I’ve Gotta Get Out of This Place! Your Guide to Taking a Sabbatical
If you’ve been working for your entire adult life to date and are beginning to feel a little jaded, taking some time out could do wonders for your life and your career. Alternatively, you may wish to dedicate yourself to a work-related course for a specific time or simply travel the world.
These are things you can’t do while working in a full-time job so the only solution is to take a break. Although it is common to use the terms ‘career break’ and ‘sabbatical’ interchangeably, they are not the same thing.
What is a sabbatical?
It is the term used to describe the process of leaving work for an agreed upon period with your employer. If you take a career break, you may need to resign from your job. When you take a sabbatical, you will return to the same job in the same organisation. The word comes from ‘sabbath’ and in the old days, it referred to academics who took a year off every seventh year.
There are paid and unpaid sabbaticals, and the former is relatively rare in Northern Ireland. With a paid sabbatical, you are not only allowed to leave work for a specific period, but you also receive full or partial pay. While academics receive paid leave for research, they are normally only given in the corporate world to executives who have been at the firm for decades. The standard paid sabbatical length is six months.
Unpaid sabbaticals are more common in large companies and once again, you’ll need to have many years of loyal service under your belt before being eligible. The normal unpaid sabbatical term is two years and your salary and pension benefits are frozen. In some cases, while you return to the company, you may be given a different job at the same level.
Why Take a sabbatical or career break?
Sabbatical leave is a very serious request and you should have a great reason for requesting it. Obviously, people have varying reasons for taking this form of career break but the most common include:
- Escaping from a Rut: If you loathe going into work and every day is spent in a fog, but a career or job change are not viable options, a sabbatical could be a great way to put some spark back into your role.
- Travelling: If you’ve worked hard for decades and saved up a lot of money, perhaps it is time to tour the world while you are young, healthy, and energetic enough to do so.
- Learn New Skills: If you believe you’re not going anywhere in your career, use your sabbatical to upgrade your skills and become a more attractive proposition to employers.
- Volunteering: If you want to make a difference in society without sacrificing your career, a sabbatical is a way of finding time to ‘give back’ to the community.
- Taking Time Out: The 9-5 grind can take its toll on the best of us. If you can afford an unpaid sabbatical, take a few months out to go on holiday, spend time with family, tackle those long-delayed DIY jobs or simply have a break. If you’ve worked long and hard enough to warrant a sabbatical, you probably need and deserve the rest.
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How to ask for a sabbatical
Taking a break of this nature is a big deal so as you might expect, having a sabbatical granted is not a straightforward process.
Does Your Company Offer a Sabbatical?
If it does, how long does it allow employees to remain away? What forms do you have to fill in? Will your salary and benefits be frozen throughout? Will you return to the same job? In most cases, you’ll need to have worked for the company for a minimum of two years, and usually for substantially longer. If your company doesn’t offer sabbaticals, it is still worth testing the water to see how it reacts.
Request a Meeting
Be prepared to explain the benefits of the sabbatical to the firm. For example, it will help you learn skills you can use on the job, renew your vigour and ensure you perform better when you return, and cement your loyalty. Do some research and outline the benefits of sabbaticals to organisations in general. Perhaps point out that hiring new permanent staff costs thousands of pounds etc.
It is also important to be flexible. For example, you may want to take six months off from March to September but the company wants you to take June to December instead. Or else you want six months off but the organisation is willing to give three months. Make sure you have your request granted in writing.
Keep Quiet!
Don’t boast about your sabbatical to colleagues or else they may get jealous and request it too! That’s the last thing your manager needs.
Can my sabbatical request be refused?
Of course! Your company is under no legal obligation to grant your request. Reasons for rejection include:
- Poor employee performance.
- The employee has not worked at the company for long enough.
- The company is too busy and is unable to replace you at present.
- You have received disciplinary action in the past.
If your request is refused, you can either try again in a few months, forget about the sabbatical, or tender your resignation. If you resign, you can take a career break for as long as you need but you’ll have to look for a new role when you’re ready to work again.
Final Thoughts on sabbaticals
When your sabbatical has been approved, it’s time to think about how you will spend the precious time. It is an opportunity that may not be repeated again during your career so use it wisely. Research the things that you’re passionate about, determine your plan of action, make sure you have enough money to tide you over, and get ready to enjoy life on your terms. Hopefully, when you return from your sabbatical, your performance will improve and you’ll once again view work as something to be enjoyed, not endured.
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