Lenny's Newsletter · Product & Work
TIER 4 2021-04-27
> ## Q: I read your post last week about sabbaticals, and as a manager, I’m definitely worried about giving people many months off. How do you structure a sabbatical program to make them work for both the person and the company? After [last week’s post on taking time off](https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/sabbatical-time-off) a number of managers and founders like yourself emailed me asking this question, equal parts worried and curious. Taking time off as an employee is amazing, but as a leader, with responsibilities and deadlines, giving people large chunks of time off is…worrisome. So before we move on from this topic, I’m excited to bring back [DJ DiDonna](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ddidonna/) (for our first-ever encore performance!) to help you think through your own sabbatical program design. Below, DJ shares his research into the three most common myths about sabbatical programs: 1. Everyone will leave 2. The company will fall apart without the person 3. People don’t really need a sabbatical - they’re fine! I hope you find this as fascinating as I did. *[Sign up for DJs newsletter here](https://thesabbaticalproject.us20.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=9e6339439cb1353c8d0ee53de&id=25d5b9fb84), and if you’d like to work with DJ on your sabbatical program, he takes on a limited number of clients for sabbatical program advisory. He can be reached at [dj@thesabbaticalproject.org](mailto:dj@thesabbaticalproject.org). If you can’t get enough of this topic, I’m hosting a fireside chat with DJ this coming Thursday at 9am PT, exclusively for paid newsletter subscribers. [Sign up here.](https://lu.ma/lennysfireside-DJ)* ## 3 Myths of Corporate Sabbatical Policies *by DJ DiDonna*  Even before the pandemic turned workup to eleven, you’ve likely been hearing more and more about sabbaticals. Nearly one in seven companies in the US now provide extended leave to their employees, and the practice has become prevalent in the employee benefits arms race for top talent. Yet most managers and leaders, like yourself, struggle to imagine how they could possibly give their employees sabbaticals. If you’re a CEO/manager/leader/IC/investor, you’re probably stuck thinking one of three self-defeating myths about sabbaticals: 1. ...if I give my team a sabbatical policy, they’ll all leave! 2. ...if I took one myself, the company would fall apart! 3. ...I don’t need to take one anyway! If you believe the prevailing narrative about how to succeed in business, these objections make sense. We lionize leaders like Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey who run multiple companies simultaneously, and we scoff at the ever-shrinking French workweek. Yet we must also acknowledge that Scandinavian economies, with their world-leading paid parental leave and August off, [somehow outperform most developed economies on happiness](https://economics.mit.edu/files/5726) *[and](https://economics.mit.edu/files/5726)* [GDP per capita](https://economics.mit.edu/files/5726). Or that Israelis, who ritually travel for a year after mandatory military service, manage to [raise more VC dollars per capita](https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/08/its-not-just-the-culture-stupid-4-reasons-why-israels-economy-is-so-strong/260610/) than any society on Earth. Or that entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs and Marc Benioff both [hatched their biggest ideas on sabbatical](https://hrmasia.com/did-a-sabbatical-help-build-a-us140-billion-company/). In my prior life, as a [venture-backed fintech entrepreneur](https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/31/business/credit-scores-from-a-test-not-a-history.html), I learned some of these lessons the hard way. After seven hard-charging years selling to multinational banks, living in emerging markets, and managing teams across a dozen countries, I found myself burned out, and yearning to try new things. I took a sabbatical, it transformed me deeply, and I set out to research the impact of sabbaticals on individuals and organizations. What we’ve found at [the Sabbatical Project](https://www.thesabbaticalproject.org/) upends the traditional narrative about work and time off. Dozens of conversations with business leaders, ranging from law to consulting, fintech to nonprofit, and spanning from early to twilight career stages, have revealed very different stories than those that we’re used to hearing. Here’s what we found about the three most common objections that we business leaders tell ourselves about sabbaticals. — ### Myth #1: Everyone will leave! **Our findings: Actually, if you do it right, they’ll stay longer**  First, let’s address the elephant in the room: inevitably, if you give your employees enough time and space, *some* will use that time to do some thinking which will result in leaving your company. Uber notoriously backtracked on its sabbatical policy because too many people set off and never came back. However, this was during the darkest (and near-final) months of Travis K’s reign at the company, when turnover was at an all-time high regardless. Was the sabbatical policy a cause or a symptom of the underlying problem? In retrospect, it was a canary in the coal mine about how their workers were showing up on the job; savvy leaders can use these signs to determine the true engagement and feelings of their employees? Our research found that companies that offer a sabbatical policy not only retain their talent—80% of employees return—their people return [more loyal, more creative, and more personally fulfilled](https://www.thesabbaticalproject.org/research1). If 1 in 5 employees departing after their departure sounds like a lot, consider that the [average tenure at some of the most venerable tech companies is less than three years](https://www.inc.com/business-insider/tech-companies-employee-turnover-average-tenure-silicon-valley.html). By the time they’ve reached enough tenure to merit a sabbatical, you’ve already nearly doubled their expected seniority. (Assuming a sabbatical policy in year 5 or thereabouts.) Designing a sabbatical policy to harness these results depends on your objectives. If you’re trying to reduce turnover, it’s helpful to split out retention into two distinct groups based on tenure: Cycle 1 and Cycle 2. **Cycle 1: Retaining your employees through their first inklings to leave** This could be your high-performing mid-twenties junior staff, attracted to shiny objects like pay raises, titles, and something new. Professional services firms like McKinsey, Bain, and BCG depend on waves of newly minted graduates churning out after a few years, mostly to get their MBAs\*. Due to the high cost of recruiting and training new hires, [these firms offer “externships''](https://socialimpactatbain.com/our-people.html) to extend their average tenure. Externships are usually partially paid multi-month opportunities at approved nonprofits. This gives your employees permission to grow and learn and experiment, but with lucrative strings luring them back to work. Another good example is social impact investment firm [Endeavor](https://endeavor.org/), which offers its employees “sabbaticals” where they get to live and work from one of their investees’ offices in a different country. At the end of the day, they’re still working almost at capacity, but to the employee, it feels like a breath of fresh air and a personal growth opportunity. **Cycle 2: Retention in service of keeping your employees for the long haul** Investment advisory firm [Brighton Jones](https://www.brightonjones.com/) offers a fully-paid 6 month sabbatical for all employees after their tenth year of employment. Ten years is a long time to wait for a sabbatical, but founder and CEO Jon Jones feels it aligns with the company’s goals and mission. He’s not interested in retaining someone a couple of years out of college. Instead, he wants to reward those who establish long-standing relationships with their clients, while also establishing a long-term track record of success in the company. The US Treasury also offers an extended leave without pay (LWOP) to its employees after seven years of service. While it’s unpaid, employees do retain benefits and their tenure clock—crucial for calculating retirement benefits and pay raises for government workers—remains in motion. **Final thought: sometimes turnover isn’t such a bad thing** After decades as a leading Venture Capital firm, [Summit Partners established a sabbatical policy precisely to give its founding (read: zombie) partners an opportunity to step away](https://www.alumni.hbs.edu/careers/blog/post/making-sabbaticals-mainstream-series-marty). After having some time away from the office, all three partners left, and the policy remains in place to this day, working double-duty as a popular recruiting tool for Summit. **Action items:** 1. Determine your priorities, and design your sabbatical policy(ies) accordingly. To retain staff through Cycle 1, design a shorter sabbatical (~3+ months) within the first ~4 years of their employment. If you’re trying to attract and retain staff for a decade or more (Cycle 2), aim for longer cycles between sabbatical eligibility: ~7+ years. 2. Think critically about what message your sabbatical policy is sending and who will actually take it. If it’s unpaid, it may not be accessible to the lower-earners in your company, or those with many dependents, sending a strong signal about who the policy was designed for in the first place See [my previous post for the components of a successful sabbatical](https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/sabbatical-time-off). ### Myth #2: The company will fall apart without me! **Our findings: You’ll be surprised what people can only learn in your absence** *Case study: the African Leadership Academy, Johannesburg, South Africa*  In the year leading up to its tenth-year anniversary celebration—arguably its most important fundraising event since its inception—Chris Bradford, the African Leadership Academy’s founder and CEO gave himself a sabbatical. Though his team had assured him they’d be able to handle the school in his absence, it wasn’t until he’d returned that it became clear how important it was that he’d left. Over the course of a few months, many things that Chris had previously (micro) managed went fine—some even better than before. Junior members of his team took advantage of career-expanding growth opportunities. Leaders emerged from unexpected places. But Chris also returned to a deep and widening financial crisis: donations in advance of their fundraising event had slowed to a crawl. It was nothing short of an emergency. Prior to leaving, it was clear how important Chris was as the key external face of the organization, but the degree to which the school relied singularly on his involvement wasn’t just inconvenient—it presented an existential risk. After righting the ship, Chris worked with the board to debrief the performance of the school in his absence. His sabbatical revealed previously unforeseen deficiencies, opportunities for advancement for his staff, and the need to proactively plan for his eventual departure in the next strategic plan. It also gave Chris, a notorious workaholic, a much-needed break to invest in his relationship, explore the best practices of other schools around the world, and contemplate his future. — As a founder, I took away two lessons from Chris’s sabbatical experience. The fundraising crisis Chris returned to was clearly made worse in the short term by his departure. But it was also clear that the problem had been lurking just beneath the surface all along; **wouldn’t you rather proactively root out your company’s skeletons?** Upon his return, ALA focused on developing fundraising tactics that didn’t require his presence or initiative going forward. **Great companies must be great at change**. Like it or not, [no one stays at their company forever](https://hbr.org/2021/05/the-high-cost-of-poor-succession-planning). Successfully offloading and onboarding responsibilities should be honed like a competitive advantage, not felt like a five-alarm fire every time it happens. Sabbaticals can help to clarify roles, identify talent, and transition responsibilities in a transparent and predictable manner. **Action items:** 1. If you’re a leader: introduce (or find an advocate on the board for) a sabbatical policy for your leadership team. Try to balance the needs of your direct supports with the importance of leading by example in taking time off (see: Myth #3 below). 2. Make a plan to cycle your leadership out on sabbatical, with enough buffer time built in to properly prepare the organization, as well as integration time upon their return to digest learnings before returning to business-as-usual. ### Myth #3: I don’t even need a sabbatical - I’m fine! **Our findings: Even if you’re right (you’re not), your employees need you to take it** *Case Study: Choice Lunch, Bay Area, California*  Sixteen years into his journey as CEO of Choice Lunch, Justin’s wife Allison approached him with a wild idea: what if we took off work for the summer with the kids and tried to visit as many national parks as possible? His company, which prepared and delivered organic lunches to school districts across California, had grown consistently over time. Though he didn’t feel like he needed to take time off, he trusted his management team to take the reins during the much-slower summer months. And more importantly, Justin wanted to fulfill his college sweetheart’s dreams of visiting all the national parks. Nine weeks and seven thousand miles of driving later, Justin returned with major personal and professional revelations. First and foremost, he had a very difficult time disengaging with work—every time he checked in, it stoked concerns he shouldn’t have left, which in turn impacted his ability to be present with his family. On the personal front, it was the happiest he’d ever seen Allison. “Keep in mind we were in a box with four kids for two straight months...every night, no babysitters or date nights,” he remembers. Justin’s relationship with his family crystallized during the journey, while he became aware of some opportunities for personal improvement, including an addiction to work, along the way. On the professional front, it helped Justin to cultivate an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. He gained a new appreciation for “already doing exactly what [he] wanted to do, with the people he loved.” He realized that he’d been too narrowly focused on the day-to-day operations, and came back instead focusing on the bigger strategic priorities for the business. Being away also helped him to realize that it was on him to enable the team to operate in ways independent of his input. — Justin’s experience highlights a key finding of our research, a way of working that’s a precursor to burnout: functional workaholism. **Like functional alcoholics, functional workaholics manage to remain highly productive despite rapidly depleting personal resources.** They’re so busy, they forget to take care of themselves, leaving PTO on the table and neglecting to disconnect outside of work hours. After enough time, this becomes a (self-destructive) way of life; you almost forget how to work in a healthy and sustainable fashion. A particularly devious aspect of functional workaholism? You don’t realize it until you’ve stepped away for enough time. In our research, it took participants up to 6 or 8 weeks to fully disconnect from work life and to fully feel themselves again. Once people like Justin realize the way they work, they typically make big changes, both for themselves and at their company. Not only have his cofounders hatched sabbatical plans, but Justin and Allison have also made the RV trip an annual tradition ([read about their travels here](https://www.gagnonsgone.com/).)  But the worst thing about functional workaholism is that it’s contagious, especially top-down from a leader. Researchers have termed this dynamic the “[work devotion norm](https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/02/the-hidden-cost-of-a-flexible-job/385170/),” which demands that employees make work the sole focus of their lives—or else. Unfortunately, there’s been reason for employees to be fearful: [studies on leaves of absence](https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1999-10222-010) among managers in financial services firms show that those who took a family leave experienced fewer promotions and smaller salary increases post-leave compared to managers who did not take one. The good news is that things are changing. [Companies](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-16/citi-to-offer-workers-a-12-week-sabbatical-extra-vacation-days) ([and countries](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/20/jacinda-ardern-flags-four-day-working-week-as-way-to-rebuild-new-zealand-after-covid-19)) are experimenting with ways to ensure employees take time off. And [studies on extended leave](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2158244019885389) show that people are more likely to take advantage of policies if their managers do. As you design a sabbatical policy for your company, consider these three best practices: 1. **The design of the policy:** provide benefits (salary/stipend+insurance) and make sure it’s long enough (ideally at least 3 months). 2. **Before** ***and after*** **sabbatical:** designate off-ramping responsibilities 90+ days in advance, organize re-integration into company/team, especially if responsibilities have changed. 3. **During sabbatical**: Provide resources - benefits and coaching, enforce disconnection. ### **Final thought: a sabbatical is not just to fix a problem** Thinking about time off as a utilitarian way to make your business better, or to heal your burnout is great. But the overarching theme of our research is that a sabbatical is a peak life experience for those who are able to take them. I’ve spoken to [tech leaders who invested in their family](https://www.npr.org/2013/05/20/183910777/seeing-the-northern-light-a-temporary-arctic-retirement) (and ended up starting a business on accident), busy nonprofit execs who savored just a couple of focused weekends with their kids, and countless others whose stories might not *wow* you on the surface but had a profoundly positive impact on their lives. A few of the most common words people in our study used to describe their sabbaticals were “human,” “spacious,” and “freedom.” I hope that you’re able to take advantage of a sabbatical, and that you can enable your colleagues to do the same! Note: DJ takes on a limited number of clients for sabbatical program advisory. He can be reached at [dj@thesabbaticalproject.org](mailto:dj@thesabbaticalproject.org).  *\* Sidenote: as an MBA myself, I consider the two-year degree to be the world’s most socially acceptable sabbatical. When else do you get prestige and a pay raise to travel, try on different jobs, meet people from all over the world, and (your mileage may vary) learn?* Have a productive and fulfilling week 🙏 ## 🔥 **Featured open roles** #### Product Management 1. **ClassDojo:** [0 to 1 Product Manager](https://pallet.xyz/job/a207cd17-0dd5-45a3-9068-5cabd6b30193) (SF/Remote) 2. **AbstractOps:** [Head of Product](https://pallet.xyz/job/e5b97f68-c279-4830-bfda-749d54ec22bd) (Remote) 3. **Dialogue:** [Vice-President, Product Management](https://pallet.xyz/job/bd8a4d54-5b37-4de0-af2f-84ad640faa6e) (Remote) 4. **Amazon Music:** [Principal Product Manager - Tech, Podcasts](https://pallet.xyz/job/650a0b97-3d81-46ae-8986-d72b4f3639f7) (SF) 5. **Intercom:** [Senior Product Manager - Self-serve Growth](https://pallet.xyz/job/fd328108-c412-40cd-91f3-0e3a324df4ad) (London/Dublin/Remote) 6. **Chime:** [Senior Product Manager, Growth](https://pallet.xyz/job/e0c51de6-26f9-4b5c-a758-4d6b6ae4899f) (SF) 7. **Miro**: [Senior Product Manager (Workshops Core)](https://pallet.xyz/job/8c95a561-53c7-495c-af75-5f1ceac1d782) (Amsterdam) 8. **NexHealth:** [First Product Manager](https://pallet.xyz/job/2d8e2cad-f0dd-4a21-88fd-6003e8c7c00c) (SF) 9. **Elementl:** [Product Manager](https://pallet.xyz/job/7422cd00-62dc-4ccf-b538-98482a78aec8) (SF/Remote) 10. **Clockwise:** [Product Manager](https://pallet.xyz/job/c3bac4ce-f356-49b5-918b-110ec159c769) (SF/Remote) 11. **UserLeap:** [Product Manager](https://pallet.xyz/job/e923f27c-b7b8-4edf-aaa5-3bc5be3570e8) (SF) #### Growth 1. **neo.tax:** [Head of Growth](https://pallet.xyz/job/2fd84c85-b209-47d0-9213-671e0342cff3) (Mountain View/Remote) 2. **Reforge:** [Lifecycle Marketer](https://pallet.xyz/job/c3f09744-d3d4-4817-8817-e04c778aff38) (Remote) 3. **Coda:** [Growth Associate Program](https://pallet.xyz/job/bba22fae-9ec5-47a2-b6dd-157f498b1fba) (SF) 4. **Ojo:** [Head of Marketing](https://pallet.xyz/job/4fb7dc9e-52ca-4b94-8dce-1d72e643cc86) (Remote) 5. **Labelbox**: Director of Growth and Demand Generation (SF/Remote) 6. **Livepeer:** [Go To Market Lead](https://pallet.xyz/job/3f5394b4-3104-4670-9572-c045b065119a) (Remote) #### Engineering 1. **Discord:** [Engineering Manager](https://pallet.xyz/job/71eeec4f-6dea-4645-95b7-44b1ea38507b) (SF) 2. **G2i:** [Senior React, React Native, or Node Developer](https://pallet.xyz/job/7a1c36d5-eb4f-43e5-b93f-c83f951a1ef9) (Remote) 3. **Novi Connect:** [Senior Software Engineer](https://pallet.xyz/job/1691057a-21ac-4450-b3d6-e2189a5cebc9) (Remote) 4. **Endgame:** [Principal Frontend Engineer](https://pallet.xyz/job/2f6285e1-d9d4-427f-9a62-3ec0e895ab7b) (Remote) 5. **Eppo:** [Backend / Infrastructure Engineer](https://pallet.xyz/job/2cd3039f-b44d-4079-83e0-e303debf2f00) (SF/Remote) 6. **Causal:** [Full-stack Engineer](https://pallet.xyz/job/6daf039f-a20e-4aa0-a7b0-54a8c19963b1) (Remote) 7. **Flux.ai:** [Fullstack Software Engineer](https://pallet.xyz/job/af3f67a4-e209-4b98-8a26-101c7805b207) (Remote) 8. **Coinbase:** [University Grad, Software Engineer](https://pallet.xyz/job/6ac840de-6951-42f8-a55a-051c56a3f303) (Remote) #### Design 1. **Cameo:** [Senior Product Designer](https://pallet.xyz/job/d095ea77-d995-4895-b764-59b4297a1292) (Remote) 2. **Tango:** [Product Design Lead](https://pallet.xyz/job/2a6c39e6-2dea-4e92-86c9-d147bb07d783) (LA/Remote) 3. **Scratchpad:** [Senior Product Designer](https://pallet.xyz/job/b068e1e5-8ae3-4886-b542-fa3443f1ff9b) (Remote) 4. **Rewatch:** [Senior Product Designer](https://pallet.xyz/job/68207a68-6f8b-4099-8107-197922e2d8cf) (Remote) 5. **Orbit:** [Product Designer](https://pallet.xyz/job/9b1f634f-6900-4322-9b6f-2ff38e477b63) (Paris/SF/Remote) 6. **Imperfect Foods:** [Senior Product Designer](https://pallet.xyz/job/b9cab5f0-9bcb-4caf-a0bc-2443e4768b60) (Remote) 7. **Karat**: [First Designer](https://pallet.xyz/job/29a7b24a-2ba0-489e-8222-d5d2b0b68e43) (LA/Remote) To add you open roles, [visit Lenny’s Job Board](https://lennysnewsletter.com/jobs) ## **🧠 Inspiration for the week ahead** 1. **Watch**: Gustavo Dudamel conducting the Simon Bolivar Youth Symphony Orchestra at this New Year’s Eve Concert in Caracas, Venezuela 2. **Listen**: [Stop. Breathe. We Can’t Keep Working Like This.](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/05/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-cal-newport.html), by Ezra Klein and Cal Newport 3. **Read**: [How people get rich now](https://paulgraham.com/richnow.html), by Paul Graham #### **How would you rate this week's newsletter? 🤔** [Great](https://t.sidekickopen82.com/s1t/c/5/f18dQhb0S7kF8cV_VXW1CdjwB59hl3kW7_k2847sD3qkVNxJHk1CX2ZcW2bzNJl8lkfc1101?te=W3R5hFj4cm2zwW4cQKtC3KcLnYW4hLZp03ZVbTxW1JB0ML1--tKxW20ZTw51-YpBFW1W_jBk1ZmvHBW21j9tt1-_j_TW1Vnkcj1V3fMvw1V21pC4Hp2&si=7000000001348012&pi=6174bab6-7009-4402-a497-3d6f867fbea1) • [Good](https://t.sidekickopen82.com/s1t/c/5/f18dQhb0S7kF8cV_VXW1CdjwB59hl3kW7_k2847sD3qkVNxJHk1CX2ZcW2bzNJl8lkfc1101?te=W3R5hFj4cm2zwW4cQKtC3KcLnYW4hLZp03ZVbTxW1JB0ML1--tKxW20ZTw51-YpBFW1W_jBk1ZmvHBW21j9tt1-_j_TW1Vnkcj1V3fMvw1V21pC4vX2&si=7000000001348012&pi=6174bab6-7009-4402-a497-3d6f867fbea1) • [Meh](https://t.sidekickopen82.com/s1t/c/5/f18dQhb0S7kF8cV_VXW1CdjwB59hl3kW7_k2847sD3qkVNxJHk1CX2ZcW2bzNJl8lkfc1101?te=W3R5hFj4cm2zwW4cQKtC3KcLnYW4hLZp03ZVbTxW1JB0ML1--tKxW20ZTw51-YpBFW1W_jBk1ZmvHBW21j9tt1-_j_TW1Vnkcj1V3fMvw1V21pC4kr2&si=7000000001348012&pi=6174bab6-7009-4402-a497-3d6f867fbea1) **If you’re finding this newsletter valuable, consider sharing it with friends, or subscribing if you haven’t already.** Sincerely, Lenny 👋