Sabbaticals: A Privilege of Teachers & God?

I always envied teachers. I didn't envy them because they chose an honorable career, a profession where they can impart important knowledge to our youth and help create a better and brighter future for all of us. No, I envied them because I thought teachers were the only working people with the possibility to take a long break from work, still get paid, and even come back to their position at the end of it.

A former teacher of mine (a cool guy, one of my favorites actually) went to India. For a whole year. After he was back he told us about his trip, and called it a sabbatical year! A what?? Sabba... I tried hard to memorize the word. Sabbatical, what a sweet sound! I discovered that the term comes from Genesis 2:2-3, where God rested after creating the universe. Epic! I believed that he deserved his rest, but teachers?

Even with a job less strenuous than creating a universe, the idea of having time to rest besides the usual holidays makes a lot of sense. Deceleration! Leave your work for a while (and preferably your mobile phone too). Go traveling, build a treehouse with your children, study butterflies in the woods, take some extra parenting time, take care of your beloved grandmother, or even just play video games and eat pizza all day. It’s something wonderful!

This was a while ago, before I knew anything about employment situations and HR programs, so little Bastian thought God and teachers were the only people with this privilege. Time passed, and I didn’t become a teacher.

When our HR department first introduced the Time Account program, however, an almost forgotten memory became vivid again. Among the other nice employee programs at Edenspiekermann, all of which I appreciate a lot, the Time Account thing really hit the spot. Sabbatical as designer—could it really be true? YES! Cool beans! In April 2015 I was the first person to sign up.

May 2016

We arrive at Narita airport in Tokyo, white, weak, and untrained. We’re heading south-west with no plans and minimal Japanese language skills. Our only agenda: catch our flight home from Seoul to Berlin on July 27th 2016.

July 2016

We’ve been traveling for 3 months now, a dream come true. I’m in my hammock, suspended between two big trees on the Hanggang river in South Korea. Next to me is my girlfriend, a tent, and two heavily packed bicycles. We’re enjoying the last days in nature before heading towards the busy capital Seoul, our final destination. None of my other travels have ever been so free and independent. We’re only traveling by bicycle—ok, we’ve taken a few ferries—and, most of the time, we sleep somewhere wild in our little tent. Sometimes, when the rain hits us hard, we stay in guesthouses and we’ve had a few home-stays here and there.

Today

Three months and 2500 km later (not including all those steep climbs and mountains) we’re less white and have much stronger legs. We’re looking better and we’re feeling better. It was a magical, heartwarming journey. We were introduced to Japan and South Korea in a truly special way; we learned and saw so many things, experienced outstanding hospitality, and met great people. So much time to enjoy. So much time to think. So much time to reflect. And enough time off to look forward to coming back. I still remember my teacher’s classes after he came back from India. Something had changed; he was more enthusiastic, more energetic. I could feel it. He brought the experiences he made into the classroom, and wove them into his teaching. I hope this will be the same for me.

Sometimes, when I was on my bicycle, listening to music, riding through nature, I imagined how it’d be back at my desk, back in the office, chatting with colleagues, drinking coffee and working again—doing the job I like, and being back welcomed back at my workplace—a real privilege! This time-out has given me the freedom, energy and confidence that I need to become a better and happier person; a personal growth, both in my private life and as an integral part of Edenspiekermann.

Even though this was possible for me, it's still far from normal. In the creative industries, as well as in other areas, programs similar to Time Account are pretty rare. With this little article I want to not only share my experience, but also encourage other agencies and companies to recognize the benefits of programs like these. Giving your employees the chance to take an honest break and come back with new experiences and recharged batteries is worth so much more than sick notes and guilty consciences.

Arigatou Gozaimasu to Edenspiekermann for letting me go and taking me back!