One of our lawyers just headed out for three months. He flew from Charlotte to Northern Europe, where he’ll spend a few weeks working his way south. Then he’s headed to India to explore and visit family for a few months. He’ll wrap up with a week or two in Los Angeles before he flies home.
He’s being paid his full salary plus benefits for the three months. We have a sabbatical policy in our firm.
Our plan allows any employee to take the three months after five years of service. We ask each employee to present a plan for the sabbatical, and we ask that he or she try to achieve some type of personal growth during the time off.
We’ve had several folks take advantage of the policy. One went to Asia and explored China, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and some other spots and even spent time in a silent retreat in a monastery. Another spent most of his time surfing and taking surfing lessons in Florida.
It hasn’t all gone smoothly. We developed our sabbatical plan back when most of us were single, footloose, and fancy free. Now we have more people with spouses and kids. It’s tough to coordinate three months away with family members who also require coordination.
This past summer, we adjusted the policy to try to accommodate our team members with family. One attorney took one month off with his family and will do it gain next summer and the summer after. It’s also tough to keep the personal growth piece of the sabbatical when young kids are involved. We’re still figuring it all out.
The sabbaticals have passed by with a remarkable lack of disruption to client matters. Everyone jumps in and makes sure hearings and other matters are covered. We’ve taken care to alert clients in advance as to what’s happening, and the transitions have gone smoothly.
Are sabbaticals a good idea? Will they work in every firm? It’s hard for me to say. It’s working for us. People feel good about the option, and sabbaticals haven’t created many problems that aren’t easily managed. The reality is that we worry about what’s going to happen while the team member is gone, we do a bit of juggling, and they’re back before we know it.
I’d suggest you give sabbaticals some thought. They might be something that works for you and your firm.
