Just the other day, an executive recruiter asked me if I thought people still take sabbaticals. He told me is thinking about taking one. The recruiter also asked me if I thought there was a correlation between service professionals, their high stress levels and health issues. He thinks there is and that sabbaticals are the answer.
So, when I heard that every seven years, designer Stefan Sagmeister closes his New York studio for a yearlong sabbatical to rejuvenate and refresh their creative outlook, it caught my attention. Interestingly Stefan mapped the life span of working adults and decided to take years from his retirement and intersperse it with his working life. The end result was creative and enjoyable for all.
Here's he is on Ted.com talking about the power of taking time off. I found it inspiring. Would you be brave enough to take a sabbatical?
I think Europeans have it right to have 4-6 weeks' paid vacation per annum. It is a bit costly and inconvenient for organizations, but worker engagement levels are reportedly higher, as is productivity (monetized in US dollars) per hour (I think Germany or France have the highest in the world). Right now I am on tour in Europe and getting chastised by peers and past co-workers in the US, because it seems lazy or too asymmetrical to be going off the radar this long. http://tarotworldtour.wordpress.com/
Posted by: John | March 24, 2012 at 06:09 AM