The benefits of a sabbatical are well known.Credit:SMH
When you consider the benefits of going on a sabbatical – the reduced stress,enhanced wellbeing,the discovery of new interests and passions – it’s a wonder only a tiny minority of people pursue them as a career priority. Maybe it’s because this is the era of crippling mortgages where even two months off work,let alone 12,can be debilitating. Or maybe it’s our fear that stepping away from corporate life will make it so much harder to re-enter it. Or perhaps it’s just that we’re doubtful our businesses will continue to run effectively without our daily presence,our vigilant gaze,our micromanagement.
And yet there are those who still somehow make it happen. It’s a middle-class privilege,to be sure,but how do these individuals manage to do it? That’s an especially important question when taking into account the stigmatisation these employees often attract:
- “He’s obviously not committed to this organisation.”
- “I’m not sure we should be promoting someone who’s planning to take a year off.”
- “By the time she returns,she would have forgotten everything.”
Those are genuine contemplations,frequently voiced aloud,by managers about their staff members who prioritise life over work in what is viewed by many as an extreme measure. These suspicions are voiced aloud particularly because,in most organisations,it’s the direct supervisor who makes the decision about whether or not an employee’s request for a sabbatical will be approved. That decision incorporates a range of concerns such as workloads,resourcing,efficacy,feasibility,and so on.
It’s quite surprising,then,to discover researchpublished this month in thePersonnel Review journal that reveals supervisor support actually has the opposite effect. That’s right,the opposite.
Among the 510 people in the study,the researchers found the more that managers supported their employees’ work/life balance,the less likely those employees were to take extended time off work.
“Being supportive to an employee’s desire to balance work and non-work responsibilities can help them deal with job-related problems and stressors,” they write. “Employees who perceive their supervisors as being concerned about them and as taking care of their wellbeing may form positive emotions toward the supervisor. This may engender a sense of obligation that they reciprocate through engagement in their work instead of taking advantage of opportunities for time off.”
That’s counter-intuitive,is it not? Counter-intuitive and yet somehow logical. When people already feel as though they have a work/life balance,and that their manager is obviously trying to accommodate their requests for flexibility,there’s bound to be less conflict,more commitment to the employer and greater job satisfaction. All good reasons to stay without needing a long break.