Book Argues Sabbaticals Are Essential Business Tools

DJ DiDonna, a lecturer at Harvard Business School, argues in his new book, "Big Time Off: The Transformative Power of Sabbaticals and How to Take One," that sabbaticals should be an essential workplace tool. The book, released this week, highlights that 83% of corporate professionals report some degree of burnout, a figure exacerbated by current work environments. DiDonna posits that extended breaks, ideally lasting several months to a year, are not only crucial for preventing employee burnout and subsequent resignations but also offer significant benefits to companies.

According to DiDonna, employees return from sabbaticals with enhanced creativity, a benefit exemplified by designer Stefan Sagmeister, who closes his firm every seven years for creative rejuvenation. Furthermore, sabbaticals contribute to company resilience by reducing over-reliance on individual employees. While a growing number of companies, including Adobe and Goldman Sachs, now formally offer sabbatical programs, many organizations still do not.

DiDonna, who also founded the nonprofit Sabbatical Project to normalize extended leave, advises employees seeking to take a sabbatical to first research their company's past unofficial practices and management reactions to such requests. He also suggests networking with other professionals who have taken sabbaticals to learn from their experiences. This preparation, DiDonna explains, builds the courage needed to make the request, as many individuals ultimately quit their jobs due to a lack of courage to ask for extended leave when they reach a breaking point.