For those of you who read this blog regularly and know me personally, I value the happiness of my staff as much as I am passionate about wowing customers. The fantastic team at Expect Talent are what make this business, and I am very proud of our 100% retention within the recruitment division. Our very first hire Margaret is about to celebrate her 4th anniversary with Expect Talent. Shortly followed by Julia, who last year was promoted to the role of Operations Manager and is a key member of the management team.
A number of weeks ago Julia came to me to let me know her plans for 2012 were to go travelling, this was nothing new as she usually takes a 3-4 week trip annually. But when I heard that these plans were for a 4-6 month period I had a bit of a shock...
My goal is to ensure that I help every single member of the team achieve their personal and business goals. So I knew I needed to see how I could make this happen. The answer was to give Julia a sabbatical. She had been worried about how I might react to her plans, given that we are experiencing major growth in the business and she plays a major role in the delivery of our results.
The way I look at it is this, if I had said "No", she would have been very unhappy and much less productive and may have decided to leave the business anyway to go travelling. By saying "Yes", she is much happier already and I know she will work really hard between now and when she leaves to ensure that the business will run without her. I can only imagine the level of productivity, commitment and happiness she will feel after taking an extended break. So I have started to look at the other benefits that this sabbatical will bring to the business:
1. Opportunities & Personal Development
The first is that we can now give an opportunity to Margaret, who during the time Julia is away will take on a covering role as Operations Manager. Margaret will spend the next few months training and up-skilling to take on this position in Julia's absence.
2. Streamlined Processes
Our systems, processes and reporting will be streamlined and improved before the sabbatical to ensure that the business can continue to run effectively, with Margaret overseeing operations.
3. Improved Staff Happiness
The rest of the team here at Expect Talent now know that I am willing and able to give sabbaticals to employees, and I have now decided to add this as a benefit to long-serving employees of 4 years or more.
4. Less chance of Burn-out and Stress
After 4 solid years of hard work and contribution, some stress and worries can creep in, especially in a position of responsibility and leadership. The last thing I want is a team who are unhappy, stressed out and at burn-out. A sabbatical would do anyone good!
On the flipside what could be the challenges, especially for a Small Business?
1. Disruption of Workflow
Of course having a key member of staff out of the business for an extended period is going to disrupt the normal workflow. There are a few points to consider - I would recommend that you get at least 3 months notice of any proposed sabbatical. Also make sure that you have the right structure, reporting, process and systems in place to make a sabbatical a reality.
2. Risk of No Return
What if an employee decides not to return? Of course this is a risk, but if they are happy in their job, you have looked after their personal goals by offering the sabbatical in the first place and have kept their job open for them on return you will minimize this risk.
3. Loss of Revenue
Depending on the role the person is doing, the chances are that a whole piece of expertise, skills and knowledge will be missing for the duration of the sabbatical, this often is related to the revenue generated in the business. Putting a solid plan in place for handover, training and up-skilling of the person that is going to cover the role for the period of the sabbatical will minimise this potential lost revenue.
Having spent a great deal of time thinking about this, researching and understanding what it means for me, the business and the team, I am very comfortable with the idea of sabbaticals becoming an integral part of my business. Work/Life balance is critical for every staff member and plays an important part in every business. You can see a list here of some very well-known companies who in 2011 are offering sabbaticals on YourSabbatical.com. What is your view on sabbaticals and would you take the plunge in the interest of your staff?
No comments:
Post a Comment