Break out of your routine for a few months, travel around the world, get an education, write a book or relax and try to find yourself, and then return to your old life. It turns out that this is possible. This phenomenon has a name – sabbatical.
The term “sabbatical” is translated as “stop doing”. The etymology is directly related to the Bible and the concept of Shabbat (sabbath), meaning “sacred day of rest.” Sabbatical is a long partially paid or unpaid leave from three months to a year with guaranteed job retention. In other words, this is a professional time-out. Sabbaticals appeared in the XNUMXth century at Harvard. Professors after six years of work received the right to take an annual sabbatical to write books and scientific papers. At the same time, they retained half of the salary.
This is a more thoughtful variation of downshifting: an escape with the ability to return. Downshifters drop everything and change their lives irrevocably, escaping from office “slavery” in exotic countries or rural wilderness. The Sabbatical has an expiration date. It is more profitable for management to give a valuable shot the opportunity to rest and return with renewed vigor than to lose it completely. Sabbatical can not only save you from professional burnout, but also increase the efficiency and motivation of an employee. Especially when he spends time out for study or advanced training.
“We use this practice when we are interested in long-term retention of an employee who will be difficult to replace due to his expertise, professionalism or outstanding leadership and human qualities,” explains Galina Sedykh, HR Director of Henkel Russia. – Often, they take long vacations in case of problems in the family or with health, as well as to improve their level of education. When making a decision, the individual situation of the employee is taken into account.
Statistics confirm that today the idea of a sabbatical is quite in demand. About 29% of American companies provide employees with long vacations. Among them are such giants as Google, Intel, IBM and eBay.
What to do?
“Sabbatical can help you unlock your potential, provided that you really engage in development, and not lie on the couch,” says Daria Travinskaya, head of the Fifth Season psychological center. The new will not come by itself. You have to step out of your comfort zone and take risks. Then a year later in the mirror you can see a completely different, happier, realized, holistic and, possibly, accomplished person. In addition to the acquired knowledge, you will be able to understand yourself and your aspirations, outline a plan of action.
Going on such a vacation, it is important to clearly understand why you are doing this and what result you want to achieve.
Passive long rest will bring nothing but degradation. Therefore, when going on such a vacation, it is important to clearly understand why you are doing this and what result you want to achieve. In a year, you can lose your qualifications, so you need to move towards the goal, and not waste time. You may even work harder, but it will be for the sake of the future.
I’m tired, I’m leaving
How do you know that you need a sabbatical? “The signal may be a prolonged decrease or lack of motivation, dissatisfaction with the results and the process of professional activity, recurring thoughts from the series “how tired I am!”, irritability or apathy, an increase in the number of conflicts with colleagues, partners, superiors, a decrease in the quality of work,” notes leading specialist of the “Psychological Center on Volkhonka” Ilya Shabshin. “In order for it to be useful, it is necessary to understand (on your own or with the help of a coach, a psychologist) the reasons for dissatisfaction with work and make a decision.”
Sometimes you can do without a timeout. For example, if the problem is that you are constantly overworking, you need to discuss the measurement of the schedule, and if you have outgrown your position, talk about a new position. It is advisable to use a long break to look at your life and work from the outside in order to see where to go and how to develop further. It is worth immersing yourself in learning new things: calligraphy, yoga, acting, so that the new experience will enrich you and help you open a new page in life.
How to leave?
Surely many are sure that it is impossible to take a sabbatical in Russia. However, it is not. “It is quite possible to agree on it,” says Elena Bulkina, HR Director of the First OFD. — We use this method of increasing efficiency and retaining a valuable employee, although, perhaps, an order of magnitude less often than our Western colleagues. Articles 334 and 335 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation directly indicate the right of hotel categories of workers (teaching staff) to an extended and long (from three months to a year) paid leave with the same rate. In addition, employers have the right to include the possibility of providing such holidays in the employment contract with the employee and / or fix such a possibility in internal regulatory documents.
Naturally, employers cannot provide such leave to everyone. “It is important that the employee has worked in the company for a sufficient amount of time, to prove to the management that he is efficient, valuable and promising,” continues Elena Bulkina. “Besides, he must explain why he needs the sabbatical. The reasons may be different, and it is important to convey them convincingly to management.”
It is important to give yourself permission to sabbatical. Otherwise, you will engage in self-criticism and self-criticism instead of rest.
In addition, according to experts, it is necessary to agree with yourself. “It is important to mentally prepare for such a timeout,” notes Ilya Shabshin. First of all, give yourself permission to do it. Otherwise, you will be engaged in self-criticism and self-criticism all the time instead of resting and “rebooting”. You need to say goodbye to colleagues in a good way, go on vacation without quarrels, unresolved conflicts and unfinished business.
“Before leaving for the sabbatical, an employee must complete important current projects, pay special attention to the transfer of cases and training of the employee who will replace him,” reminds Galina Sedykh. “It is necessary to stipulate all the details and resolve all issues in advance so that the management has enough time to prepare a full-fledged replacement.”
And how to return?
A separate issue is the return. Of course, for some people, values, goals and priorities change during the holidays. They open their own business, move to another country or devote themselves to creativity. This is normal: sabbatical is, among other things, a chance to start a new life. And yet, more than half of the employees return to their former duties.
If everything was formalized properly, then the place and wages are saved. But the situation in the market may change. “If the company is developing dynamically, then in six months, when the employee returns, he may face serious difficulties, for example, due to fundamental changes in technology or workflow,” Elena Bulkina notes. You need to be ready for this.
“If a person returns to the same company, to the same position, to the same problems, there is no need to rush “right off the bat”: conduct responsible negotiations right away, sign important documents. It is better to gradually get in the know, refresh the necessary information in your head, study new data, ”advises Ilya Shabshin. You need to psychologically tune in to the fact that new tasks are ahead, unforeseen difficulties, a learning period with inevitable mistakes. It would be nice to have a support group. Those with whom you can discuss work issues, receive feedback and be charged with positive.