vacations in your opinion? And would you like to take the sabbatical?