Sabbatical question

Question

My S.O. is recently eligible for a sabbatical through his job. I want to use a large chunk of my PTO to travel with him (about 15 of 22 days) and I will have accrued the time by the time we take the trip later this year, but I'm wondering if it is generally frowned upon to take so much consecutive time off? While I know my manager will grant the time, I wonder if it will make me look not dedicated to my job, etc. Would you do it?

Lexi Carr · Answer

Work life balance is so important these days, and if you’re lucky, you should have managers who hold that in high regards and do not judge.

However, we don’t always live in a perfect world. I work for more of an agency and while taking long vacations is totally acceptable, it’s an unspoken rule than you be reachable if you’re gonna be out for over a week.  Which is complete opposite of our UK team, who take full months off and don’t even answer emails - which we’ve all discussed is totally unacceptable in the US.

My advice is to talk with you manager to see how you can help out from out of your office to make it look like you’re working. Don’t promise to take on too much, but a light reading or writing project that can be done on a plane or car ride would be ideal.

Also , consider how long you’ve been there and how often you take time off. If you’re not the type to take a day off every month, I doubt anyone would care.

Good luck!

Anonymous · Answer

I've wondered the same thing...leaving a comment so I can follow the thread! I'm interested to see what others say

Jemia Williams · Answer

I actually just inquired about the sabbatical process for myself recently. So what I would say here is that your manager is your best person to support you on this. If you are a teammate that is consistently on  top of your projects and tasks there should not be an issue for you taking an extended vacation.

I am a huge advocate for 100% unplugging while away on vacation, but for some of the longer times away you might want to offer a couple of hours once a week that you can dedicate to check in on business. That way your boss does not feel like you are 100% unreachable. Also connect with other employees that have taken longer vacations.

Most HR departments have contacts they can point people to for advice or suggestions. You can reach out to them for some help and ask them if they can connect you to someone who has done this in the past for some support.

Sierra Modro · Answer

Start planning ahead. This could basically be a sabbatical for you as well! If you boss and coworkers know well in advance of your time away, you can all plan appropriately.

I used to work at a company that offered 2 month sabbaticals every 7 years. When a person was nearing sabbatical, the entire team knew about it. We had full coverage charts so we knew who was handling important projects, and those people had been briefed on how to handle emergencies. Many times, the person on sabbatical had a 911/Code Red/Emergency contact option, so if something really exploded s/he could be reached.

Given that this would be in support of your SO's sabbatical, I don't think that it ought to reflect on your own work dedication. The key is to position it well with your manager and colleagues.

Good luck and enjoy your time off!!!

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