Last year, we added another benefit for our team that we’re very proud of. For mid- and long-term employees, we now offer sabbaticals with stipends. We wanted to give our team members a chance to take a “bucket list” trip and find inspiration while walking a journey they may not otherwise have the opportunity to take. Last summer, Susan and Charley, both team members with decades of service, were the first to enjoy trips. They went to a Lake Tahoe and Alaska, respectively. Christy is headed to Europe in the next week.
So why did we add this benefit? Harvard Business Review did research on sabbaticals and found that special breaks will improve creativity, strategic thinking, both long-term benefits. The key is to pair the time away with opportunities for reflection and learning. That’s why we chose to add the stipend in addition to the extra time away to alleviate financial obstacles that travel may present.
This is proving to be a popular benefit for our team, and it’s fun to see where folks are choosing to go with our sabbatical program.
