Why to Ask for Your Sabbatical in Tough Economic Times

Okay, it sounds loopy.  If you are lucky enough to have a job, shouldn’t you feel compelled to keep your head down, quiet your moans, and JUST DO THE WORK – your work, of course, and that of your two laid-off buds -and be thankful?

Not necessarily.  You could ask for a sabbatical.

Some really do work for smart people and while they cinch in anything with a $ sign – salary, raises and bonuses  – they also know that the people left behind (as in YOU) are their most valuable resource. Sooner or later they will have to start looking at everything they can to keep your morale high and your productivity up.

Studies show employees in flexible workplaces are more satisfied and engaged on the job.  So, if the one thing that would make you happier (and more willing to have them wring every last drop of work out of you) is time – why not ask for it?

If the thought of asking for a sabbatical inspires huge reluctance, shortness of breath or a vampire-like laugh, know that even the stodgiest of companies are looking at you – the worker they kept – in a different light. They are thinking up ways to keep you fresh, innovative and shoveling stuff faster than ever.

Sooner or later, they’ll need creative fixes since there is no money or advancement, birthday cake or junkets to China.  In a sense, you’ll be helping them out.  While workplace trends point out that “time” is the new currency, there is common ground.  If you want time; they have time to give.

Tatiana Carvajal, a telecommunications employee, just negotiated working from home; a television reporter recently ask for her work arrangement to be altered - and got it; and KPMG offered a sabbatical program just last week.

In the good times, your company might not have wanted anything to do with letting you control your time even in exchange for loyalty, commitment and engagement. But since experiencing a seat change on the economy express,what may have seemed feel-good stuff starts to look ….sweeter.  So sweet, some companies are already offering up sabbaticals to their folks.

Do not email your boss today asking, “Okay if I take a 4-week sabbatical?”  Write a sabbatical proposal – what you want to do and why, benefits for you and the company.  Cultivate your adaptability.  i.e., You can ask for three months off but could you settle for one?  Fully or partially paid sabbatical? Or will you fund it?

Think on it. Meanwhile, put on your low-morale, stupid-Sam look.  Heap up piles of paper, heap on audibly long sighs.  And do anything else to convey, “I’m a hard-workin’, stomp ass company machine. I love you guys, man. But to keep it up, I might need some time away.”

Hey you, out there in work land.  This hittin’ any of your shirt/blouse buttons?