Employees promise bosses more loyalty in return for career breaks

If you have just returned to work after a recent relaxing summer holiday and the idea of some more permanent time off appeals, then you are not alone. Findings from a new survey by business rescue and restructuring specialists Begbies Traynor record nearly nine out of 10 people recently returning from their summer holiday would relish the prospect of taking a career break lasting at least five months.

This isnít necessarily bad news for Britainís bosses. The survey of over 160 full time employees found that employers that offered career breaks were more likely to keep their staff in post. In fact, 66% of workers said they would be more loyal and would resist the temptation to job hop if sabbaticals were part of company policy.

With retirement ages being extended, a large majority (85%) felt that most organisations will be inevitably forced to offer career breaks. Currently, an estimated half of all employers provide some form of sabbatical or extended period of time off work. But over two-thirds of those Begbies Traynor surveyed believe a three-month sabbatical for staff who have worked for an employer for five years or more should become standard practice. This figure rises to 72% among women.

Recent findings by one of the big four accountancy firms revealed that out of all its trained graduates that were leaving, 40% were doing so to have a career break.

The Begbies Traynor survey showed that 62% of employees have already either spent time away from work, or are thinking about doing so. More than half of those who have taken their breaks were away for between five and eight months. For those still planning to take the plunge, the five-to-eight-month sabbatical was preferred.

Extended travel was the most popular reason for over half of the respondents who have taken a career break. Simply ìrecharging batteriesî and the opportunity to refocus on oneís career were the other desirable benefits for spending time away from work.

Employees appear to see few downsides of taking a sabbatical. Two-thirds had no worries about feeling de-motivated or playing ìcatch-upî after a long work absence. And those who saw a career break as tantamount to ìcareericideî, or increasing the chance of eventual redundancy, were also in the minority. Fewer than one in 10 of those surveyed worried about colleagues usurping their position in the organisation.

Mark Fry, south-east managing partner of Begbies Traynor, commented:

ìWith more and more people taking a breather in their careers, it is vital for businesses to develop coping mechanisms to counter the loss of staff. In my long career dealing with troubled businesses, Iíve seen many firms struggle because key members of staff have left, albeit for different reasons.

ìSME owner managers should recognise the potential benefits of offering attractive career packages that include some form of sabbatical to their key employees. We understand that for SMEs to offer packages that include a career break will require flexibility and probably some quite imaginative approaches. But from our survey, itís evident that this sort of arrangement might stop valuable staff members from leaving the organisations and would generate a lot of valuable employee loyalty.î