In a recent annual appraisal a member of my staff asked if they could take a sabbatical to do some charity work abroad. I know very little about this topic and was taken off guard. However, I do know that these types of sabbaticals are becoming more and more popular with companies as a means to both retain and develop staff.
While I am supportive of this request, the truth is that I cannot spare this individual right now. He is a critical resource on a very large IT development project that we are working on and I cannot possibly manage without him. I feel that I’m in a lose-lose situation; whatever I do will jeopardize the project. Can you suggest a way out?
First of all remember that nobody is indispensable. What would you do if this individual was taken seriously ill or worse? You would cope. Perhaps not particularly elegantly but you’d find a way.
Now having said that let’s take a few steps back, as well as a few deep breaths and review the situation. There is nothing in your question that leads me to believe that this
individual expects to leave on a sabbatical tomorrow. To be frank he would not be worth the value you clearly place on him if he did. You admit to being caught ‘off guard’ so I am sure you said you would give it some thought and get back to him. At this present time I would imagine this individual is only interested in knowing whether you would entertain the notion of a sabbatical or not.
Before you give your answer there are a number of aspects to consider:
Is he burnt out and seeking a worthy way to recharge his batteries? Perhaps, although the project is on the critical path, he does not find the work challenging enough and is bored. Perhaps he is seeking an exit strategy and there is nothing you can do to keep him. So granting a sabbatical will just be delaying the inevitable (and wasting your company’s time and money). If you work closely with this individual I’m sure you will have your suspicions; so is a sabbatical the right solution?
There would be very little point in actively pursuing an extended leave of absence if another course of action would be more appropriate. Now that your employee has raised the question of a sabbatical and you have had time to do some investigation of your own it will probably pay dividends to sit back down with him to understand exactly what he expects to achieve from this. Then you can explore how it might be possible to meet both his expectations and your desire to keep the project on track.
In answer to your question, all is not lost – don’t give away your control. Face the situation with all the facts in front of you and seek the best fit solution for everyone, your employee, you and your company. All that is required to turn a lose-lose into a win-win is wise negotiation and the willingness to compromise.
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