Seeking regeneration, more workers take extended breaks in career

"Mini-sabbaticals. Adult gap years. Micro-retirement. Extended career breaks go by many names and take many forms, from using the time between jobs to explore or taking an employer-approved leave to becoming a digital nomad or saving up for a months-long adventure. Creating space for a reset, whether mental, physical or spiritual, is the common thread. Cost, personal responsibilities and fears of being judged by colleagues, friends and family members are some of the obstacles that prevent people from hitting pause on their work lives and"

"American attitudes toward taking time off are different from the ones in much of Europe, where free time and rest are prioritized, said Kira Schrabram, an assistant professor of management at the University of Washington's business school who studies meaningful and sustainable work. In the European Union, workers are entitled by law to at least 20 days of paid vacation a year."

"But more companies are allowing weeks or months of paid or unpaid leave as a way to retain valued employees, Schrabram said. Seven years ago, she brought her experience researching burnout to the Sabbatical Project, an initiative founded by Harvard Business School Senior Lecturer DJ DiDonna that promotes sabbaticals as "a sacred human ritual" to which more people should have access."

Extended career breaks—mini-sabbaticals, adult gap years and micro-retirements—offer months-long pauses for travel, exploration, passion projects or becoming a digital nomad. Creating space for mental, physical or spiritual reset is the common thread across these forms. Cost, personal responsibilities and fears of being judged by colleagues, friends and family often prevent people from taking extended breaks. American attitudes toward time off differ from much of Europe, where free time and rest are prioritized and the European Union guarantees at least 20 days of paid vacation annually. More companies are allowing weeks or months of paid or unpaid leave to retain valued employees. Interviews with 50 U.S. professionals who took extended breaks identified three sabbatical types, including working holidays and "free dives".

Read at Latimes