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Sabbaticals change lives

What struck us most was the consistency with which people described their experience doing so as “life-changing,” “transformational,” or similar. This doesn’t mean that there weren’t difficulties associated with breaking free from the traditional notion of work and time off, (far from it - see our stories section for more,) but rather that the benefits far outweighed the perceived concerns.

Most people wait until it’s too late

However, we were also struck by the degree to which sabbaticals aren’t taken proactively. This means that most people wait until they are clinically burned out, or something bad happens to them - either a health event, (their own or someone close to them, or a job event. Waiting until it’s too late means more time on the sabbatical must be spent healing and restoring oneself before the period of growth and exploration can begin in earnest.

Sabbaticals require privilege

The majority of interviewees in our sample had prestigious pedigrees, sufficient savings, and/or the privilege of an exemplar or personality which made the prospect of extended taking time off of work a real possibility. In order to realistically expect most individuals to take multi-month sabbaticals, our expectations around employers must evolve.