- Sabbaticals are more common than you think: According to the Families and Work Institute, 24% of companies with under 100 employees offer some sort of Sabbatical of six months or more. 33% of companies with more than 1,000 employees do also.
- “Innovation” takes (free) time: Some savvy corporations give paid “innovation Sabbaticals.” At General Mills, they can last up to one year.
- Saving made easy: Always inventive Accenture provides “Future Leave” accounts, a place where employees can put money from their paycheck aside to fund a someday BreakAway.
- Do good work: Garrison Keillor ends every broadcast of “The Writers Almanac” with those timeless words—and he’s allowed himself a few Big Breaks. If YOU get the guts to propose a Sabbatical to your boss, Elizabeth Pagano, co-founder of YourSabbatical, makes it blunt: “It’s very risky to ask if you’re not doing your job.”
Here are a five final thoughts to ponder before you sit your boss down and say, Can we talk about this idea I’ve been having?”…
- Life goes on (about like before) if they say “no.”
- “No” often means “not yet” or “let me think about it.”
- Asking, at the least, informs your boss that you’re interested.
- Mention the many ways your quest may benefit the company.
- Have a plan—and be ready to pack. What if they say YES?
