I think everyone should have the right to a sabbatical

[Poppadumpony]

Just thinking sadly about how I want to go travelling for 3 months but will never be able to do it while employed. My employer can’t give me a sabbatical because my work is essential and they wouldn’t get anybody to cover me while I’m away. It’s a niche role and I can’t imagine anyone would accept a contact to do it full time for just 3 months or even just a year (It’s in quite a remote place, nobody would want to relocate for a temporary post).

I was thinking about maternity leave and that if I had a baby, I’d have the right to 9 months off and my employer would just have to suck it up and muddle through.

I am single, however, and probably unable to have children. People have children to fulfill a yearning and lead a more fulfilling life. I would love to travel for an extended time and it would certainly give me a more fulfilling life, yet I know it would not be allowed. It seems unfair.

I think everyone should have the right to a sabbatical, which employers can’t refuse. Maybe once every 10 years or similar.

It’s not unreasonable is it?

Why don't you resign, go travelling and then find a new job?

You can't expect businesses to keep your job open while you disappear off around the world. How are they supposed to make a profit and stay in business so you have a job to come back to?

Maternity leave is different because without it, a lot of people could not have children and then where would the next generation of tax payers come from? Even with legal protection, one in 4 women is discriminated against during or after maternity leave.

Why should employers have to fund people because they want to go off and find themselves so people want study leave, leave for a baby, period leave, stress leave, meditation leave, leave for when they need to care for someone, their pet dies when are they actually at work?

YANBU. I'm retired now but never got the chance to take maternity leave, could not have children. Where I used to work you could apply for a sabbatical after working for them a certain length of time - but it had to be FOR something, helping to build schools in Africa, or something that would raise the employer's profile. Not for doing something just for yourself - which is what having children is, really.

Have you asked them? Or even checked your handbook?

My workplace does permit sabbaticals "just because" to go traveling etc. But there's no extra employment protections during it like there is for maternity leave.

Not one to try during a recession, but when the job market is strong again, try it.

Why should employers do it? Well, because human life is about more than just accruing wealth! People are more than just work machines! The whole reason we ever started making tools and invented the wheel was to make our lives better and more enjoyable!! Now it’s like we are slaves to the beast we created.
You are born, you work, and you die. Big woo.

If everybody got the same, there wouldn’t be a problem. Everybody gets weekends off (okay okay not everybody but you get my general point). Why not a sabbatical every decade?

And the reason I can’t leave and then find a new job is that there is only one employer within commuting distance of where I live. It’s the only job in the area that matches my skillset. I’m bloody lucky to have it. Still want to go on an adventure though while I’m young and fit enough to enjoy it. Is that so very wrong?

(And this isn’t something I’d want to do now, btw, it’s just hypothetical, thinking about how my future looks).

You need to find a job with an employer who offers this. Is the bottom line.

Most who do only offer it after a certain number of years working.

I find your equivalence with maternity leave shitty. Like, really shitty.

I’m not sure comparing a sabbatical with maternity leave is the same thing.

Although I do think sabbaticals are a good idea I don’t think employers should have to pay you. For example you could request a 12 month sabbatical but be unpaid for the whole 12 months. That way employers could replace you temporarily whilst not inciting costs and you would have a job to return to.

Please don’t compare sabbaticals with maternity. They are not the same thing

I find your equivalence with maternity leave shitty. Like, really shitty.

Firstly yes to the above.

Secondly, I do agree that a culture of taking time for travelling (if we still could) isn't unprecedented. The Australians I've met travelling seem to have more of a culture of it and employers do accommodate it.

Two of my single, childless friends did this. One's employer agreed for her to work extra hours and then give her 12 weeks off (8 weeks were the extra hours and 4 weeks was Annual Leave). The other one's employer said no, she went back and asked again and they eventually agreed to unpaid leave. They agreed it would be something like 18 months later as she wanted the time to save up the funds. Both I'd describe as niche types of roles, definitely rare, specialized positions.

I think it's possible. Ask and think about all their concerns in advance and discuss how to alleviate those.

Save up all your leave and have a mini adventure?
Join the TA? I think some employers will give extra time.

Or can you apply for positions overseas?

Does your company have other offices in other countries?

Can you wfh?
Lots of people travel around the world, but still work wherever they are .

Okay, well I’m sorry my comparison with maternity leave offends, as it was not my intention to do that. I’m not sugggesting that maternity leave is a holiday, but people by and large decide that they want to have children and their decision is accommodated by employers. I’m just wondering why other decesions that are important to people can’t be accommodated by employers too.

In my imaginary world this is in addition to maternity, not instead of.

Would prefer for all employers to stump up for decent sick pay first rather than the government having to do it and it being so low that some people literally cannot afford to be ill, or even have things treated unless they have annual leave to use.
I've used annual leave twice for operations, I'm on a low wage but it's still more than SSP. If I'd had to live on SSP for the duration of recovery I'd have been fixed but homeless. Great choice there.
So yes, until people in low income jobs can have the luxury of affording to be ill, I don't think sabbaticals should be top of the list really.

@Poppadumpony

Okay, well I’m sorry my comparison with maternity leave offends, as it was not my intention to do that. I’m not sugggesting that maternity leave is a holiday, but people by and large decide that they want to have children and their decision is accommodated by employers. I’m just wondering why other decesions that are important to people can’t be accommodated by employers too.

In my imaginary world this is in addition to maternity, not instead of.

I've often wondered exactly the same thing (and hypothetically thrashed it out in the same manner... of course, maternity leave is different, but it's still absence from the business).

I think it would be very healthy and beneficial (potentially to both parties) if taking a sabbatical was a normal thing to do.

'I’m not sugggesting that maternity leave is a holiday, but people by and large decide that they want to have children and their decision is accommodated by employers.'

Men and women decide to have children. Maternity leave is because being pregnant, giving birth and recovering are non trivial.

Also, BF is really hard if you're out working early on.

Men get more leave these days from what I have heard. So not just maternity leave is it. Men get time too.

And you're naive to think that pregnancy is always an active choice.

I've told you the answer. Switch to an employer who has a sabbatical option.

Or. If you are valued, you can cut a deal with them. I have had colleagues who have done this.

Oh and another point to OP and Poppin.

The reason maternity leave happens is because it's codified in law. To stop women losing out because of something only women can do. Thousands of women still lose their job (illegally) every year because they are pregnant.

Anecdotally. In my experience. Women getting pregnant gets an eye roll. Men going on sabbatical gets oh wow what s guy.

I haven't known any women who have gone on sabbatical. But plenty of men. Anecdata.

I think it would be very healthy and beneficial (potentially to both parties) if taking a sabbatical was a normal thing to do

Interesting idea, how would you make it work practically and financially for the company?

I totally agree with you.

I have always worked for organisations who either had the right to request a sabbatical in the contract or who would accomodate me taking all of my annual leave and then some unpaid in a lump, so I have been able to take a couple of months off at a time.

This is in public and private sector jobs as either a teacher or an engineer. So not that specialised that I would be irreplaceable but valued enough that my employer saw me as more than a unit. I have had to ask well, WELL, in advance, like a year or more and it has been very much about working with them and requesting, rather than it being a right or expectation on my part.

Of course we don't want to underline maternity leave as it is essential for the development of the child and the wellbeing of the mother.

For some people having a child is not a choice, but for most, in developed countries, it is a lifestyle choice. The people who do not or cannot make that choice should also be able to find a work-life balance which accommodates their families, responsibilities and interests so that they are able to live rich and fulfilled lives.

Life is about more than work and death!

Anyone can ask. The worse that any employer can say is no.

As a bloke I'm not particularly keen on the prospect of working over 40 years without ever having a full month off, but it's not really my employer's problem.

I &could envision a scenario where a woman takes her sabbatical in between two mat leaves and is essentially away from the business for 3 years. Then what? It’s unreasonable to expect businesses to hold a role for that long.

I could not have children and I can see why you equate it to maternity leave, it is a break from work that a lot of our gender have had but we have not. Still I can also see that it is not the same.

I wanted a break to go travelling once, so I saved up, resigned, went travelling, got a new job six months later when I returned. That is what you need to do, it isn’t down to your employer to facilitate this.

Despite knowing it's not a holiday, I'm a little jealous that I'll never get maternity leave as a bloke. Realistically, I'll be lucky to ever get more than a fortnight off in the rest of my working life as always need to keep some holiday back for xmas.

In a weird way I enjoyed my seven weeks of furlough knowing I'd likely never again get this amount of time for reflection until I retire.

I agree! In Australia you get 13 weeks long service leave after 10yrs with the same employer. What a gift.

It's really not unreasonable OP. In Australia 'long service leave' is a statutory leave entitlement, where if you work for the same employer for a decade, then you get 3 months paid leave. It is exactly for travelling (or whatever else you want of course) - I think it had its origins in allowing someone to get back to the old country (uk) to see family etc every 10 years because it was such a mammoth time/money commitment to get there and back. But it has stuck around. So no, not unreasonable at all, quite normal in Aus!

Oops cross post as it took me too long to type!