Career breaks and sabbaticals
By Rosalyn Page | smh.com.au | 02 May
There's little doubt that taking a long break from work will recharge your batteries and give you renewed motivation but how will you pay for it and will the boss ever agree?
A career break is like a professional gap year that allows people to travel, study, undertake volunteer work, immerse themselves in a hobby or have quality time with the family.
Traditionally, it has been considered a luxury; an option for the wealthy or very foolish.
But Barbara Pocock, director of the Centre for Work and Life, says career breaks are becoming a necessity as our working lives are extended.
"With rising participation rates and lengthening of the total time of employment, from high school through higher education, parenting and into senior years, career breaks are becoming more important," she says.
The changing make-up of the workforce is also putting greater emphasis on flexible working arrangements that allow for breaks in employment.
"Generation Y, those people born between 1978 and 1994, currently make up one-fifth of the Australian workforce but that figure will double within the next five years," says Peter Carey, the national president of the Career Development Association of Australia. "And they want work flexibility, work-life balance and opportunities to explore and learn new skills."
James Castrission, a keen kayaker and outdoor adventurer, was working as a management consultant with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu when he decided to take a year off for a paddling expedition.
Last year Castrission and friend Justin Jones became the first people to kayak across the Tasman Sea. Braving huge swells and howling winds, they paddled 3318 kilometres from Forster, NSW, to New Plymouth on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. The journey took 62 days and the pair suffered severe food and sleep deprivation.
Fortunately for Castrission, his employer not only gave him time off to complete the gruelling trip but helped in the preparation stages. "Deloitte worked with me to achieve my dream," he says. "They provided flexible work hours and arrangements, so as to allow me maximum time to prepare for the Tasman."
Alec Bashinsky, national partner - people and performance at Deloitte, says that career breaks improve morale, employee satisfaction and productivity.
For others, there are very real limitations that stop them opting out of the rat race. Pocock warns that there can be "serious consequences of withdrawal from the labour market". Superannuation is one area that suffers, as no employer contributions are made during the term of the career break.
Castrission is less worried about financial penalties because his was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. "The lessons learnt over the last couple of years have been phenomenal," he says.
Planning his trip taught him useful workforce skills. "For example, risk management took on a new meaning. Bad planning didn't mean a slap over the wrist from a partner but equalled death on the Tasman."
Career consultants, including Carey, agree that the benefits to the individual are immense.
"You are likely to have a much clearer vision of why you are working and what you want to get out of it," he says. "And you are less likely to resent the time you have devoted to your work."
Today, many organisations understand the importance of allowing employees to take career breaks. The ANZ bank created a career-break policy in the late 1990s. It allows employees to take one career break during their employment, which can be split into two different periods. There is a minimum period of six months and a maximum period of five years.
Fiona Krautil, head of advancement, diversity and women at ANZ, says it has been instrumental in retaining staff. She also says the policy has improved loyalty and job satisfaction, in turn leading to measurable improvements in business results.
Other areas, including teaching and the public service, offer a scheme where employees can receive 80 per cent of their salary for four years and have the fifth year off, while still being paid at the reduced rate.
First published by Smh.com.au on May 02 2008
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