Long hours and late nights are not uncommon in the nonprofit sector. Though often necessary to accomplish our work, they can leave us tired, burned out, and in need of a break. Taking regular vacations is one way to deal with overload. But perhaps you need more renewal than a vacation can provide.
Perhaps you need a sabbatical. I recently returned from a six-week respite that allowed me to recharge my batteries. At the Foundation Center, permanent employees who have worked a minimum of 15 years for the Center can take up to four weeks as a sabbatical and extend it with up to two weeks of vacation. I divided my time into three parts: (1) two weeks to take care of home/personal business that kept getting relegated to the “when I have time” list – I finally had time! (2) two weeks in Mexico to indulge my interest in pre-Columbian archeology – visited a 2,000-year old ruin in Jalisco; and (3) two weeks doing “fun things” at home – reading, sleeping in, shopping, visiting with friends, museum hopping. Although I find my job interesting and rewarding, I loved my time away from day-to-day responsibilities. The time away gave me some perspective about the work and how I do it. Now that I’m back, I’m trying to build in mini-respites – leaving on time, not taking work home for the weekend, taking a real lunch hour (not a sandwich at the desk). I hope these actions will continue the renewal process.
Having never had the opportunity to take a sabbatical until now, I didn’t know a lot about them. If you’re like me, you probably think sabbaticals are limited to college professors who have been around for a while. At one time, that was the case. Now, more and more nonprofits and corporations are offering sabbatical programs to reward and retain long-time employees and attract the younger generation for whom time-off is a priority.
What exactly is a sabbatical? Wikipedia defines a sabbatical this way:
“A sabbatical (from the Latin sabbaticus, from the Greek sabbatikos, from Hebrew shabbat, i.e., Sabbath, literally a "ceasing") is a rest from work, a hiatus . . .”
YourSabbatical.com refers to a sabbatical as a “. . . planned, strategic job pause – paid or unpaid . . .”
The duration, criteria, and parameters of sabbaticals vary. How they are used varies as well. There are various travel sabbaticals, volunteer sabbaticals, creative sabbaticals, research sabbaticals, re-charge sabbaticals, and so on. No matter why you take a sabbatical – rescue wild horses, spend quality time with your kids, learn a second language – the goal is to revive the inner spirit in order to return to work refreshed, motivated, and/or inspired.
The benefits of a sabbatical are not limited to the employee; the employer benefits as well. Employees returning from sabbatical have increased loyalty and commitment; they stay around longer and have renewed energy for the work. Your colleagues also benefit. The sabbatical provides a way for those employees remaining at the company to step up to the plate and show what they can do. This provides an opportunity for them to try out new roles, learn new skills, and demonstrate leadership in the process of covering for the colleague on sabbatical.
Although the benefits of a sabbatical are applicable to any line of work, they are more prevalent in some vocations. Aside from professors and clergy, who have traditionally been granted sabbaticals, the most sabbatical-friendly fields are publishing, technology, advertising, consulting, social service, and counseling, according to an article at “Life Get In It”. The least sabbatical-friendly employers are natural resource, manufacturing, or finance firms.
Have you taken a sabbatical? Let us know how you did it and how it impacted you and your work. If you haven’t taken a sabbatical, but would like to, start doing your research. It is not out of the realm of possibility.
Pattie Johnson, Director, Foundation Center – Atlanta
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