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| Employee Sabbaticals: Just What the Doctor Ordered |
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| Ric Edelman has no
problem telling his employees to "Take a hike!" As CEO of Fairfax,
Virginia-based Edelman Financial Services Inc., he orders his 73 employees to
take a four-week paid sabbatical after they have been with the company for
seven years (and once every seven years thereafter). |
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| How did he become
such a time-out evangelist? Edelman took a sabbatical himself. OK, he didn't
climb Mt. Everest or audition for "Survivor." Instead, he wrote a book entitled
The Truth About Money, which became a national bestseller. |
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| Sabbaticals, he
believes, can be a valuable recruitment and retention tool. Moreover, they give
employees the creative space and respite they need to balance their work/life
needs. When combined, these benefits often recharge the employee, yielding
greater productivity, improved camaraderie, and higher morale on the job.
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| "During our
employees' sabbaticals, they can't take pagers with them," says Lesley Roberts,
director of human resources. "It's truly time off with no office worries."
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| The sabbaticals are
offered to all full-time and part-time employees, she adds. Upon an employee's
fifth anniversary, HR notifies the individual that it's time to make his or her
plans. No later than his or her sixth year, the employee must provide the
company with the start and end dates of the sabbatical. Roberts says it must be
taken between the beginning of the eighth year and the end of the ninth year.
And at least one year before the start date, the employee must submit a
sabbatical syllabus that will be approved by the company. |
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| So far, employees
have used their time in various ways. One employee used the time to restore a
car. Another traveled to England and Greece with his wife and friends. A new
mother added her sabbatical to her maternity leave to spend time with her baby.
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| "I'd take cooking
lessons in France," says Roberts, who is in her second year of employment. "I'm
anxiously awaiting [my turn]." |
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| Indeed, as employers
struggle to stabilize their workforce, more companies are willing to consider
such options. Nearly half of Fortune magazine's 100 Best Companies to Work for
in America reportedly offer sabbaticals or similar leave programs - up 18
percent from a year ago. Many of these sabbaticals range from a few weeks to
six months or longer. |
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| The key is planning,
says Roberts. By preparing at least one year in advance, HR can adjust the
pending workload. As the employee sketches his or her plans, coworkers get
excited, too. They cross-train so the departing employee's job duties are
temporarily covered. This gives workers an opportunity to interface more
closely with others, and "learn more about different jobs," she says.
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| Edelman considers
these paid sabbaticals as loans to the employee. They are "forgiven" provided
the employee stays with the company at least two years following completion of
the sabbatical. |
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| Other companies
offering sabbaticals include Intel Corporation, Ralston Purina Co., and
Netscape Communications. According to an article in the Christian Science
Monitor, Intel has offered the perk for more than two decades. Many Intel
employees are already planning their second and third sabbaticals. |
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| What would you do?
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| This article was written by Vault.com HR and recruiting editors. To
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Vault, click here.
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