Want to take a sabbatical? Experts weigh in with tips

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Soon after Rachel Calvelli got married, she and her husband wanted to take six months off work and travel across North America.

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At her job, Calvelli had two options for a sabbatical: two years of salary spread across 30 months and six months off, or four years of salary across five years and a year off.

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The first step in her plan was speaking to her manager. Calvelli recalled being “definitely nervous” and worried about the stigma of taking a break from her job to travel. Even though sabbaticals are a part of her workplace benefits, it wasn’t popular for people to make use of them, she said.

“At the time, I was probably around 29 or 30 and worried it would make me seem young or potentially irresponsible,” Calvelli said.

Meanwhile, her husband, who works in the private sector, had signed a new job on the condition of a short sabbatical after two years of work.

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Then came the planning: financial, logistical and everything in between. For two years, Calvelli and her husband cut back on discretionary spending, had a relative agree to take care of their home and pets while they’d be away, and prepared thorough handover documents for their workplaces leading up to their six months off in 2022.

Taking time off work for an extended period may sound like a fantasy to some people. But experts say it is possible if you time the conversation well and come armed with a plan.

“You need to be very strategic about when you do bring this conversation up,” said Danica Nelson, founder of Liberty Leave, which helps women plan career breaks.

Nelson said before people bring up the idea of taking a sabbatical with their manager, they need to make sure they’re almost irreplaceable at their job.

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“You’re coming fully prepared to your performance reviews with quantifiable metrics to really be able to justify why you are valuable to the company,” she said.

And be honest about how you feel. Nelson suggested saying something along the lines of: “I’m feeling burnt out right now. I’m considering taking some time away for myself so I can get some fresh perspective, so I come back stronger.”

Phrasing the proposal as mutually beneficial and preparing a business case could help further the conversation, said Nina Hornjatkevyc, a registered psychologist and counselling director at Canada Career Counselling.

She said it’s important to frame the “why” of a sabbatical well, which can make it easier to talk to the manager.

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“How their being on the sabbatical would actually be a win-win, highlighting how there could be benefits for the organization,” Hornjatkevyc said.

During negotiations, Hornjatkevyc said it’s important to propose as much lead time as possible before going away — and even suggest a couple of different start times that could work for the company.

It’s about “making sure there’s a real emphasis on supporting businesses or organizational needs,” she said.

If the sabbatical is approved, that lead time allows better planning and making suggestions on how duties will be covered during the absence, talking about handovers and figuring out how communication will be handled during that time, Hornjatkevyc said.

Then, set up a plan to transition back into work, she added.

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Hornjatkevyc suggested people start getting back in touch with their employer as they get closer to the end of their leave.

When Calvelli returned to her job after six months, it took time to get back into the routine. Luckily, she found her workplace was accommodating to her return and her transition back.

“I felt slower doing things, but in a really positive way,” she recalled. “I actually felt a lot calmer.”

However, Nelson warned your job may not always be guaranteed when you return.

When Nelson took a sabbatical from her old workplace, she was told she could come back to a position, but not necessarily the same one she had before her time off.

“I was offered a (maternity) leave position and I had to figure out after that … if I would find something permanent within the company or if I would have to move on,” she recalled.

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That could become a financial risk.

Nelson said a sabbatical can be expensive, as income levels drop and savings take a hit while travelling or taking a course.

“That gap in earning an income is definitely going to impact your finances long-term,” she said.

Hornjatkevyc said finances and career trajectory often are the top concerns — mortgage, implications for children or pets, their partner’s work, long-term financial stability and career growth risks, for example.

“One of the major ways to help to mitigate some of these concerns is to do some planning, and really to map out some of those concerns,” Hornjatkevyc said.

That will help figure out a realistic plan and pin down what may or may not work for an individual — both in their finances and career growth.

For Calvelli and her husband, the sabbatical didn’t stop their career growth. While Calvelli was promoted to a senior manager role three months after her time away from work, her husband returned to a senior role right after the leave.

Hornjatkevyc said a person can experience big picture growth when taking a career sabbatical.

“As much as in the short term there can be implications, there can be so much potential for (personal) growth as well,” she said.

“It’s important to balance both sides.”

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