It’s not difficult to see the benefits for an employee in taking a few months off to recharge - reduced stress levels, a return of energy and purpose, achieving life goals. But what is the impact on a company? Will it make or break the bottom line? Here are eight reasons why an integrated sabbatical program will strengthen your people and your business.
1) Improved employee wellbeing
It makes sense to look after your most valuable asset – your people. After a sabbatical, 96% of people said it improved their work/life balance. 70% of people benefit from improved physical health and confidence (1).
2) Attracting talent
Revitalizing leave options helps companies attract the best people. 80% of employees prefer additional benefits to a pay increase (4). This is particularly important for millennials who now make up the largest segment of our workforce.
3) Retaining talent
Allowing people to recharge on a break means they return, stay and thrive. It’s a common fear that if people go on sabbatical, they’ll never come back. However a sabbatical program that is properly implemented and supported has the opposite effect. After a sabbatical, only 13% of leaders move on within a year, most stay 6 years or longer (2).
4) Loyalty and engagement
Sabbatical programs have been found to create a sense of company loyalty and commitment (3). People feel more engaged and productive once they’ve returned. If you’re seeing worrying trends in your people engagement survey data, consider giving people a reason to be happy about working for you.
5) Burnout prevention
Promoting recovery helps people actively manage their own wellbeing. 34% of sabbatical goers said they took the break to avoid complete burnout (2). Don’t wait until burnout becomes an issue. That’s when it’s already too late. Give people a way to self-manage their health and energy.
6) Succession planning
A sabbatical allows an interim manager/team to step up and grow. They get to test out if they enjoy the interim responsibilities and the company can see if they’re ready to take on more. 79% of leaders reported that a sabbatical was critical in the development of the interim leader (2)
7) Driving innovation
Inspiration and insight come when people rapidly encounter new ideas, cultures and ways of working. Sabbaticals create these conditions for employees and drives innovation when they return
8) Reduced leave balances
Put a smile on your CFO’s face. Sabbaticals that also use vacation days reduce leave balance accruals as liabilities on the balance sheet, improving the financial position of a company
Beyond a Break provides sabbatical program solutions that are designed to complement your existing strategy and dovetail with other benefits programs.
We provide consulting and coaching support to ensure you implement a sabbatical program that your people and bottom line will love.
Find out more about how we can support your organisation or simply get in touch!
Sources: (1) CompassPoint Creative Disruption Study (2) Durfee Study (3) Journal of Business Education (4) Glassdoor survey