Establish policies on sabbaticals and career breaks

Key points

Although the terms "sabbatical" and "career break" are often interchangeable, the former tends to be used to refer to a short period of leave of absence from work of several weeks or months, while the latter is usually used to refer to a longer period of absence, possibly spanning several years.
Giving employees the opportunity to take a sabbatical or career break can enable employers to retain employees who might otherwise consider resigning to pursue a personal goal.
An employer that offers sabbaticals and/or career breaks should decide whether or not to prescribe eligibility criteria, the procedure for applying for the sabbatical/career break and the terms and conditions that will apply during it.