Once a novel concept employed only by activists and social workers, taking a sabbatical in the developing world has now found its way to the forefront of business; Sue Rice, Accenture’s Head of HR, UK and Ireland explains.
As employers seek the latest and most appealing choices to add to their benefits packages, the trend of significant time off from work to volunteer has increased exponentially and garnered the attention of human resources managers around the globe.
At Accenture, we found that offering employees risk-free time off from their careers to put their skill sets to use in a completely different environment has been a boon to our recruitment and retention efforts, not to mention the morale of our workforce.
Sabbaticals notably resonate most amongst middle managers in their late twenties and thirties who are keen to take time out of their careers to ‘make a difference.’ A recent research study we commissioned amongst 25-36 years olds found that companies who offer secondments in the developing world were considered 90% more attractive as employers compared to those who didn’t.
Permeating all industries, there is an increasing trend towards a greater work/life balance and a flexibility that allows the workforce to give back to the global community with the full support of management and colleagues alike.
The two most significant deterrents to career breaks are financial issues related to unpaid time off work and the potentially negative impact it can have on one’s career.
However, our personal experience and research shows those companies that openly support and enable their employees to take sabbaticals reap rewards and big cost savings. The recruitment and overall development of their best performers and, ultimately the retention of their respective industry’s most talented workforce.
Voluntary work is invaluable in developing both the personal and professional skills of our employees and taking sabbaticals is something we’ve long encouraged. By offering our employees a hybrid career option, enabling them to gain experience in the development sector without sacrificing their career, our consultants return to Accenture more refreshed and better motivated than when they left.
Digby Jones of the CBI, calls it a triple win situation: “Business benefits from HR development and consumer credibility, individual employees gain invaluable experience and the developing world gets the skills it so urgently needs.”
As industry grows and our world evolves, one fact remains: business can and must play a proactive and positive role in sustainable development worldwide. Corporate citizenship is no longer a buzzword at meetings of the elite or deemed an onus on public relations.
Managers in a business environment have a wealth of experience that is desperately needed in developing countries, and the dividends of affording employees the opportunity to participate in the building of a better company and better world pay off for business, the employee, and the region in which they are serving.
To live and work in regions of the world with little to no business infrastructure, helping organisations to make improvements in the effectiveness of their businesses and leaving behind serviceable systems is incredibly challenging but also incredibly rewarding.
Business managers play an integral role in making organisations run more smoothly, establishing the tools, benchmarks and processes necessary to monitor and improve capabilities.
It is this surge in demand for business related skills in developing countries that Accenture became one of the first organisations to partner with Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) in support of their Business Partnership Scheme.
Under the scheme employees from Accenture can take up short business secondments of three to 12 months. Accenture provides financial support to its VSO volunteers to help them cover fixed costs while they are away. VSO fund travel expenses and the local employer pays volunteers a salary at local rates.
Almost 70 Accenture employees have taken part in the programme and developed a broader range of skills and experiences, a deeper understanding of different cultures, different ways of working and a new level of resilience and confidence. All of these can be brought to bear and will provide benefit to Accenture in terms of their work when they return.
The VSO scheme has proved so successful that a group of returning volunteers developed a new business division to enable them to carry on what they started – Accenture Development Partnerships (ADP).
ADP is a charitable organisation, founded by Accenture that works with NGOs and donor organisations in the developing world to help build capacity and equip them with the skills and capabilities to identify scope and support grant making opportunities in the business sector.
After just over two years in operation, ADP has carried out more than 50 projects in 32 countries, drawing on the skills of over 100 employees who have found their experiences extremely worthwhile.
Arjun Raghavan, a manager at Accenture found his secondment with ADP a very fulfilling experience: “It has proved to be a real ‘stretch’ opportunity for me both professionally and personally. I have gained a range of new skills and experiences – such as leadership, greater resilience and different ways of working, all of which will benefit me on my return to work back within Accenture.”
Sabbaticals aren’t just career breaks; rather, they are strategic career moves. In turn they represent for Accenture an effort to attract, develop and retain great people. In the constant bid for talent, they should be embraced and wholly supported.
