By Catherine A. Allen
We are a nation on the verge of professional burnout. The financial crisis has taken its toll on everyone, from association executives, to technology entrepreneurs, to employees up and down the ranks of nonprofit and for-profit America. With stress levels skyrocketing and fierce competition from abroad, how can we as a nation, as well as individuals, reclaim our role as creative leaders and innovators?
If you don’t believe we’re really in a crisis here, check out these statistics. According to MetLife’s 9th Annual Study of Employee Benefit Trends, employee loyalty across industries is at a three-year low. One in three workers hopes to find a new job in the next 12 months. More alarming, a recent Gallup survey found that 17% of employees interviewed were actively disengaged and trying to subvert their organization. More than 54% were passively disengaged; their bodies were still in the office, but they had essentially left.
No organization can flourish when half (or more) of its staff has a foot out the door. And no industry or profession can thrive when it is bogged down with unhappy, unmotivated executives. Associations need interested, motivated people to excel; disengaged workers cost associations membership and money. Stressed out front-line staff can cause serious reputation problems. In the worst cases, employees are sabotaging their organizations through fraud and other insider crimes.
Many of these problems can be attributed to layoffs and increased stress for those who have to pick up the slack in the office. But there’s something else at work here: a severe and chronic lack of time off. According to an Expedia.com survey, 63% of Americans work more than 40 hours a week and hand back more than $21 billion in unused vacation dollars each year. Worse, we feel guilty about the little time we do take off, even though Americans put in two to three times more in total hours on the job each year than Europeans and two and a half more weeks than the Japanese. Here in the US, younger workers are leaving the fast track in droves to take less stressful jobs. Why? Because work demands keep rising while satisfaction and payoffs decline.
But before you jump ship or your staff does, there is a way you may be able to address the morale, stress and burnout problems through a simple and age-old practice: a sabbatical (we call it a Reboot Break!).
What is a sabbatical, exactly? It’s a set period of time away from work. A sabbatical can last from one month to a year, and it allows workers to take a break to renew and refresh their lives and better balance their priorities. Sabbatical programs vary from paid for time off (usually for a period of one to three months) to unpaid time off with benefits intact and a guaranteed job at the end.
Fortune magazine recently added sabbaticals to their criteria for naming the 100 Best Companies to Work For. Twenty-one companies that made the 2011 list offer sabbaticals, including Microsoft, The Container Store, REI, Adobe Systems and several law firms. Associations and other nonprofits are sure to follow.
If you think you can’t do it, or you think your association would never agree to giving you some time to reboot, think again. There’s a lot you can do to get yourself some time away from work. Here are a few of the steps you can take now to get yourself the time you need.
Research. Find out through human resources (or your association’s equivalent) if your organization has a sabbatical program. If not, see if they would be willing to read a proposal. Ask about requirements, and look to other associations for models.
Fund Your Freedom. For most people, finances are the number one barrier to taking time off. Instead of deciding you can’t do it, get creative. Are there assets you can sell? A house or apartment you could rent out while you travel? Could you borrow some of the money, or tap (gently) into your savings, and then live on less during your time off? Or, take the long view and start saving now for time off. Stash the money in a separate sabbatical savings account.
Make Your Case. Create a plan for what you want to do, when you want to do it, and how much time you need. Outline exactly how your responsibilities will be covered while you are gone. Identify ways the organization could benefit, such as increased innovation, retention, attraction, and better morale. Assure them.
Communicate. Talk to your spouse, partner, family, and colleagues about what you want to do and how it might affect them. Get their support. Talk to your executive director or board president about how you’ll make a smooth transition.
Unplug. As part of your break, unplug from the office and members. Tell them ahead of time when you are going and returning, but don't stay tied into the office. (AARP actually requires their employees to unplug during their one-month paid sabbaticals.)
Sabbaticals are life-changers. They can renew and reinvigorate your life and your career, helping you reprioritize and better balance your life. Don’t be surprised if, as the burnout fades, your perspective about your work changes. You may decide that staying right where you are is the best thing for you, and all it took was a break.
Catherine A. Allen is the chairman and chief executive officer of The Santa Fe Group, a strategic consulting firm based in Santa Fe Group, New Mexico, and sits on several corporate and nonprofit boards. She is the co-author of Reboot Your Life: Energize Your Career and Life by Taking a Break (©2011, Beaufort Books) with Nancy Bearg, Rita Foley and Jaye Smith. She can be reached at cathy@santa-fe-group.com.