When Employees Take Sabbaticals, Organizations Benefit

For the past seven years, I’ve studied the overwhelmingly positive impact sabbaticals have on people’s mental and physical well-being, creativity, and confidence. Through hundreds of interviews with people who have taken sabbaticals, I’ve learned that the benefits extend to the teams and organizations in which they work. And yet when I talk to organizational leaders about sabbaticals, many express skepticism about whether facilitating them is practical, or even possible: “We’re already at full capacity, so how would we cover the absence?” “How can our team function effectively without a key member?” “My company would go out of business if I allowed everyone to take extended breaks — especially if they’re paid!”