You're long overdue for an extended break from the corporate world but have only three weeks of holidays a year and no medical needs to attend to. What's a working gal to do? Approach your boss with a plan. Sarah Beech, managing principal of Hewitt Associates' HR Consulting Services in Canada, offers some tips for negotiating time off.
• Put a fair amount of thought into what you want before you set up your meeting so you can answer any questions and present a good case.
• Pick your timing. Don't spring it on your employer. If you want to take a two-month sabbatical in the fall, give them as much notice as possible. Word to the wise: It's best not to broach the topic when the company is short-staffed or in the midst of layoffs.
• State your plan, including why you think you could use the time off, how you have earned it, what you plan to do with it (travel, take courses, de-stress with some time to yourself, spend more time with your kids, etc.) and what the merits are to the organization, such as you'll return recharged or you'll be spending time in a country that the company does business with and you will come back more familiar with the culture and language.
• Suggest how your workload may be handled in your absence.
• Promote yourself. Tell your boss why you think you are an asset worth keeping and have examples of great work you have done.
A sabbatical: Do you qualify?
You're eager to take some time off from your job and an at-home sabbatical won't do – it's got to be the real deal. You may be in luck. Sarah Beech, managing principal of Hewitt Associates' HR Consulting Services in Canada, says more organizations are offering extra time off beyond regular vacation days to their employees. A survey by the firm conducted in 2006 shows that:
• Forty-four per cent of Canadian companies that participated in the study offer an unpaid sabbatical. That number is expected to jump to 58 per cent by 2009.
• An additional 12 per cent of companies offer paid sabbaticals – a figure that Hewitt Associates says will increase to 20 per cent by 2009. Sweet deal.
"Companies don't want to lose employees who have been with the organization for some time because they are at a point in their lives where they want to spend more time with their family, get a degree or travel extensively and are willing to come back to work afterward," says Beech. While sabbaticals are now available to employees at workplaces as diverse as law firms, high-tech companies and pharmaceutical manufacturers, Beech says they're usually for those who have been with the organization for about 10 years and are strong performers – newbies and slackers need not apply.
If the sabbatical bug has bitten, talk to your manager or human resources department; you may be pleasantly surprised at your options.
- by Kathryn Dorrell
Read more:
How to negotiate flexible work arrangements
10 important things to know before you change careers
Jobs for stay-at-home parents
Page 4 of 4
Comment reported
Thank you for reporting this comment as inappropriate.
Back to Comments »