Dear Reader,
I introduced a paid sabbatical policy.
I encouraged people to take it.
I insisted my successor took one before stepping into the CEO role.
Yet I have never taken a paid sabbatical myself.
Instead, I have twice resigned from jobs without another one lined up.
The first time was after 17 years in the private sector.
I had just turned 40. Life had not unfolded quite as I had expected. I was single, had no children, and realised that, whilst it was not the future I had imagined, it also gave me something many people never have: the freedom to take a risk.
I left my job, travelled, and spent time doing pro bono work with an organisation whose board I was on.
That decision ultimately led me to Kenya, where I have now lived and worked for the past 14 years.
Twelve years later, I found myself making another leap.
Leaving Living Goods was very different.
This time I was the main breadwinner. Walking away without another role waiting felt much harder. Fortunately, we had planned ahead, saved enough, and I was able to take the break I needed before deciding what came next.
That period eventually became the beginning of Volante.
Looking back, those two breaks shaped my career far more than many of the jobs themselves.
Not because I was doing nothing.
Because I finally had enough space to think.
The privilege of having time
One of the reasons I feel so strongly about sabbaticals is that I know not everyone has the choices I had.
Sometimes people lose a job unexpectedly. Technically they have a break, but it rarely feels like one. Financial pressure, uncertainty and the need to find the next role quickly leave very little space for reflection.
Others simply cannot afford the risk.
Mortgages.
Children.
Parents who depend on them.
The responsibility of being the person who pays the bills.
When stepping away feels impossible, people often keep going long after they need to stop.
That is why I believe organisations should think much more seriously about creating opportunities for people to pause without having to resign.
The policy I thought everyone would use
At Living Goods, we introduced a paid sabbatical policy.
After seven years of service, staff could take two months of paid leave, with the option of adding annual leave afterwards.
I genuinely thought people would be queuing up.
They weren't.
That surprised me.
Particularly in the African context, there was real scepticism.
If I disappear for two or three months, will my job still be there when I come back?
If everything runs perfectly well without me, does that mean I'm not actually needed?
Those concerns often outweighed the excitement of taking the break.
Having a policy is one thing.
Creating a culture where people genuinely feel safe using it is something else entirely.
What I learned about designing a sabbatical
Introducing the policy forced us to think carefully about what would make it successful.
Seven years felt about right.
Many people start asking themselves what comes next after around five years. A sabbatical provides an opportunity to reconnect with the organisation before deciding to leave.
Two months felt like the right balance.
Long enough to properly disconnect.
Long enough that meaningful cover arrangements had to be put in place.
Yet short enough that there was still a role waiting when someone returned.
We also recognised that the cover arrangements created opportunities for others.
People stepped into bigger responsibilities.
They tested themselves in new ways.
Future leaders emerged because someone else was temporarily absent.
The benefits extended far beyond the person taking the sabbatical.
Of course there are risks
Not everyone comes back.
Sometimes the space confirms that it is time for a new chapter.
We recognised that possibility and introduced a twelve month repayment period to manage some of the financial risk.
But from what I have seen, and from conversations with leaders across different organisations, the overwhelming majority do return.
They return with renewed perspective.
More energy.
Greater commitment.
And often a clearer sense of why the work matters.
For a small number who do decide it is time to move on, the sabbatical often leads to a more considered transition, with time for thoughtful succession planning rather than a hurried departure.
A question for leaders
We spend a great deal of time discussing retention.
Pay.
Benefits.
Career progression.
Leadership development.
Perhaps we should spend more time asking a different question.
How do we create enough space for good people to pause before they decide they have to leave?
Because sometimes the people who stay the longest are not the ones who never stop.
They are the ones who were given permission to step away, think clearly, and choose to come back.
I'd love to hear your experience.
๐ Have you worked somewhere that offered sabbaticals?
๐ Did people actually take them?
๐ What made the difference between a policy that existed on paper and one that people genuinely felt able to use?
Warmly,
Liz โ
Strategic Advisor | Former CEO | Founder, Volante
Based in Kenya, available globally
โ