Last summer, Debi Lake spent eight weeks visiting family in California and tutoring her elementary-school daughter. During that time, though business continued at her desk, she took no phone calls, answered no e-mail, and attended no meetings. Lake, an operations administrator who’s worked for Arrow Electronics, Inc. for 16 years, was officially off the clock on sabbatical, yet paid for every working day.

Arrow’s paid sabbatical program is “a very nice bonus,” says Lake.

In 2000, Mike Hobson, a department trainer and 18-year employee of Arrow, spent 12 weeks traveling through the Pacific Northwest visiting family and taking in the sights. He too, was off on sabbatical. Now he’s looking forward to his next long break in 2007.

Arrow Electronics is a global provider of products, service and solutions to the electronic components and computer products industry. Its Reno distribution center serves North America.

Growing trend

The company’s sabbatical program is part of a growing phenomenon in the corporate world but still is a rarity, according to a 2005 study in the Journal of Education for Business. Sabbaticals are cited as an antidote to employee burnout, an incentive to attract top industry performers and an investment in workforce development.

The sabbatical approach plays into an important aspect of today’s workforce, adds Kit Prendergast, career coach and owner of Career Connections of Sierra Nevada. Time is the new coin of the realm. She sees a push toward employees seeking to develop within a company while also having time for their personal lives.

Sabbaticals are a win for Arrow, too, says Mike Richardson, general manager of Arrow’s Reno distribution center. Richardson, a recipient of two sabbaticals during his time at Arrow, is a big believer in the program, which he characterizes as something not even in the realm of a vacation. His personal evaluation: The company gets its money’s worth with payoff in recruitment, workforce development and motivated employees. “While on sabbatical, there’s no voice mail, no e-mail, no contact — zero contact,” says Richardson. “You are truly away.

“I also feel it’s a retention tool,” Richardson adds, talking about the value of coming back to work refreshed and recharged. “Once you’ve had a sabbatical, you’re likely to stay the distance.”

Both exempt and non-exempt Arrow employees are eligible for the program, adds Barbara Alt, Arrow operations manager. She sees it as a huge benefit. Though it only comes along every seven years, she explains, “people talk about it all the time. It’s a motivational tool that’s on the job 24/7.”

Alt uses it to recruit workers. Arrow, which employs 565 workers with 60 to 65 percent of those in production, competes in Reno’s tight market.

Clearly, sabbaticals are a great recruitment tool. But there’s more.

“There’s a business case for offering a work environment that encourages a balanced life,” says Marti Benjamin, business coach and owner of Business Energetix. “You get the best of what [your workforce] has to offer.”