The article under HR Morning’s tantalizing headline, “Cha-ching! Biz plans to spend $125K on loyal employees,” definitely got me to read the story. Here’s the opening.
“This year, The Marketing Arm, a Dallas-based marketing and promotions agency, is starting a unique sabbatical program that it estimates will cost between $125,000 and $200,000 in 2012 alone.”
What the company will be spending money on is a “sabbatical program.” In this case, people who’ve been at The Marketing Arm for seven years will receive an extra seven days off and $2500 to spend learning, doing something they’ve always wanted to do, or doing something for the community.
Not many companies have a sabbatical program. According to SHRM, only 4 percent of companies offer any form of paid sabbatical, although “more than 20 percent” of the Top 100 Best Companies to Work For do.
The Marketing Arm’s program is different from most because it offers extra cash in addition to paid time off. Intel, who has had a sabbatical program since 1981, has a more common mix of program features. According to the Intel web site:
“Intel provides eligible employees with an eight-week sabbatical, with full salary and benefits, after each seven years of full-time service.”
However you structure a sabbatical program, it seems like an ideal benefit for knowledge workers, with benefits for the company, too. I’m not going to offer any accounting voodoo ROI figures, just four observations.
A sabbatical is real time away. If you’re out for a few days or a week, you may check your mail and get pestered by customers and co-workers. With weeks away, you will truly unhook and return to work really refreshed.
Most sabbaticals involve personal growth. Human beings love to learn and a sabbatical offers the opportunity to do that.
While you’re gone, co-workers are learning your job. For the company, it’s a kind of cross-training. It also makes it easier to take time away later because you know the job can be covered.
Last, but not least, sabbaticals are a popular benefit which makes them a driver of quality recruitment and retention. If you’re seeking the perfect benefit for knowledge workers, a sabbatical just might be it.
