Paid sabbaticals
Sabbaticals.
Long-term team members and long-term clients are a great benefit of our approach.
But fresh perspective is really valuable too. That’s why have a paid sabbatical for all permanently employed team members every five years.
In the calendar year when you reach five years of continuous employment with the company, you must take a mandatory five week sabbatical.
You’ll then be eligible for a five week sabbatical every five years after that.
That means you take five fully paid weeks off work to help recharge your batteries, get a fresh perspective and maybe do something that’s not achievable in a normal holiday.
The sabbatical is mandatory to ensure team members take time out to refresh themselves.
It also provides a good opportunity for other team members to try new things at work and take on new responsibilities too.
It’s definitely not our place to decide what you do with it – you know best. However, we'd encourage you to get as far from your everyday routines as you can, even if it's just to appreciate them with fresh eyes on your return.
The process of packaging up your work role and having a different life for a while is healthy for you and for the company.
To make this possible, we provide an extra three weeks paid holiday (15 days) on top of your standard annual holiday allowance of 24 days during the calendar year in which you reach 5/10/15 years with Deeson.
The five weeks must be taken together in one block and you must not have contact with the company during this period (no lurking on Slack!). You can use your remaining holiday allowance at any point during that year as usual.
How it works.
You are responsible for planning your handover and cover, with the company's support as required. This handover should cover your project and non-project commitments.
For advance planning of sabbaticals you should get in principle, approval from your project team colleagues, Chapter Lead and the MD, before you make any commitments/arrangements (e.g. travel bookings).
You need to get detailed plans for this agreed within your project team/s, and approved by your line manager and Chapter Lead at least two months ahead of the start of your sabbatical. The plans then must be signed off by the MD before the sabbatical is formally approved.
Plan in advance to make sure you allow enough time to ensure your role is properly covered in your absence.
The sabbatical needs to be taken during the calendar year in which your work anniversary takes place. This period can be extended at the MD’s discretion.
The small print.
You are eligible for your first sabbatical at five years continuous employment with the company.
You are eligible for subsequent sabbaticals every five years thereafter.
If you take the sabbatical and then leave the company during your anniversary year, you’ll need to pay back the additional leave that you’ve taken above and beyond your standard leave entitlement when you leave.
The scheme is for permanently employed Deeson team members only. It is not a contractual obligation and the taking of the sabbatical and its timing is ultimately at the company’s discretion.
To be eligible for the sabbatical, you mustn’t have had any disciplinary written or formal warnings in the six months before your sabbatical starts.
You mustn’t be subject to a short-term sickness absence final review or the long-term sickness absence procedure, in the six months before your sabbatical starts.
Maternity, paternity or parental leave does not affect your eligibility for this scheme.
While you’re on sabbatical, you remain an employee of the company and all normal contractual conditions still apply.
This information is for team members employed by Deeson Group Ltd and Deeson Publishing Ltd.
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