Do Career Breaks Matter? 6 Signs You Need a Sabbatical

Work-life balance has always been the ultimate goal, after all, we work in the pursuit of enjoying everything that life has to offer. However, work can easily take up a huge part of our lives, causing us to lose sight of the things that matter most—ourselves, our family, and life itself. When balance is lost and your life and career purpose questioned, is a sabbatical leave the answer?

What is a sabbatical leave?

A sabbatical leave is a break from work that can last from 3 months to a year. And during this time, you are not required and expected to perform your usual tasks at work, especially if you chose to resign. You can use this time to rest, travel, reflect, acquire new skills and hobbies, or join opportunities for further career and personal growth.

Why go on a sabbatical leave?

With the meaning of success changing over time—further gearing towards one’s happiness and personal contentment—people are getting more inspired to reanalyze and redesign their lives in a way that life itself is the priority. Choosing to look for more flexible and better working conditions to achieve the quite elusive work-life balance is gaining more popularity among professionals. Moreover, companies are slowly yet finally recognizing and validating the need for sabbatical leaves, for higher employee retention.

“The Great Resignation” and “The Great Reshuffle” have been a direct push for companies to consider their employees’ overall well-being. Chief People Officer, Rajnish Sinha, of digital outsourcing firm TaskUs, once mentioned in an interview that employees have been wanting more freedom and fulfillment, shifting the future of work to employers being more compassionate and flexible when it comes to their employee’s working terms. This involves holding in high regard work-life balance, mental health, and wellness.

Furthermore, with studies suggesting that happy workers are more productive, it seems that prioritizing yourself will be more beneficial to your career and overall well-being rather than being a negative point on your career record.

If you have a good reason and have a direct goal on what you want to achieve with a sabbatical leave, then a gap in your work history will be worth it. But how exactly do you know if you need a sabbatical leave?

6 signs you need a sabbatical

1. Disinterest

From being fueled with passion and enthusiasm towards your role at work, have you been feeling completely indifferent to it? If your job feels like a mere paycheck to survive, then it may be time to consider a career break.

The lack of interest in what you do may lead to the decline of how you see yourself and how you value your skills and your purpose, which in turn will take a toll on your career goals. Taking a sabbatical leave and veering away from your routine will give you the chance to reflect on your goals and what you want to achieve when it comes to career advancement.

2. Feeling stagnant

Do you feel stuck? Do you feel like you’re not making any progress? Do you feel like you just can’t find the strength or motivation to move forward and reach for your goals no matter how hard you try?

While it may seem like you’re the only one, feeling stagnant or stuck in a rut is not an uncommon feeling. It may only mean that your current work no longer provides the happiness and motivation you need to progress. It’s a sign you need a sabbatical leave to learn new skills and explore or revisit different passions to ignite your drive to continue moving forward.

3. Low morale

How you feel in your workplace is valid and important. If you feel that you’re underappreciated and taken for granted, chances are you’ll end up losing sight of your worth and your true value.

High morale in the workplace boosts one’s creativity, passion, and team collaboration. If the company’s work culture is not working for you then maybe it’s time to find a different working environment that will foster personal and career growth. Taking a sabbatical leave will help you find yourself again. Trying on new things that contribute to your sense of self-worth will help bring back your confidence in achieving more, not just in your career but in life in general.

4. Easily annoyed

Disappointments at work can be forgivable but if you find yourself constantly aggravated by petty matters regarding your work responsibilities, your colleagues, and your bosses, then it may be time to reflect on your current work situation.

Annoyance at work doesn’t just spring from nothing. There are probably big matters you have been shrugging off for years, such as being overworked and underpaid, feeling demoralized, and experiencing a lack of career growth. A sabbatical leave will help you recharge, find your happiness once again, and get you ready to pursue better career options and employers that know your worth.

5. Negative feedback

Much like constantly having an irritated feeling towards work, poor performance may just be the tip of an iceberg.

If you know what your skills are and have previously proven what you are capable of but recently find yourself performing poorly and feeling indifferent to the negative feedback, then it’s a definite cause for concern. Remember that your mental health matters. Choosing to take a sabbatical leave will help you save yourself and your career from further declining. Your disinterest to continue performing well at work may be coming from a serious lack of time and activities that contribute to your overall well-being. Take a career break to breathe and rekindle your desire to live a purposeful and meaningful life in and outside of work.

6. Lack of personal satisfaction

Are you feeling a big sense of dissatisfaction with your career? Perhaps regret not achieving more than you believe you can? Do you feel like you’re in a dead-end position and have lost interest in learning new things?

Remember that you only have one life and you have full control of it. If your role at work no longer gives you a sense of purpose or feels like a hindrance to reaching your full potential, consider talking to your boss for a sabbatical leave. Take the time off to do things you love or have been meaning to try, enroll in a class or catch up on your reading, boost your skills or upskill. Get to know yourself again and the things you find satisfaction in—things that push you to continue growing and enjoying life.

While a sabbatical leave is important to your overall well-being, there are also a lot of factors to consider before jumping to a decision to take a sabbatical leave.

Questions to Go Through for Your Sabbatical

These are important questions to go through for your sabbatical to be truly beneficial and successful.

1. Are you financially equipped?

Traditionally, a sabbatical is a paid leave, however, it is not a requirement. Moreover, depending on the reason, you may need to leave a former employer to go on leave. Thus, to maximize its benefits, financial stress should be eliminated. If your company doesn’t offer paid leave, or you have to resign, make sure you have enough money to cover your basic needs during this time. In addition, since a sabbatical’s goal is for you to be able to do things you normally couldn’t do because of work, it would also be best to have money allotted for enjoyment such as traveling, staying in a different location, or taking on educational and professional development opportunities.

2. Do you have a plan?

Based on your financial capacity or what your company can offer, decide on how long you would like to be on sabbatical leave. Analyze what your purpose would be so you’ll know how to spend your career break to achieve a happier, healthier, and more driven you.

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