Sabbaticals becoming less radical: designing and implementing sabbatical program

In this post-COVID-19 era of the Great Resignation and “quiet quitting,” one of the newest ideas for attracting and retaining employees is one that was usually limited to professors in higher education: the sabbatical.

A sabbatical is period of leave granted to a worker for study, travel, or engaging in professional development. Many employers, other than universities, are exploring this idea as a way to attract new employees, keep valued employees, or provide a phased route toward retirement.

Whether the goal is improving retention, increasing loyalty, reducing burnout, or facilitating increased work-life balance, there are some potential employee benefits issues for employers to anticipate and avoid as they consider how to design a sabbatical program to best achieve their goals.

Designing and planning a sabbatical program

When designing a sabbatical program, there are several mechanical aspects for employers to consider.

Who will be eligible? How long must the employee have worked with the employer to become eligible? How long will the sabbatical be? For what purposes may the sabbatical be used? What are the expectations for returning to work? If an employee doesn’t return to work or returns for only a short period of time, what are the consequences, if any? Will the employee continue to be eligible for benefits during his or her sabbatical, and if so, what benefits? Some employees may be comfortable taking a sabbatical that’s unpaid or at reduced pay rate, but will these employees be comfortable giving up their employee benefits?