News Release

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Take a Break?

People who work hard at their jobs for 20 years or more, while raising a family, often reach a point where they just want a break. They want to do something different for a few weeks or a few months, to escape from their routine with new experiences. Those, who engage in this time away from their routine, return refreshed and rededicated to high achievement.

In the academic world, colleges and universities grant sabbaticals to professors for a semester or a year. The educators often spend their time away from normal responsibilities doing research, traveling, or teaching in a different environment. In the Herman Trend Alert, we have shared stories of corporations that sponsor sabbaticals to key employees who have been on the job for certain periods of time. Some executives are now negotiating such time off as part of their compensation arrangements when they are recruited.

As people strive for greater balance between their personal lives and their work lives, we forecast that there will be an increase in the number of individuals and couples who will leave their jobs and engage in different activities for a pre-established period of time. Our subscribers who have written to tell us about their plans report that they are taking off for periods of two months, three months, six months, or a year. Practically everyone plans a unique set of experiences that fits personal interests.

Sabbatical activities include spending extended quality time with an elderly relative, returning to school (often for a graduate degree), traveling, working at a totally different kind of job in a different locale (sometimes even in a different country), writing a book, or renovating a house. Every story we hear is unique.

Not everyone can afford to take months off without an income, although we have learned about many people who somehow find imaginative ways to finance their extended time off. Some simply arrange temporary jobs when they need more money. With the demand for good workers, anyone with marketable skills can sign on with a temporary employment agency.