Take a BREAK!
A SABBATICAL GOES A LONG WAY
TO HELP REJUVENATE ONE'S LIFE AND CAREER
Preeti was getting bogged
down by her mundane routine job. Her, otherwise, successful career was getting
monotonous.Finding a way out of the boredom, she took a sabbatical for one year
and spent it with her parents in a sleepy and quaint town in Himachal Pradesh.
A year later, Preeti returned, feeling much rejuvenated and energised.
Like Preeti, you may also
take a break and get a whiff of fresh air to escape the monotony and infuse
fresh life in your work. Today's highly demanding job schedule and work load
are most likely to create a sense of lethargy or monotony in one's working
life. A sabbatical from the hustle bustle of the city life helps to recharge
yourself.
But a sabbatical is
somewhat more than a quick break. It is a prolonged break from one's
professional job. It gives us the space and time to introspect on our personal
and professional lives and evaluate ourselves. It gives us room to take a quick
look at our career and long-term goals that are often neglected, thanks to the
kind of pressure we need to undergo in our professional life. Sanjeev Agrawal,
vice president, operations and human empowerment, Impetus Infotech (India) Pvt
Ltd says, “With job pressures on the rise in modern times, many employees are
opting for breaks to rejuvenate themselves. Sabbaticals provide one such
opportunity and help them address their personal issues, pursue their hobbies,
acquire new skills and be more fulfilled. If used judiciously, sabbaticals can
help individuals to emerge as refined professionals.“
A sabbatical allows us to
review our accomplishments and shortcomings, fix priorities and set goals in
our life. It also helps us strike a perfect balance between our personal and
professional lives. Rajeev Bhardwaj, VP HR, Sun Life Financial Asia Service
Centre maintains, “ A sabbatical can make a positive difference in one's life,
but a lot depends on how an individual puts it to use. If taken positively , a
sabbatical can turn out to be the turning point of one's life. One gets
valuable time to take stock of their life, understand what they are doing and
what they would like to do. Once clear about all these aspects, one can be at
greater peace with one's self and not afraid or apprehensive of the unknown.“
The duration for a
sabbatical is typically one year and it leaves a deep impact on our personal
attitude if taken in the right perspective.Bhardwaj suggests, “ A sabbatical is
a great opportunity to renew professionally and evolve into a satisfied and
well-rounded individual. Such an opportunity can be used to address aspects of
burnout or exhaustion, investing time in re-building one's self. Such
destressing of the fatigued mind and soul can be done by engaging in hobbies
and interests that might have taken a back seat, volunteering for social causes
or even reading or teaching to fine-tune one's craft.“
Normally , once we start
working, we don't get enough time to renew and upgrade our skills and
competencies. As the focus is purely on doing day-today work, one's output can
quickly and without realising become stale. One may even end up losing the
energy and effectiveness one had at the start. V Krishnan, executive
director-HR, Dabur India Ltd says the objective of taking a sabbatical is key
to serve the purpose. “If the purpose of the sabbatical is to improve your
knowledge and gain skills that help you in performing your roles better and
also add value to the organisation, it's a winwin situation,“ Krishnan notes.
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Jadav Kakoti
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TOI13JAN16
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