Sabbatical is related to Sabbath and Shabbat, which are religious breaks. It can be a period of rest or work lasting a year or more. Professors often take sabbaticals for research, learning or refueling. Other professions offer sabbaticals for study or spiritual reflection. Sabbaticals can be costly but rejuvenated employees can benefit the employer.
It is easy to see that the word sabbatical has a relationship with Sabbath and Shabbat. Understanding the connection helps to understand the definition. Sabbath and Shabbat are religiously defined breaks in the Judeo-Christian tradition dating back to the call for a day of rest once a week. A sabbatical goes beyond this concept and can be a period of rest, or more often work, which could continue for a year or more.
There are some professions where sabbaticals are common. In the university system, tenured university professors may have the right to take a gap year every seven to ten years upon request. Note that in the seven years arrangement, there is still a comparison with the rest of the seventh day.
At many colleges, people receive full pay for the time they take off, which can be more or less than a year. Because the university supports this leave, your job isn’t in jeopardy when you take a gap year. Instead the employer and the employee agree on its necessity.
What a professor might do on a gap year may depend on how the university interprets leave. Some see it as a break for teachers to refuel and avoid burning out in their profession. Others see this time as an opportunity to learn more so they have more to offer the university they work at.
Therefore, the sabbatical might involve research, taking courses, traveling, completing work for publication, or other things. Very often, although this break is considered “free time”, it is not really a holiday or a period of downtime. It is to acquire more knowledge for the benefit of both the teacher and the college where he works.
While sabbatical time is most often associated with college professors, there are other professions where this break might be offered to employees, particularly those employees who have worked for a number of years. It is not uncommon for religious leaders such as priests, rabbis, imams and ministers to be offered a gap year from time to time. This, again, could be more of a break, and could be used for study or spiritual reflection.
Many other professions view sabbaticals as potentially good things, even though they can cost a company money upfront. Paying an employee up to a year of non-work can be costly, but some employers believe it’s ultimately a savings. If an employee comes back from a break rejuvenated and full of new ideas, the employer could really benefit. Furthermore, in some professions, full pay is not offered and the employer merely guarantees that the employee’s job will be held for him during the holiday period.
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