In the next five years, one of the biggest HR challenges for companies is going to be retention. You’re going to need to come up with ways to keep your top talent if you want your company to address the current business conditions. The first thing you should tell yourself is that a sabbatical is not a boondoggle. Try it: Sabbaticals are not boondoggles. Ok, now that you’ve done that, here’s the benefits they bring.

Burnout therapy.

Your rockstars probably aren’t taking it easy around the office and they might not realize it before their tank empties and this could lead to a drastic decision. Don’t let it get to that. The more you take care of your employees, the more they can focus on doing great work for you.

Real reflection.

A good employee becomes a great employee when she decides outside of everyday work pressures that this is the direction she wants to take her life. How can she do this while balancing her daily demands? This is where a sabbatical can really help you develop great talent.

It’s a big investment in your talent, but it’s one that we see paying big dividends. Even if the person who went on a sabbatical leaves the company, you’ll have an advocate for your company. And if the person is talented then she’ll be telling other talented people that your company really cared about her development. This is one thing good talent looks for. Don’t be afraid of making a big investment here.

About NextGen

NextGen is the brainchild of longtime telecom professionals with nearly 50 years of experience and millions of dollars in Telecom Recruiting Services. We focus on establishing long term relationships with our clients and candidates so we can recruit the best and the brightest in the telecom industry. This ‘quality over quantity’ approach is at the heart of everything we do and has resulted in successful job placements at Fortune 1000 firms worldwide.