Dr. Seema Parmar holds a PhD in International Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is a leader in Advisory Services at Cleveland Clinic Canada, a medical centre where physicians, wellness experts and management consultants help organizations improve employee health and manage organizational risk.
In recent years, private sector sabbaticals have found traction with more and more Canadian companies. Sabbaticals – which see employees take time off work with the company’s blessing to upskill, realize a lifelong dream or just rest and restore – have been a staple of the academic world for generations. They are now seen in the private sector as a strategic perk that can help attract, retain and re-energize valuable employees.
In today’s stressful living and working environments, sabbaticals can offer space for personal growth and a renewed perspective on life. They can provide time for a healthy reset and to reconnect with one’s purpose and values. This might mean pursuing personal passions such as travelling or studying, building healthy habits such as cooking or exercising or strengthening relationships with loved ones including a partner, children, parents or friends.
As health care practitioners, we know some stress is needed to support growth and development. However, chronic, unmanaged stress can have serious consequences including anxiety, depression, heart disease and even heart attacks. Many elite performers, such as professional athletes, bake in time for postworkout recovery and have off seasons to re-energize. When planned properly, corporate sabbaticals can be the relief valve needed to sustain and enhance individual performance while also benefitting company culture. Team members who step up to do the work of employees on sabbatical can also grow, take on more responsibility and hone and learn new skills.
Optimize the opportunity, for all
Much needs to be considered to ensure a corporate sabbatical program supports the employees who go on sabbaticals and the employees left behind:
- Formalize: Formal sabbatical eligibility policies and application requirements must be clearly communicated so they are not confused with an urgent leave of absence or seem available to some employees and not others. Many companies offer sabbaticals to employees in good standing based on years of tenure (every five years or so) rather than title or position, as this offers incentives for employees to stay. Other aspects that are detailed in the policy include sabbatical duration (with most companies offering at least four weeks), compensation (fully versus partially paid) and application requirements. Application deadlines should be set with enough notice to ensure work coverage and allow for thorough planning. Insert a no-moonlighting clause to ensure employees truly disconnect from work and do not explore other career opportunities during their time off.
- Socialize: Many companies we work with have some version of a sabbatical policy, but sabbaticals are rarely used because they are not normalized and encouraged. Employees fear that taking a sabbatical may indicate they are less loyal to the company or just can’t ‘cut it.’ Promoting sabbaticals can help drive initial uptake, with uptake continuing to increase as more individuals share stories of their experiences and take sabbaticals without their performance or progression being penalized.
- Plan: It’s important to minimize disruption and maximize opportunities for growth for those employees still at work. Organizations must identify who will provide coverage and document detailed transition plans and supports for those who are stepping in to cover. With enough notice and clarity, those providing coverage can receive necessary skills training and coaching to ensure they are set up for success. Poor planning and transition can increase the risk of disruption, stress and a decline in morale among team members left behind and rob them of their own opportunities to grow. Meanwhile, individuals on sabbatical (should they have to be contacted frequently or brought back in) lose their time to restore.
- Disconnect: To truly rejuvenate, employees need to leave work behind. Planning should also include out-of-office and other announcements so it is well-known and accepted that an individual will be or is off work. Some companies may choose to have employees return laptops, phones and other technology while off, and emphasize no emails, no joining calls or checking up on the team. This can be difficult for employees whose work has been their driving force, but it is necessary to help them focus on other areas of their life.
- Re-integrate: Companies and individuals need to plan for an employee’s return from sabbatical to minimize disruption to their teams and celebrate progress that may have occurred. Returning employees need to recognize how team dynamics may have changed. They may need to rethink their role to positively sustain growth for the team and themselves. Rather than seeking to restore historical team norms and activities, there may be opportunities for changes based on how the team has functioned. Teams often value this recognition, while returning individuals appreciate the capacity to pursue further growth.
Sabbaticals and the war for talent
While the benefits of sabbaticals are significant, they are arguably becoming even more important as the war for talent intensifies, quiet quitting takes hold and, according to a survey by The Prosperity Project, burnout and stress are making more than seven in 10 Canadians consider quitting their jobs.
Still, surveys show about 40 per cent of Canadian companies offer sabbaticals, leaving those that do with a competitive advantage that, for many employees, is hard to ignore.
This column is part of Globe Careers’ Leadership Lab series, where executives and experts share their views and advice about the world of work. Find all Leadership Lab stories at tgam.ca/leadershiplab and guidelines for how to contribute to the column here.