We posted on our Facebook page recently about sabbatical leave and how employers are increasingly offering it as a way to attract new employees. So we thought we’d take a closer look at the subject for this month’s blog.
What is a sabbatical?
The term originated in an academic setting and was used to describe the time academics took away from teaching for research or travel. But it’s been extended now to mean a period of long-term leave – usually unpaid – from a job for volunteering, travel or study, with the expectation that the employee’s job will be held open for them and that they will return to work, although there is no legal right for the employee to come back to their job.
The term ‘career break’ might also be used but this is usually when an employee resigns from their job although there is a promise to offer re-employment at the end of their break.
Legal status of sabbaticals
There is currently no legal right to take a sabbatical. That means that it’s entirely at the discretion of the employer as to whether a request for a sabbatical might be granted. If the option for a sabbatical is written into an employee’s contract, then it does become legally enforceable.
If an employee is on sabbatical and remains employed, then their rights under their contract are still in place. This includes the fact that they’ll continue to accrue holiday pay and they will be building months and years of continuous service. By contrast, if they’ve taken a career break and so are not employees during the time of their leave, they won’t enjoy any of the benefits of employment.
Granting a request for sabbatical leave
An employer’s first thought when receiving a request for sabbatical leave is the disruption it could cause to the business. The impact it will have will vary so it will be an individual consideration for each employer. Then there’s the financial impact. Sabbatical leave is typically unpaid so it could reduce payroll costs for a while, but this saving could be offset by the additional cost of covering for the absent employee.
But agreeing to a request for sabbatical leave can have benefits too. It can really help with staff retention and recruitment, meaning valued, talented and skilled staff remain in the business rather than leaving to join a competitor. It can also help to bring new skills into the business if the employee has taken the time out to study or train.
From an employee’s point of view, it can boost productivity and make them feel rewarded for hard work and long service.
Writing a sabbatical policy
If an employer is thinking about offering sabbaticals, it would be a good idea to start by writing a sabbatical policy that sets out the criteria for granting a request. These might encompass length of service, seniority or maximum length of the sabbatical. A clear policy will help to make sure any requests are considered fairly and avoid complaints about discrimination.
Offering sabbaticals can have benefits for both employers and employees but there are drawbacks too so it’s something that needs quite a bit of consideration and requests will probably need to be considered on a case by case basis. But it’s definitely a subject that will be coming up more and more in the future.