In June, professional services giant Deloitte rolled out two sabbatical offerings for its US employees:
- Four weeks of unpaid and unrestricted time off. Offered to any employee who has given at least six months of continuous service and has good performance ratings.
- Three to six months of time off to pursue career development or volunteer experiences. Offered to high performers who have been with the company for at least two years, this sabbatical offering comes with 40% of base salary.
Jessica Muhlenberg, Senior Manager of Benefits at Deloitte, says that the sabbatical programs will benefit the firm with recruitment and retention of high performers, employee satisfaction and in having refreshed employees.
Sabbaticals also align with Deloitte’s culture and values. “We wanted to offer a program that would enhance our career customization offerings and emphasize our commitment to career-life fit,” Muhlenberg says.
Employees may apply for either sabbatical by application, and must document how their work will be covered while they are away.
“We’re also expecting that when employees come back, they’ll document their experience and share what they learn,” Muhlenberg says.
Stay tuned for inspiring and interesting sabbatical stories from Deloitte employees. In the meantime, our hats are off to Deloitte for designing not one but two ways its staff can step out and step up in their careers.