Monzo offer employees a 3 month paid sabbatical.
I think paid sabbaticals are pretty rare, but it got me thinking.
If my old employer offered paid sabbaticals…
(rather than unpaid sabbaticals)
…would it have made my decision to take a sabbatical easier?
See, I took a 6 month unpaid sabbatical 12 years in to my career. But I thought about taking one for a long time before taking it.
There were a couple of reasons why I didn’t take one earlier.
First off, it never felt like the right time.
Other things always got in the way. Like moving to a new team, getting a promotion or moving flat.
I told myself “I’ll wait a few more months
and then go on sabbatical”.
But a few months later another reason (or excuse) would come out of nowhere.
And the cycle would repeat itself.
It took me years to realise that there’d never be a perfect time.
If it was something I wanted to do, I should just do it.
Otherwise it might never happen.
That was the first reason.
And the second was this:
I always wondered how asking for a sabbatical would be viewed.
Sure, other colleagues took sabbaticals…
But it wasn’t common.
And taking one raised a few questions in my head.
Might it count against
me? Did it show less ambition or drive? And what would this mean for my future career?
I wasn’t really sure.
These were the big two reasons for me.
I was fortunate to have some savings. So money wasn't as much of a factor.
That’s not to say that a paid sabbatical wouldn’t have been easier to take.
Of course it would. Being paid NOT to work is a lot of
people’s dream.
But I’m not sure it would’ve made it that much easier. The other two factors would still be in play.
The only thing which could’ve changed this is if paid sabbaticals meant more colleagues decided to take sabbaticals.
Which it may well have done…
And then it would’ve felt less like I was sticking my head above the parapet.
Instead, I would’ve been one of many.
Now, this was my position.
But the world is made up of different folk…
And people have completely different views on sabbaticals.
I can think of a few:
You might love your
job. So working brings more joy than a sabbatical will.
You might want to get as senior as possible, as quickly as possible. And taking time out might get in the way.
You might be itching to go on sabbatical, but you’re worried about what it would mean for your career.
You might like the idea of a sabbatical, but aren’t sure what you’d do if you took
one.
You might have already taken a sabbatical. Or you might have zero interest in taking a
sabbatical.
Or maybe you’d love to take a sabbatical, but money is a big factor. In which case a paid sabbatical
could be dream come true.
These are just off the top of my head.
I’m sure there’s lots of other views
on sabbaticals. You might have your own.
But the most interesting question to ponder is this:
If your employer offered paid sabbaticals, would you take one?
Money plays a big role in day to day life. So removing money from the equation like this can give insights we wouldn’t have
otherwise.
These insights can help us determine what’s actually important to us…
And this can lead us to take action.
Maybe something to think about.
On which note I'm going to wrap this up.
Have a great day.
- Tom
p.s. Whenever you're ready, here are the ways you can connect with me