Blog

BY RITA FOLEY co-author, Enhance Your Career and Life by Taking a Break, corporate director, retired Fortune 500 Global president and a founding partner of Reboot Partners LLC.

Corporations that offer sabbaticals don’t do it as a nicety. They do it because it’s downright good for bottom-line business results, employees, the company and customers.

I’ve been on all three sides. I’ve taken four sabbaticals, and each time I came back to work as a better contributor, employee and leader. I have granted sabbaticals to my employees, and I have seen the rise in creativity and benefits for customers and the corporation. Most of us have worked since we were in our late teens or early 20s, so, of course, it’s natural to crave some time off.

Gary had been contemplating quitting and trying something new. After talking it over with his wife, he decided that since he was only one year away from his sabbatical, which his company grants after seven years, he should wait. Gary’s wife shared that Gary used to moan about work, but since returning from his sabbatical, God forbid anyone say anything negative about Intel now. He realized his itching wasn’t the company or the work. He simply needed a reboot break.

What happens on the other side to the person who has to step in for the sabbatical-taker? I spoke with Tami Graham, director of Global Benefits Design. When her peer for HR delivery took a sabbatical, Tami stepped out of her job completely to run the delivery group. She explained that she can create the most wonderful programs in the world, but if they can’t be rolled out in the field or easily implemented, they are for naught. Doing the delivery job gave Tami first-hand experience of what it was like to receive programs from her team and the challenges of implementing them. It made her a better leader, as it did the person who stepped in to do her job during those three months.

Why are more companies implementing formal sabbatical programs?
Employees return rejuvenated: More than 100 companies that offer formal sabbatical programs have close to 100 percent of the sabbatical-takers returning to the company with a higher level of engagement, loyalty, motivation and appreciation for their employer. Follow-up research shows a high percentage of promotion and improved performance levels of those sabbatical-takers. Companies that provided sabbaticals on an informal or exception basis had more sabbatical takers who did not return to work or remain employed with the company.

Clients will allow it: Some companies, especially from law firms, say, “You don’t understand; we’re different. We have a very intense one-on-one relationship with our clients.” The reality is many law firms — small to ones with more than 900 partners — offer sabbaticals.

It can be cost-efficient: This is another one that is especially hard for lawyers or firms who share their profits. But, if everyone takes a sabbatical, then at one time or another you will each be covering for another, and the profit washes out. Some companies offer only partial pay for sabbatical leavers, but for even those who offer full pay, a sabbatical program shouldn’t cost you. Maybe at a clerical level you might have to hire a temp once in a while, but with some careful preparation and juggling, work can be covered by existing employees.

Implementation is essential: It’s all in the preparation. The companies I spoke to have a very simple and effective system. Upon approaching the sabbatical year, an employee writes a memo to their boss requesting the specific time off. They then meet and outline coverage.

The bottom line: Our nation will lose its innovation and creativity if we don’t invest in our most important asset: our employees. We tune up our PCs, cars and home heaters. Why not encourage our people to give their minds and spirits a tuneup? Time and time again, sabbatical-takers return as more interested and engaged employees, more loyal and more creative. Sabbaticals broaden a company by bringing in new ideas.

Loyalty alone should be enough to justify implementing a program. The cost of hiring and training a new employee can be 1.5 times a departing worker’s salary. Sharon Allen, Deloitte’s chairwoman, said her firm’s sabbaticals and flexibility policies had saved more than $45 million a year by reducing turnover.  Companies gain because offering a sabbatical program is a wonderful tool for checking and building an organization’s depth and breadth.

Sabbatical programs force managers to proactively focus on developing their staff, complete succession planning and provide training and exposure to teams, thus encouraging “readiness” in terms of bench strength. It is a chance to evaluate the potential of employees who stand in for others in a real, not hypothetical, situation. Sabbaticals promote teamwork and better decision-making. Twenty percent of the “Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For” offer fully paid sabbaticals. Since the inception of its program in 1979, Intel has granted more than 64,000 sabbaticals. Intel had $661 million in revenue in 1979. Last time I checked, this $43 billion company wasn’t doing too badly.

The 5 Step Formula for Improving Accountability
By guest blogger, Bea Fields, President of Bea Fields Companies, Inc.

When is John going to get me that report?”
“What is going on with the marketing report? When are they going to finish that thing?”
“I can’t believe Mary is so late in making those phone calls.”
“Okay…who dropped the ball this time?”
“Hey…that’s not MY job.”
Does this sound familiar? If so, your small business team may be faced with a big challenge with accountability, which results in finger pointing, frustration and broken trust…both with your employees and your customers. Personal responsibility and accountability can put an end to the blame game, saving your business thousands if not millions of dollars by increasing productivity and overall job satisfaction, which results in very satisfied customers. These five basic approaches can support you in increasing accountability, which are simple, yet they require actually building a culture of accountability for your business.

1. Communicate the big picture – Accountability stands a better chance of succeeding if everyone in your business embraces a larger responsibility for the success of the entire company. Spend time talking individually with team members about how his or her project affects the vision and mission of the business. With this communication, people can make wiser decisions from the context of the “big picture” rather than from the perspective of what may seem to be a detailed and boring task.

2. State clear expectations – If one person on your team does not meet your expectations, the entire team can fail. It is important from the very beginning of any new project to state the expectations clearly and repeat them over and over again until your team really “gets it.” These expectations need to be crystal clear, including dates, who is responsible for what, the details of the task and how you want the finished product delivered. If your expectations are fuzzy or confusing in any way, your team can break down, and the fine and very important details can fall through the cracks.

3. Accountability work groups – One of the best ways to achieve accountability is to develop shared accountability among team members. Accountability within the team can be accomplished by what Morris R. Shechtman calls “accountability groups,” groups which give team members the permission to speak and listen in a way which is frank and open. This accountability group can include 2-5 people and can then serve as a small unit of people working together to confide in with struggles, weaknesses and insecurities. They can then find creative strategies to work together in the direction of the growth the team intends to achieve.

4. Move to action – In order for accountability to work, people have to know that failure of completion will come with certain consequences, including written warnings, loss of a bonus or extra hours served on a week-end to complete the project on the table. Without consequences, your employees won’t take you seriously. They will think that they can use blame, justification and rationalization as a way to deviate from being responsible, because you have not followed through on what you said you will do if the tasks are not achieved.

5. Reward and recognition program – Employees need to know in a tangible way their efforts are indeed driving the company forward, and it is important for them to share in the fruits of their hard work. The offer of increased pay and benefits (vacations, time off and other perks) can keep accountability and morale high and can motivate employees to continue to strive for high levels of performance.