Exotic Idea
What is the best solution when you experience fatigue at work? A year-long leave spent travelling to the farthest corners of the world. Increasingly more Polish employees decide to depart on such trips. “Employers from Western Europe long ago discovered that this is a splendid way of motivating their workers. They have even established the specific conditions under which such sabbaticals are granted,” says labour market expert Wojciech Nagel. Two years ago, a career was most important to Maciej Hebda. A strategic consultant in an international corporation, he had not had a single day off in more than a year. “I worked in the office as much as fifty hours a week,” says Hebda. After completing one of his projects he was offered a promotion and increased responsibilities. Instead of feeling overwhelming joy, Hebda panicked because he thought that his career would consume him. He did not accept the promotion and decided to travel to Africa and Asia for 9 months with his girlfriend.
“This was the best option. Not only have I kept my chance for promotion, but I managed to spread my wings,” he says. Maciej currently works as an analyst for Espirito Santo Investment Poland and he claims that his trip was a crucial asset during the job interview. His new employer was interested in Hebda’s experience. Like Hebda, many young Polish business people decide to take a break from their career and travel to some exotic location for several months. Interestingly, they are aided by their employers. “It is still a fresh idea in Poland and only a few companies decide to organise such leaves in a formalised manner. These are usually international enterprises with experience taken from the West,” explains Wojciech Nagel. Such sabbaticals are available for Polish workers at Ernst&Young, IBM and PricewaterhouseCoopers. McDonald’s also offers sabbaticals to its employees who have been working for them for 10 years. Some employers see this as a good investment in their workers. They send their staff on special holidays because a well-motivated and rejuvenated employee works more efficiently.
Dziennik
