Image: Rusty Plough by Marie-Therese Le Roux
Farmers know that land yields the best harvest if it is allowed to lie fallow, or unused, after several seasons of production. The academic world has long given its great minds the same privilege in the form of the sabbatical. So much more than a holiday, a sabbatical is a hiatus that refreshes mind and soul with a purposeful respite.
It is promising to see that this wise tradition is extending to the wider world of work. An increasing number of corporations now include sabbaticals in their employees’ career trajectory, while many provide the option as a way of retaining and developing top human resources. A few days ago The Sabbatical Mindset blog reported that 21 of Fortune magazine’s 100 Companies to Work For offered (paid) sabbaticals as employee benefits in 2011, and suggested that it is an upward trend.
The trend certainly isn’t hurt by a growing lobby for sabbaticals targeting both employees and companies. Your Sabbatical is a website that assists companies in implementing a sabbatical policy, and equips employees to campaign for sabbaticals where these are not yet in place. Resources for planning an optimal (and corporately accountable) sabbatical are also provided. The Career Break Site is a more informal site aimed mostly at employees planning for a change of pace.
My personal interest in sabbaticals? I am sure my agenda here is crystal clear. The idea has always intrigued me, and I have always promised myself to take a break in my seventh year of work. Yet I never really kept count, having held occupations like balloon seller, artist-a-porter, tour guide and of course English teacher of multiple ranks. A few weeks back it struck me that I will soon complete my sixth year in the higher education system in Oman. It is time to put my money where my mouth is. A sabbatical does take planning, and above all, a great and noble purpose. And that is what I’ll be working on.
What great and noble purpose? That is a great question to ponder. Any suggestions?
1 comment:
Anyone planning a sabbatical can benefit from the sabbatical preparation podcast presented by business coach Robin Hensley at http://www.raisingthebar.com/podcasts/Podcast10.mp3
By the way, Salalah is the perfect place for a serene sabbatical!
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