What is a sabbatical?

The word comes from academia, where staff are given periodic research leave, but many employers now offer sabbaticals as a retention benefit for long-serving staff. They can be paid, partly paid or unpaid. In most countries a sabbatical is a matter of employer policy rather than a legal entitlement. Australia has a related statutory idea: the National Employment Standards include an entitlement to long service leave, a long break earned through long service.

A sabbatical differs from other leave in purpose and length. Annual leave is a recurring statutory or contractual entitlement. A leave of absence is often driven by a need such as health or caring. A sabbatical is a planned, longer break that the employee chooses and the employer approves, typically after a qualifying period of service.

A workable sabbatical policy answers the questions employees and managers will ask: who is eligible and after how long, how long the break can be, whether it is paid and how benefits, pension contributions and holiday accrual are treated, how much notice is needed, how the business can defer a request, what the employee may and may not do during it (for example, no working for a competitor), and what happens if they resign during or soon after it.

Plan the cover early. A sabbatical is a good moment to give someone else a stretch assignment, which is a low-cost form of job rotation. On return, a short re-onboarding conversation about what changed helps the person get back up to speed. This is general information, not legal advice.

Also called: sabbatical leave, career break, sabbatical leave policy.