The Impact Compass
Welcome to the Impact Compass Podcast. In this podcast, we explore opportunities in the nonprofit and social impact space and amplify the impact of their leaders. We do this by finding amazing nonprofit and social impact organizations and their leaders, we share their stories, their triumphs, and their struggles in this dynamic, complex, and competitive space. By doing this, we hope to,
· Showcase how the work of these amazing leaders and their organizations is impacting and changing their communities.
· Second, Inspire a new generation of nonprofit and social impact professionals determined to create an even better world.
· Third, inform the sector of new and emerging practices from nonprofits and social impact practices in Africa. And,
· Make them findable so that they can be fundable.
The Impact Compass
Episode 8: Sabbaticals, Extended Leave and Career Breaks - A Deep Dive
In this episode, I am sharing my reflections from the sabbatical that I have recently taken from my work. My insights also drew inspiration from an article in the Harvard Business Review (HBR), “The Transformative Power of Sabbaticals” by Kira Schabram, Matt Bloom, and DJ DiDonna, as well as “The Sabbatical Project.”
The episode explores in detail what it means to go on a sabbatical, how to make sabbaticals more meaningful, and how organizations can make this an important practice that helps staff renew, grow, and give back to the organization. Being on the job for a long period of time may lead to cynicism, business as usual, or burnout. Sabbatical or extended leave can be a powerful tool for dealing with these, as well as enabling employees to become more productive and contribute to longevity.
Three types of sabbatical exist, which can yield different results for employees. Working holidays, free dives, and quests. By being intentional on sabbatical or extended leave, organisations can reduce burnout and increase productivity and retention. Whether this benefit should be available to all staff or not is a question of debate - the bottom line is, a sabbatical is important.
Organisations are key to making sabbaticals a reality for staff. Taking a break from work shouldn’t be a choice between being employed and not. As DJ DiDonna aptly captures it … “a sabbatical is more than a vacation, it’s a sacred human ritual for what you want to do differently in life—even if for just a little while”
You can also learn more by listening to TEDx Talks on this subject.
References
The Sabbatical Project - https://thesabbaticalproject.org/
Harvard Business Review - The Transforming Power of Sabbaticals - https://hbr.org/2023/02/research-the-transformative-power-of-sabbaticals