Such thoughts are a predictable sign of the new year blues. But there is an alternative. The career break, or sabbatical, is an increasingly popular option with organisations and employees alike. And whether it is an enforced break through redundancy or restructuring or whether your organisation is happy to redeploy you for a limited period of time, the sabbatical is an attractive option for managers at every level.
Sabbaticals help managers rediscover their enthusiasm and energy for the job in hand. They force you to reflect a little harder about the work that you do, and what your job is really about. For the employer, sabbaticals are an investment in human capital. There is self-interest at work here too of course, but there are benefits involved for both business and employee.
Nick Starritt, until recently group vice president of HR at BP Amoco, says that businesses have more than one motive for encouraging people to take sabbaticals. In a downturn an employer may want to tackle their fixed labour costs. Sabbaticals help businesses variabalise their wage bill, he says.
Thats the practical side. But employers will also want to maintain their relationship with managers on sabbatical, and define the terms of the period quite precisely. They will want to know that you are not going to go and work for a rival, for example, or that you will be available to come in for a meeting every three months to stay in touch, he says.
Employers shouldnt just cast people out into the wilderness for a year, says Imogen Daniels, a CIPD adviser. If you keep people plugged in to the organisation they will look forward to coming back. From the employees perspective, a sabbatical may be the ideal time to do an MBA, write a book, travel, do voluntary work, or simply recharge by doing something completely different. The sabbatical is really the equivalent of a students gap year, only 25 years on, says Starritt. It is a chance for many hard-pressed and overworked executives to have some time for themselves, in a way that ordinarily wouldnt be possible until retirement. It is an opportunity to widen learning and experience, and reassess your life in general.
One mistake that HR managers could make on sabbatical is losing touch altogether with the world of work, and the specific concerns of the organisation. Knowledge has a shelf life, says Starritt. It needs to be refreshed. Your business will have networks and face issues that you need to stay in touch with or be aware of.
It is important to set goals for the year, and to renew them regularly, says the CIPDs Daniels. If you dont have a line manager, make sure there is a mentor or coach to help you in this period. Properly managed, a sabbatical can be even better than a rest.
