“A sabbatical year is a prolonged hiatus, typically one year, in the career of an otherwise successful individual taken in order to fulfill some dream, e.g. writing a book or travelling extensively. Some universities and other institutional employers of scientists, physicians, and/or academics offer a paid sabbatical as an employee benefit (Wikepedia, 2005).”
“It is estimated that 14-24% of corporations in America have established sabbatical programs…Leadership in the establishment of such programs has come from companies that by virtue of their product are particularly sensitive to the costs of employee burn-out. In high tech companies, law firms, consulting agencies and other high-stress industries, sabbaticals have been recognized as a useful management tool in countering burn-out. Teaching is a notoriously high burn-out profession…Many corporations consider the benefits of sabbaticals so self-evident that they forego the expense of documenting them (University of Illinois Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, 1996).”