Sabbaticals are an amazing way to develop personal and professional skills, reset your mind and body and re-energise your creative spirit, but not all employers are open to the idea.

If you feel you’d rather be sailing across the Atlantic or climbing the peak of a mountain instead of spending your days at a desk, maybe you could consider taking a sabbatical to refresh your energy and enthusiasm. A sabbatical or career break, is a process which enables you to return to your job at the end of an agreed period of time away. Here are four ideas to help you convince your employer that you’ll come back brighter, happier and more productive with a sabbatical under your belt.

What is a sabbatical?

Sabbatical comes from the word “sabbah”, which means rest and rejuvenation. More traditionally people associate sabbaticals in academic careers, but these days they’re not just for teachers anymore.

As the experts at Career Shifters note “The period of time allowed depends on the company and may only be accessible to employees at a certain level in the organisation such as senior managers or full-time staff. This is the option for those who may be planning to return to the same job or field of work. It can be a useful way to take time out from your job to reassess where your career is heading and how you would like it to progress when you return.” Read more

Well, there are good news for you. You may find it hard to believe, but more and more companies are allowing their employees to go on sabbatical. Why? Because employees are the most valuable asset of a company, and if they are happy, then the company is happy.

So here 4 reasons to convince your employer that a sabbatical is a good idea:

1. Avoid burnout

Burnout happens when you work too much and you are too stressed. At a certain point you may feel like you can’t take it anymore and your productivity falls flat. This is a very bad experience for you, and it certainly doesn’t help your employer either. If you feel you are at risk of burnout you should go speak with your employer and discuss the possibility of a sabbatical – and, if they don’t offer them seriously consider your work / life balance as a career break may be in order.

2. Learn new languages

Britons have many virtues, but multi-language skills are not among them (usually). Yes, it’s true: English is one of the most widely spoken languages. The third most spoken language to be precised. The first one is Chinese, the second one is Spanish and the fourth one is Hindi. Your employer is likely to be interested in these or other languages, and if this is something you plan to do, you can definitely play this card to get your sabbatical leave.

3. Gain knowledge of international markets

This may be particularly interesting for your employer if you work in a multinational company of if your company is thinking of expanding abroad. Despite globalization, the world is very diverse and cultural differences are a big barrier to succeed. Travelling around the world means you get to know new people as well as new places. Besides, a journey is better measured in friends than in miles. And when you come back, you can use what you’ve learned at your employer’s advantage.

4. Learn new skills

Google, probably the most successful company in the world, organises for its employees the most diverse activities, for example kickboxing and cooking classes. Why? Because all those skills, although not directly related to your position, contribute to improve your performance. Cooking classes are a good way to improve your creativity, for example. And a sabbatical year is probably the best chance you have to learn new things and improve your skills.

Speak to us if you’re planning a sabbatical or career break – we’ve got lots of tips and advice having personally experienced both with the Founders at Another World Adventures we’d be glad to help.