Abstract
Sabbaticals have seen an exponential growth in adoption over the last two decades and are ascribed extensive benefits by employers and employees alike. Little is known, however, about how individuals spend their time or how their experiences impact them after they return to work. Drawing on narrative interviews with 50 diverse professionals, we discover that sabbaticals combine “building blocks”− distinct periods dedicated to recover, explore, or practice− into three typical trajectories: working holidays (alternating recovery and practice), free dives (alternating recovery and exploration), and quests (unfolding from recovery to exploration to practice). While participants returned from all sabbaticals feeling affirmed in their own voice, periods of exploration and practice were associated with the extent to which sabbaticals fundamentally changed their self-narrative and disrupted the trajectory of their working lives. Those on working holidays tended to return to their former lives (though with a greater confidence and need for balance), while free divers pursued better fitting but similar work (e.g., a change in position or employer), and questers were most likely to make drastic career changes. Our model extends the breaks literature and authenticity scholarship, and offers insights to those considering a sabbatical.
REFERENCES
- 2011. Reboot your life: Energize your career and life by taking a break. New York, NY: Beaufort Books. Google Scholar
- 2018. Understanding employees’ intention to take sabbaticals. Personnel Review, 47: 882–899. Google Scholar
- 2013. Workaholism and daily recovery: A day reconstruction study of leisure activities. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 34: 87–107. Google Scholar
- 2001. Across the great divide: Knowledge creation and transfer between practitioners and academics. Academy of Management Journal, 44: 340–355. Google Scholar
- 1999.
Coping and ego depletion . In C. R. Snyder (Ed.), Coping: The psychology of what works: 50–69. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press. Google Scholar - 2016. Better together? Examining profiles of employee recovery experiences. Journal of Applied Psychology, 101: 1635–1654. Google Scholar
- 2010. Recovery during the weekend and fluctuations in weekly job performance: A week-level study examining intra-individual relationships. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 83: 419–441. Google Scholar
- 2019. Why do extreme work hours persist? Temporal uncoupling as a new way of seeing. Academy of Management Journal, 62: 1818–1847.Link , Google Scholar
- 2013. Building positive resources: Effects of positive events and positive reflection on work stress and health. Academy of Management Journal, 56: 1601–1627.Link , Google Scholar
- 2018. What makes for a good break? A diary study on recovery experiences during lunch break. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 91: 134–157. Google Scholar
- 2003. Making stories: Law, literature, life. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Google Scholar
- 2016, June 29. The surprising benefit of work sabbaticals. Forbes. Google Scholar
- 2017, August 10. Research shows that organizations benefit when employees take sabbaticals. Harvard Business Review. Google Scholar
- 2013. Breaking them in or eliciting their best? Reframing socialization around newcomers’ authentic self-expression. Administrative Science Quarterly, 58: 1–36. Google Scholar
- 2005. Sabbaticals and employee motivation: Benefits, concerns, and implications. Journal of Education for Business, 80: 160–164. Google Scholar
- 2014. A kaleidoscope career perspective on faculty sabbaticals. Career Development International, 19: 295–313. Google Scholar
- 2019. Being your true self at work: Integrating the fragmented research on authenticity in organizations. Academy of Management Annals, 13: 633–671.Link , Google Scholar
- 2020. Mind your own break! The interactive effect of workday respite activities and mindfulness on employee outcomes via affective linkages. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 159: 64–77. Google Scholar ).
- 2015. Physical activity and relaxation during and after work are independently associated with need for recovery. Journal of Physical Activity & Health, 12: 109–115. Google Scholar
- 2019, February 20. How a sabbatical can benefit you—and your employer. Financial Times. Google Scholar
- 1990. Grounded theory research: Procedures, canons, and evaluative criteria. Qualitative Sociology, 13: 3–21. Google Scholar
- 2003. The relational–interdependent self-construal, self-concept consistency, and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85: 933–944. Google Scholar
Dartmouth Committee on Sabbatical Leave . 1922. Report. Retrieved from https://archive.dartmouthalumnimagazine.com/article/1922/8/1/extract-from-record-of-trustees-meeting-june-19-1922 Google Scholar- 2010. Sabbatical leave: Who gains and how much? Journal of Applied Psychology, 95: 953–964. Google Scholar
- 2017. Effects of park walks and relaxation exercises during lunch breaks on recovery from job stress: Two randomized controlled trials. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 51: 14–30. Google Scholar
- 2009.
Daily recovery from work-related effort during non-work time . In S. SonnentagP. L. PerrewéD. C. Gangster (Eds.), Research in occupational stress and well-being, vol. 7: 85–123. Bingley, U.K.: Emerald Group Publishing. Google Scholar - 2012. Work-related flow and energy at work and at home: A study on the role of daily recovery. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 33: 276–295. Google Scholar
- 1962. The origin and early history of sabbatical leave. AAUP Bulletin, 48: 253–256. Google Scholar
- 1989. Building theories from case study research. Academy of Management Review, 14: 532–550.Link , Google Scholar
- 1998. Relief from job stressors and burnout: Reserve service as a respite. Journal of Applied Psychology, 83: 577–585. Google Scholar
- 2014, October 28. Cure for office burnout: Mini sabbaticals, usually with full pay. Wall Street Journal. Google Scholar
- 2012.
Values, authenticity, and responsible leadership . In N. M. PlessT. Maak (Eds.), Responsible leadership: 15–23. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer. Google Scholar - 2013. Embracing work breaks. Organizational Dynamics, 42: 274–280. Google Scholar
- 2010. The weekend matters: Relationships between stress recovery and affective experiences. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31: 1137–1162. Google Scholar
- 1995. Sabbatical leave, job burnout and turnover intentions among teachers. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 14: 331–338. Google Scholar
- 1973.
Thick description . In M. MartinL. C. McIntyre (Eds.), Readings in the philosophy of social science: 213–232. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Google Scholar - 2006. Composing qualitative research. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Google Scholar
- 2021. Achieving rigor in qualitative analysis: The role of active categorization in theory building. Academy of Management Review, 46: 1–53. Google Scholar
- 2013. The impact of furloughs on emotional exhaustion, self-rated performance, and recovery experiences. Journal of Applied Psychology, 98: 492–503. Google Scholar
- 2019. Sabbaticals: Antidote to physician burnout? Physician Leadership Journal, 6: 38–42. Google Scholar
- 2008. Within-person relationships among daily self-esteem, need satisfaction, and authenticity. Psychological Science, 19: 1140–1145. Google Scholar
- 1989. Conservation of resources: A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American Psychologist, 44: 513–524. Google Scholar
- 1975. Dimensions of organizations in complex societies: The educational sector. Administrative Science Quarterly, 20: 37–58. Google Scholar
- 2016. Give me a better break: Choosing workday break activities to maximize resource recovery. Journal of Applied Psychology, 101: 302–311. Google Scholar
- 2016. Betwixt and between identities: Liminal experience in contemporary careers. Research in Organizational Behavior, 36: 47–64. Google Scholar
- 2004. Inferences about the authentic self: When do actions say more than mental states? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 87: 615–630. Google Scholar
- 2011.
Narrative research: Constructing, deconstructing, and reconstructing story . In F. J. WertzE. McSpaddenK. CharmazL. M. McMullenR. Anderson, (Eds.), Five ways of doing qualitative analysis: Phenomenological psychology, grounded theory, discourse analysis, narrative research, and intuitive inquiry: 224–242. New York, NY: Guilford Press. Google Scholar - 2011. The effects of a month-long sabbatical program on helping professionals of nonprofit human service organizations in South Korea: Burnout, general health, organizational commitment, and the sense of well-being. Administration in Social Work, 35: 20–45. Google Scholar
- 1982. The evolving self. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Google Scholar
- 1994. In over our heads: The mental demands of modern life. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Google Scholar
- 2018. Daily micro-breaks and job performance: General work engagement as a cross-level moderator. Journal of Applied Psychology, 103: 772–786. Google Scholar
- 2018. Mutual trust between leader and subordinate and employee outcomes. Journal of Business Ethics, 149: 945–958. Google Scholar
- 1978. The origin of the Sabbath and its legacy to the modern sabbatical. Journal of Higher Education, 49: 303–315. Google Scholar
- 2021. The paths from insider to outsider: A review of employee exit transitions. Human Resource Management, 60: 119–144. Google Scholar
- 2010. Regulating strain states by using the recovery potential of lunch breaks. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 15: 131–139. Google Scholar
- 2006. Where is the “me” among the “we”? Identity work and the search for optimal balance. Academy of Management Journal, 49: 1031–1057.Link , Google Scholar
- 2009. Balancing borders and bridges: Negotiating the work–home interface via boundary work tactics. Academy of Management Journal, 52: 704–730.Link , Google Scholar
- 2019. The effects of flexible work practices on employee attitudes: Evidence from a large-scale panel study in Germany. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 30: 1505–1525. Google Scholar
- 2011. How long do you benefit from vacation? A closer look at the fade-out of vacation effects. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 32: 125–143. Google Scholar
- 1999. Strategies for theorizing from process data. Academy of Management Review, 24: 691–710.Link , Google Scholar
- 1994. A process study of new technology adoption in smaller manufacturing firms. Journal of Management Studies, 31: 619–652. Google Scholar
- 2012. Care and possibility: Enacting an ethic of care through narrative practice. Academy of Management Review, 37: 641–663.Link , Google Scholar
- 1999. The unfolding model of voluntary turnover: A replication and extension. Academy of Management Journal, 42: 450–462.Link , Google Scholar
- 2019. Authenticity. Academy of Management Annals, 13: 1–42.Link , Google Scholar
- 2017. Why and when does the gender gap reverse? Diversity goals and the pay premium for high-potential women. Academy of Management Journal, 60: 402–432.Link , Google Scholar
- 2020. The professional sabbatical: A systematic review and considerations for the health-system pharmacist. Research in Social & Administrative Pharmacy, 16: 1632–1644. Google Scholar
- 1985. Naturalistic inquiry. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Google Scholar
- 2022, January 27. The great resignation has morphed into the great sabbatical. Fast Company. Google Scholar
- 2000. Grounded theory in management research. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Google Scholar
- 2015.
Discovery, validation, and live coding . In K. D. ElsbachR. M. Kramer (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative organizational research: Innovative pathways and methods: 371–379. New York, NY: Routledge. Google Scholar - 2019, March. IBM: The corporate service corps (Harvard Business School Case). Retrieved from https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=37178 Google Scholar
- 1977. Toward a career-based theory of job involvement: A study of scientists and engineers. Administrative Science Quarterly, 22: 281–305. Google Scholar
- 1998.
Psychological aspects of workload . In P. J. D. DrenthH. ThierryC. J. de Wolff (Eds.), Handbook of work and organizational psychology, vol. 2: 5–33. Hove, U.K.: Psychology Press. Google Scholar - 1985. Knowledge-based classification of ill-defined categories. Memory & Cognition, 13: 377–384. Google Scholar
- 2014. Hidden costs of hiding stigma: Ironic interpersonal consequences of concealing a stigmatized identity in social interactions. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 52: 58–70. Google Scholar
- 2015. Making the most of your sabbatical leave: An essential guide to taking a career break (or sabbatical) to rejuvenate your life while using time wisely. Scotts Valley, CA: CreateSpace. Google Scholar
- 2017. Pause: Harnessing the life-changing power of giving yourself a break. London, U.K.: Penguin. Google Scholar
- 2018. Are you attracted? Do you remain? Meta-analytic evidence on flexible work practices. Business Research, 11: 239–277. Google Scholar
- 2019. Agony and ecstasy in the gig economy: Cultivating holding environments for precarious and personalized work identities. Administrative Science Quarterly, 64: 124–170. Google Scholar
- 2010. Identity workspaces: The case of business schools. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 9: 44–60.Link , Google Scholar
- 2010. The authenticity hoax: How we get lost finding ourselves. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: McClelland & Stewart. Google Scholar
- 1996. Interorganizational collaboration and the locus of innovation: Networks of learning in biotechnology. Administrative Science Quarterly, 41: 116–145. Google Scholar
- 2009. For the lack of a boilerplate: Tips on writing up (and reviewing) qualitative research. Academy of Management Journal, 52: 856–862.Link , Google Scholar
- 2002. Narrative analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Google Scholar
- 2019. The radical sabbatical: The millennial handbook to the quarter life crisis. Woodbridge, U.K.: John Catt Educational. Google Scholar
- 2009, July. The power of time off [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/stefan_sagmeister_the_power_of_time_off Google Scholar
- 2022. How other and self-compassion reduce burnout through resource replenishment. Academy of Management Journal, 65: 453–478.Link , Google Scholar
- 2009. Thine own self: True self-concept accessibility and meaning in life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96: 473–490. Google Scholar
- 2011. Feeling like you know who you are: Perceived true self-knowledge and meaning in life. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37: 745–756. Google Scholar
- 2017, December 22. The untold value of a professional sabbatical. Forbes. Google Scholar
- 2014. Temporal elements in career selection decisions: An archival study investigating career decisions in medicine. Organization Science, 25: 245–261. Google Scholar
- 1992. Organizational culture and employee retention. Academy of Management Journal, 35: 1036–1056.Link , Google Scholar
- 2018. Enhancing daily well-being at work through lunchtime park walks and relaxation exercises: Recovery experiences as mediators. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 23: 428–442. Google Scholar
- 2004, November 1. Quitting the paint factory. Harper’s Magazine. Google Scholar
Society for Human Resource Management . 2017. Employee benefits report. Retrieved from https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/research-and-surveys/pages/2017-employee-benefits.aspx Google Scholar- 2001. Work, recovery activities, and individual well-being: A diary study. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 6: 196–210. Google Scholar
- 2012. Psychological detachment from work during leisure time: The benefits of mentally disengaging from work. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 21: 114–118. Google Scholar
- 2007. The recovery experience questionnaire: Development and validation of a measure for assessing recuperation and unwinding from work. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 12: 204–221. Google Scholar
- 2015. Recovery from job stress: The stressor–detachment model as an integrative framework. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 36(S1): S72–S103. Google Scholar
- 2009.
Methodological issues in recovery research . In S. SonnentagP. L. PerrewéD. C. Gangster (Eds.), Research in occupational stress and well-being, vol. 7: 1–36. Bingley, U.K.: Emerald Group Publishing. Google Scholar - 2017. Advances in recovery research: What have we learned? What should be done next? Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22: 365–380. Google Scholar
- 2006. Job characteristics and off-job activities as predictors of need for recovery, well-being, and fatigue. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91: 330–350. Google Scholar
- 2012. A comparative examination of the use of academic sabbaticals. International Journal of Management Education, 10: 147–154. Google Scholar
- 1999. Getting away on a sabbatical. Community Work & Family, 2: 317–319. Google Scholar
- 1990. Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Google Scholar
- 2006. From the editors: What grounded theory is not. Academy of Management Journal, 49: 633–642.Link , Google Scholar
- 2002. Culture, identity consistency, and subjective well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83: 1378–1391. Google Scholar
- 2013. Booster breaks in the workplace: Participants’ perspectives on health-promoting work breaks. Health Education Research, 28: 414–425. Google Scholar
- 2012. A resource perspective on the work–home interface: The work–home resources model. American Psychologist, 67: 545–556. Google Scholar
- 2008. Making the break count: An episodic examination of recovery activities, emotional experiences, and positive affective displays. Academy of Management Journal, 51: 131–146.Link , Google Scholar
- 2009.
Momentary work recovery: The role of within-day work breaks . In S. SonnentagP. L. PerrewéD. C. Gangster (Eds.), Research in occupational stress and well-being, vol. 7: 37–84. Bingley, U.K.: Emerald Group Publishing. Google Scholar - 2014. Lunch breaks unpacked: The role of autonomy as a moderator of recovery during lunch. Academy of Management Journal, 57: 405–421.Link , Google Scholar
- 2011, December 1. Sabbaticals pay off. HR Magazine. Google Scholar
- 1979. Reclaiming qualitative methods for organizational research: A preface. Administrative Science Quarterly, 24: 520–526. Google Scholar
- 1987. Thought and language. Eastford, CT: Martino Publishing. Google Scholar
- 1997. Effects of a respite from work on burnout: Vacation relief and fade-out. Journal of Applied Psychology, 82: 516–527. Google Scholar
- 1991. Relationship of career mentoring and socioeconomic origin to managers’ and professionals’ early career progress. Academy of Management Journal, 34: 331–350.Link , Google Scholar
- 2008. Unplugged: How to disconnect from the rat race, have an existential crisis, and find meaning and fulfillment. Boulder, CO: Sentient Publications. Google Scholar
- 2017. Construal level theory in organizational research. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 4: 367–400. Google Scholar
- 2019. Reorienting job crafting research: A hierarchical structure of job crafting concepts and integrative review. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 40: 126–146. Google Scholar
- 2022. Too much on the plate? How executive job demands harm firm innovation and reduce share of exploratory innovations. Academy of Management Journal, 65: 606–633.Link , Google Scholar