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?

YANBU.
My company does allow it, but it's a drama and not always approved, depending on the role. Senior staff are never approved.

I worked with someone who is child free and a bit miffed that she doesn't get to have a year off paid, really annoyed me. It's not a year on full pay it's 9 month on about £600 AND you have a new person to pay for. If she wanted to she could have saved up the approx £6k over a few years to have her own private mat leave (she wouldn't have trouble getting her job back or finding another) and afterwards her life would go back to normal and she wouldn't have the HUGE childcare costs for at least a couple years after that far exceeds the amount of maternity pay, not to mention the potentially limited earning potential.

Someone else I worked with ask to go on leave for a few months so they could travel, it was granted and they had a great time. Since returning they have had a promotion.

I went on maternity, came back for a bit, was furloughed and then made redundant. I have had masses of time off but with a toddler in tow it's not been an easy ride and I know that people have had it much worse than me (I'm seriously impressed with anyone who WFH with a toddler, I couldn't)

I also can't imagine working somewhere for 10 years, being with my company for 4 years was a long time in my industry unless your quite a bit older and have a very cushy position. Tech moves fast and people change jobs a lot. I'd never get there.

I worked with someone who is child free and a bit miffed that she doesn't get to have a year off paid, really annoyed me. It's not a year on full pay it's 9 month on about £600 AND you have a new person to pay for.

In most cases there's a bloke working full time to help with the cashflow, though, to be fair.

@ForrestTrump true but she was in the fortunate position of having a mortgage so lower payments than our rent and she split the cost by living with someone (male)

My job actually does offer this after 5 years service. Entitled to up to 6 months off unpaid sabbatical and they guarantee you'll return to your original position. I don't actually know anyone who has ever done it though so I'm not sure how it works in reality!

Like PP I had an employer that offered sabbaticals after a certain time there.

Other thing I did was our holiday year ran for the calendar year and we could carry over some days into January/February. So I could then (with approval) take 5 weeks off in Feb/Mar. (Beginning of the year was a quiet time for my employer).

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.

I agree. It seems these days that if you don't have children you are treated as a second class citizen.

I agree that anyone in their final 10 years before retiring should be able to take a sabbatical to get themselves ready for retirement, many companies do winding down where the employee gradually reduces their working hours towards their retirement date. It could be given as a long service award, for maybe 20 years plus service.

I was thinking about this yesterday. I completely support every maternity protection and benefit there is in order to support mothers. But at the end of the day having a baby is a choice and not something they were forced into (I hope not anyway). It seems people without children should be able to take period of time off at least once for a sabbatical , even if completely unpaid.

There are plenty of employers that do offer this as a retention perk- you should have chosen one if this was important to you. I worked for an employer that offered a 3 month sabbatical after X number of years and everyone took it up. Shock horror some of them also had children. Not sure why you are drawing a comparison with mat leave/parental leave though.

Op you must have quieter times, is it worth asking them? Go with a suggestion of what will happen while you're away - all you're asking for presumably is a short period of unpaid leave you can tag onto annual leave one summer or whenever. Presumably they manage your work while you're on annual leave.
You might be surprised.

Where I worked they had this and it was called a career break and was for a year. I knew 1 person who took this. After they returned they didn't stay long and resigned to take a new job. In the civil service you could take a career break up to 5 years I believe as I knew someone who did this.

Ah the entitled youth.

The local council that I work for allows teachers (potentially other staff too, but I’m not sure) to take two years unpaid leave after five years served. They don’t guarantee you go back to your old job though, they can put you back in any school with a vacancy when you return. I’ve only ever heard of a small handful take advantage of it and I think most staff are unaware that they offer it.

My employer offers up to 12 month unpaid career break which you can apply for after 5 years service. You can do for anything - travelling, caring responsibilities, study etc but you cannot do other paid employment. They also offer a decent enhanced maternity package and sick pay etc

It's one of the reasons I work for them - but I don't think it should be mandatory.

You sound very young and entitled with this woe is me attitude comparing yourself to women who have families.

Lots of employers do offer this. Why not use the internal consultation mechanisms in your company to see if it can be added to the staff benefits package. There's also often the option to buy and sell annual leave so you can add another couple of weeks to your usual holiday allowance.

Unless you ask (and keep asking, bringing other employees into the conversation) you won't get.

To compare a sabbatical to maternity leave is quite frankly ridiculous. I can tell you from first hand experience that having a baby and not working is in no way even remotely the same as going off on a good old jolly! You do realise that without maternity leave less women would have children and therefore there will be less of a work force to fund the country right?

Have y I tried putting in an application for 3 months unpaid leave? There are a lot of assumptions in your post, which may be right, but until you ask you don’t know.

For what it’s worth many employers do unpaid leave or career breaks - esp large ones.

YANBU. It would be a wonderfully fulfilling and beneficial thing for so many people.

The comparison with maternity leave is bullshit, but I agree that it should be easier to take a sabbatical. Also I think we should have a shorter working week and more annual leave.

Oh piss off with the young and entitled thing!

Sabbaticals are NOT a new phenomenon.

I agree actually OP. I think everyone should have a few months at some point in their life as a working break. I understand your comparison with mat leave, and I see why some people are offended by it- but I get your point. And that of @ForrestTrump.

I’m not saying maternity leave is a holiday- I would be lying if I didn’t say I had enjoyed a few lie ins, and lots of daytime coffee trips, and spare time whilst on mine though.

I get you, bit of a clumsy comparison with mat leave but maternity, paternity, redundancy, retirement etc shows us that no one is irreplaceable and that businesses can adapt without x person. So why not allow an unpaid career break.

I work somewhere that does career breaks, I would say most people seem to not come back and end up working overseas. If you've got itchy feet you're perhaps already halfway out the door.

I would make it work, look at your options, write a proposal. Quiet time, annual leave plus how many extra weeks. Benefits to the business - probably just that you won't quit tbh, but maybe depending on what you do you could look at the competition in other countries. Give options that are more than you want, like 6 months and compromising on 3 might feel good for both sides.
If not be prepared to walk away and get another job when you're back

I saved, quit my job, travelled for 6 months or a year, came back and found a new job each time. I did not expect my employer to fund my lifestyle choice.

Maternity leave is completely different.

Gosh, you were in a... thought provoking mood yesterday, weren't you OP? And according the the other massive bunfight you started you only left teaching and started a new career a year ago, so isn't it a bit soon for you to be thinking about a career break? And maybe if travelling was top priority staying in the job with twice the normal annual leave would have been the way to go rather than changing jobs then trying to figure out how you can get out of doing your new job? Lovely that you've been able to start both a 'teachers work the hardest' thread and a 'mat leave is a holiday' thread - both topics that are so uncontroversial and discussed so politely on MN - in the same day, though, isn't it?