How A Sabbatical Changes Your Views On Work and Life
Where would you go if you could leave work for a month? What new experiences could you have? Will you ever get that chance? While Van Meter offers its employee-owners a four-week sabbatical after 20 years with the company, only 5% of companies offer their employees a paid sabbatical according to a 2019 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management. Is it a benefit more companies should offer? What do employees learn from a sabbatical? See why three Van Meter employee-owners say taking a sabbatical changed their views on work and life.
CHANGING THE PACE
Would you need convincing to take a month off work? Van Meter Account Manager, Dean Elwell, did. He had worked in some capacity since he was 11 years old and had never taken much time off, so it took some persuasion to get him to use his sabbatical. He was able to travel to the Dominican Republic with his wife and visit friends in California. What was it like finally taking a break? “I’m still not very good at sitting, but I discovered I can actually sit and relax for a bit,” he said. “It’s nice to change the pace once in a while.”
Dean Elwell took his sabbatical in the twilight of his career.
Craig Mariette, an Inside Sales Representative in St. Cloud, spent two weeks of his sabbatical driving around the Smoky Mountains with his wife and visiting Nashville for a show. After working 9 to 5 for 33 years, he said it was freeing to get off a schedule and go at their own pace. “We didn’t have to be in a certain place at a certain time, and that opportunity doesn’t come around very often. We had total freedom.”
CHARGING THE BATTERIES
Mariette described how he felt after his sabbatical in one word — "rested.” He’s not alone. A study of university professors found that those who took a sabbatical experienced a decline in stress and an increase in overall wellbeing with effects lasting until long after they returned to work.
Van Meter employee-owners can’t access their email while on sabbatical, and ironically, being unplugged gave Mariette the biggest boost. “I unplugged and never looked back. It was pretty amazing to let go of all that,” he said. “A strange feeling after so many years, but it felt great.”
Tom Durian, Van Meter’s Vice President of Finance and Business Intelligence, had a similar experience while traveling to Ireland with his wife and going on trips with each of his three kids. He said, “It’s liberating to not have to worry about daily tasks, and you start living in the moment.”
BUILDING A STRONGER TEAM
Even though four weeks off can recharge the batteries, coming back to a mountain of unread emails must be a nightmare, right? Not exactly. In the past when Durian took a week off, he would usually start looking at his email a day or two before he got back, but he found that when he was gone for four weeks, he really didn’t care. It wasn’t that he lost interest in his job. He just couldn’t do anything about it and had to trust his team to take care of business.
Tom Durian took a "bucket list" trip to Ireland with his wife.
In a study of non-profit leaders, 84% of those who took a sabbatical were more comfortable delegating responsibilities, and 83% felt managers in their company became more skilled in their positions. Durian’s team was no different, and it helped them grow confidence in each other. “It helped them understand what I do and how it connects to what they do,” said Durian. He said there are things they would have asked for help on before the sabbatical that they now do on their own. The result has been a more capable, confident team.
FOCUSING ON WHAT MATTERS
While his sabbatical helped his team develop, Durian knows it was a burden on them, and he’s thankful for the opportunity they gave him. His oldest daughter will graduate college soon, so this was one of the last opportunities to travel with his kids before they have full-time jobs of their own. “It gives you time to appreciate what you’ve got. I’ve been given a gift, and I need to pay it forward,” he said.
When Durian returned to work, he said he was more focused and re-energized. He realized some of the everyday stuff he worried about is not as important as he thought it was. He said, “It refocuses your priorities, and you figure out what really needs the most attention.”
READYING FOR RETIREMENT
Elwell just retired at the end of July. He said he never thought he would retire from Van Meter because of how much he enjoys the company and the day-to-day interactions with his co-workers. His sabbatical functioned as a trial run for retirement, and it actually put his mind at ease about what to expect. “I realized you don’t stop, but it’s nice you can slow down,” he said.
Craig Mariette toured the Smoky Mountains with his wife in Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina.
“Slow down” might be a relative term. Elwell has plans to visit Italy next year, take some cooking classes, go on hiking and biking trips, fat tire bike in the winter and fix up his duplex—among other things.
Mariette met a lot of people in the Smoky Mountains who just scratched their heads when he explained he was on sabbatical. What’s that? “It was pretty neat knowing we have the opportunity to do something most people at other companies don’t get to do,” he said. After 33 years on the job, he’s not ready to retire, but his sabbatical did teach him one thing about retirement — “I’ll be good at it.”
Do you want to work at a company that recognizes your contributions? Do you have plans to travel? Join Van Meter’s award-winning workplace, and this could be you someday. Visit our careers page to learn more.