This past summer, Bill Heitstuman took his third sabbatical from San Diego-based MadCap Software.
The director of information systems IT was rewarded with his first sabbatical at the five-year mark. His second sabbatical was at 10 years. His last sabbatical of four weeks was given for sticking with the company for 15 years.
“It is definitely one of my favorite benefits,” said Heitstuman about sabbaticals at MadCap, which has 84 employees companywide.
MadCap is among a growing group of companies outside academia granting sabbaticals to reward long-time employees and allow them to disconnect and recharge. Sabbaticals, some experts say, are a way for businesses to promote loyalty, creativity and skill building.
Like MadCap, Charles Schwab, which has 780 employees in San Diego County, also gives employees sabbaticals starting at the five-year anniversary. Schwab believes the 28 days of sabbatical it gives workers every five years permits them to recharge in a way that a regular vacation may not provide.
“The health and well-being of our teams and their families come first,” said Pete Greenley, director of corporate external relations for Charles Schwab & Co. “In order to help employees navigate life’s everyday challenges, Schwab focuses on providing benefits that matter most to them.”
And while Carlsbad-based Raken says it doesn’t call it a sabbatical, it does allow employees to take up to 30 consecutive days through its unlimited paid-time-off program to a healthy work-life balance.
According to The Sabbatical Project, which creates evidence and tells stories about the impact of sabbaticals on employees and companies, these extended leaves of absence from businesses promote loyalty, creativity and skill building.
Workers visiting new places, living differently or returning to a past ion can spur creative thinking that can also be applied to work. Plus, companies learn how to better distribute responsibilities and see what fails or works better in someone’s absence. Further, about 75 percent of the people in The Sabbatical Project study who were offered a sabbatical returned to that company.
Take Heitstuman for example. He’s been with MadCap for nearly 17 years. He came back after every sabbatical. He’s among the majority of MadCap-eligible employees who take sabbaticals.
During his latest sabbatical from mid-July to mid-August, he hosted a Hawaiian-themed bash for his 50th birthday at his home. He went on a trip with his girlfriend to Las Vegas, where he played in a poker tournament, watched Mystere by Cirque du Soleil and ate at Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen. He took his kids camping for seven days at Yosemite.
He also planned to take his kids to see his parents in Seattle. Unfortunately, he got COVID and had to cancel the trip. Still, he enjoyed his time off.
How was it coming back to work? “It was a little tough at first, but I felt recharged once I got over the initial hump,” Heitstuman said.
He’s now working toward his fourth sabbatical. He said: “It’s fun to think about what I will do with the next one.”
Hang Nguyen is a freelance writer for the U-T.
