Sabbatical: Time out doesn't always help

So she packed her bags and "put everything on hold," as she says. "My employer gave me full support." She took leave of absence, took over the costs of the health insurance herself during the time, and rented a car. For six months she lived on savings and looked after a little house of acquaintances whom she had met on a language course. While her hosts were traveling themselves, she fed their chickens, sold the eggs, drove geese into the barn, and looked after the dog and cat.

According to a study by the career network Xing with almost 1,500 employees in Germany, ten percent have already completed some kind of sabbatical. Derived from the Hebrew day of rest, the Sabbath, the word stands for "pause", for interrupting and breaking out of everyday life. Often a long discussion precedes, a crisis of meaning, dissatisfaction, blows of fate or the feeling of needing a break, as in the case of Ingrid Frank. According to a Forsa survey, every second employee in Germany dreams of taking a break.

Time out or fundamental changes?

"What is really the goal?" For sabbatical coach Andrea Oder, this question comes first when it comes to planning such a break. She herself has already had her third break. Today she advises others on their way to a sabbatical. "Especially in times like these, with a view to Corona, many are aware of how quickly everything can change."

It is important to be clear: "What do I expect from a sabbatical? Which construction sites am I concerned with?" Am I looking for relaxation, adventure and freedom, time for myself or others, the fulfillment of a long-cherished dream? Do I want to continue my education, learn new languages, have more time for painting and guitar lessons, renovate my house? Or wander through southern Europe in a van, across the Atlantic on a sailing ship, through Finland? Or that many people start their sabbaticals with wrong ideas. "This is another reason why not every time-out is unharmed."

And often it is not the solution to the real problem. The idea "I will travel around the world once and everything will take care of itself" is an illusion. Andrea Oder therefore advises you to think carefully before starting a project like this whether a break from your job is the solution – or whether fundamental changes in everyday life would be more sensible and necessary.

Reboot after the low

Elisabeth Hühner also thought about this. At the beginning of 2019, the trained cook and ecotrophologist, then 45, decided to press the reset button. Two difficult years were behind her then. She was dissatisfied at work, and privately she was going through a crisis. At first she didn't care where she went for her break. "The main thing is to get out of Europe."

Via a Facebook group, she came across an ad from a woman who was inviting other women to her farm in Namibia. "It was kind of an escape," she says today. "I wanted to clear my head, a different environment, completely new impressions and people around me." Before the trip, she made a radical cut: she quit her job. But even before she got on the plane, she had the contract for a new job in her pocket. "That calmed me down and gave me security."

She spent three months in Africa. The essence that remained: "I have learned to let go, to trust more in life." What protected them from disappointment: not having too high expectations. For chickens, her sabbatical was a "new start for the time after my crisis, after the low".

The real challenge only began after my return, when it came to changing something in everyday life. She allowed herself a short break "to settle in". Then she started working in quality management in a large bakery in Munich. The new job fulfilled her. But she also noticed how difficult it was for her to retain something of the ease that she enjoyed in Africa. The hectic pace and tension quickly caught up with her because she wanted to survive in her new job.

Clarity through spatial and temporal distance

In fact, work is the number one cause of stress in Germany. Is a sabbatical year really the right thing to escape stress and improve life in the long term? Experts doubt that. In principle, a sabbatical year cannot change much in the long term, shows a study published in 2013 by the University of Siegen, in which teachers were asked about the effects of a longer break.

A sabbatical has a positive effect on regeneration and health, the perceived stress decreases, and life satisfaction increases. But the effects mostly fizzled out quickly for the study participants, job satisfaction did not improve. Which means: If nothing changes in the situation at home, one comes back to the same situation after a year and has the same problems.

And yet: not working out of the job for a certain period of time makes it possible to reflect on important questions and to give space to one's own interests and strengths. Ingrid Frank is also convinced of this – although her break in the end was different than hoped. She wrote a book, made friends, and went hiking. However, she had to give up her original plan to travel extensively across the country and offer workshops for "creative writing".

Because she was taking more responsibility for the cottage of her friends than expected. The days were determined by looking after the animals. In the meantime, she felt abandoned by her hosts. On the last day a stone struck the hood of her rental car and tore a hole in her tight travel budget. "I was totally annoyed and was happy to be back." In retrospect, she would approach many things differently, she says today: "I would realize how much uncertainty I can endure and come up with a plan B if some things turn out differently than desired."

She also found the arrival "ambivalent". On the one hand, she was looking forward to her home. On the other hand, she knew that there were unresolved issues waiting for her. She had carried decisions around with her, but the spatial and temporal distance had also given her clarity: she decided to continue the relationship with her partner.

Frank also made professional decisions: She has now cut her working hours from 38 to 30 hours. "Without the break, I wouldn't have dared to do it." She now has Mondays off and resolves to dedicate that day to writing. "Far too often it doesn't work out the way I imagine it would. I often schedule the day with other appointments." But she is now on her way.

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