How to take a Career Break
In this article I discuss what it means to take a career break.
Check out the published article here.
See below for the full interview responses I gave the Publisher on this topic.
How long should a career break be?
A career break can be anywhere from two to twelve months long. Any shorter and it will feel like an extended vacation and any longer and it’s potentially damaging to your career trajectory.
A three to six month break is the sweet spot. Your current employer will have a hard time keeping your seat warm for much longer than that.
How should employees let their managers know that they want to take a career break?
If you’re interested in taking a career break, it’s best to bring it up to your manager two months in advance. Before talking with your manager, you should be absolutely certain that this is something you want and can financially afford to do. You should also have already worked out most logistics and be ready to explain the details to your manager.
What steps should employees take to prepare for taking a career break?
To prepare for a career break, you should first research the company leave policy to see what options are available to you. You may even want to set up a confidential discussion with HR to go over any questions you may have.
During your break, you’ll likely be able to keep your health insurance but your time off will be unpaid. Create a thorough budget to ensure you have sufficient savings to cover your regular bills and whatever additional costs you’ll incur during your break.
You’ll likely be required to use all of your PTO, obtain leadership approval and you may have to accept a different work scope when you return. Finally, you should be prepared for your request to be denied.
There’s a lot of moving pieces to pull off a work or career break. You’ll inevitably come up with a million reasons why you shouldn’t do it. That was certainly the case for me when I took a three month work break after 15 years in corporate America. Ultimately, it was one of the best decisions of my life. I came back with a new outlook on my career, my family and a better understanding of what’s important in life. Now when I’m coaching others to make the most of their careers, I highly encourage them to make the dream of a mid-career break a reality.
What reasons are acceptable for employees to take a career break?
From an employer perspective, your reason for wanting to take a work break is important. If you’re asking your current employer to hold your position, they’ll want to see that you’re taking a break for the right reasons such as to spend time with family, additional education or to volunteer for a charitable cause that’s important to you. They won’t want to hear reasons such as taking a break to start a side hustle or to plan for a future business venture.
If you’re leaving your current company to take a career break, a future employer is going to want to hear more productive reasons for taking the break. That might include learning new skills, additional education or obtaining credentials.
