So the idea of asking to leave your job for a month, let alone six or more, to take up a voluntary posting could seem ludicrous. But the sabbatical is not dead. Most schools still allow them – although this depends on the local authority – and being guaranteed a job after three or six months away from school can offer much-needed flexibility for stressed teachers. Go to the article.

…a sabbatical – and extended period of leave after which you return to work full-time – might be a good option. “Sabbaticals offer an opportunity to try out something you might want to do more of in retirement,” says Barbara Pagano, Co-Founder of yourSABBATICAL.com, a company that helps employers develop career breaks. “Maybe you want to teach English in China, or maybe you want to take time off to spend with aging family members.”

But even employers without sabbatical programs are often open to considering them, says Pagano. Your employer will be more receptive to the idea of a sabbatical “if it’s a planned, focused time away where you have goals for your life and career, and where you will bring something back to the workplace,” she says.

- Excerpts from the article, “Ease Into Retirement by Scaling Back Work”, by Rebecca Knight.

Cathy Duncan

Many people assume that only Fortune 500 companies can invest in sabbatical programs for their employees, but that’s just not the case. Take Standing Partnership, a St. Louis-based public relations agency with 24 employees and about $3.5 million in revenue in 2007.

The firm began its sabbatical program 12 years ago, and “it’s one of the best retention tools we have,” says president and CEO, Cathy Dunkin. Employees are eligible after their first seven years of employment, and they get two months’ paid to go and do what’s important to them.

“We encourage people to do something that personally energizes them,” Dunkin says. “One woman put together a book for her grandmother’s 100th birthday. People have traveled and done a lot of family things.” One person wrote a novel. Another spent time with her family.

Planning for each sabbatical is especially critical, because Standing Partnership is a small firm. “Since we’re an agency, planning is doubly important – because that person isn’t working and you can’t bill for them.”

Dunkin says the program works well because the company has a culture of personal responsibility. And when it comes to work coverage, team members pitch in with a collaborative spirit. “Every body does it for everyone else, because they’re looking forward to their own sabbaticals.”

yourSABBATICAL’s Elizabeth Pagano and Michelle Rupp, owner of NRG Seattle, join Jim Blasingame on his radio show “The Small Business Advocate” to discuss the the idea of employee sabbaticals, plus tips and best practices.

1. 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.
2. 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.