The ultimate power of taking a break

The war for talent is a highly used phrase, but for all employers it is reality. Real estate companies, as well as being employers themselves, also need to consider how the spaces they create will help their customers attract the best talent. Buildings play a vital role in supporting wellbeing, encouraging greater productivity and helping businesses recruit and retain the people that they need, in an environment where those people are happy to move jobs much more frequently than in the past. Work-life balance, mental health and general wellbeing are rightly climbing the corporate agenda. Employers today are acutely aware of the key role they play in supporting their people. But beyond a nicer working environment, when it comes to getting the best talent and retaining them, I wonder if there is something to be said for letting employees take extended leave? KPMG, like many businesses, provides a number of routes for its people to do this. Partners with more than seven years’ service can take a six-week part paid sabbatical, which gives them the chance to properly switch off in a way that many of us do not when on annual holiday. This, we believe, can help increase longevity and motivation in what can be a 20-year career as a partner. Speaking personally, I’ve just returned from my own sabbatical over December and January, and can wholeheartedly vouch for the benefits of taking a proper break. Not every employer is going to be able to offer such an incentive, nor would everyone take it up. But here are some reflections that might make you consider it. 1. Turn on the out of office  For years I’ve told myself that I’ll relax better on holiday if I check my emails once or twice a day and make sure that everything is under control. In reality, that means that I never get enough mental distance from work and don’t come back feeling as refreshed as I might. On sabbatical, I didn’t check my work emails at all – colleagues monitored my inbox and I felt comfortable enough knowing that I could be reached if absolutely essential.    I intend to follow this approach on future holidays wherever possible. As well as letting me have better quality time off, it empowers others to have confidence in making decisions without me and encourages them to switch off when they’re away themselves. 2. Longer or more frequent time off  Like most, I’ve normally only taken one or two weeks off at a time, but we all know that it can often take that long to truly decompress. While it’s unlikely I’ll take a sabbatical again, I plan to take at least a three-week break every two or three years, and to make sure that I have colleagues able to cover my work whilst I’m away. I think this will provide most of the same benefit of an extended break like a sabbatical.  3. Turn off work-related social media  We all know that the likes of Twitter can be a useful work tool. Before my sabbatical, I’d increasingly used it as a broader source of information on other areas, such as politics. I stopped looking at social media when away, and found it very refreshing not having a constant stream of posts in relation to Brexit, politics and the election, instead reading about them when I chose to.  Since returning to work, I’ve muted or unfollowed people who aren’t posting about real estate and related topics, and regained more focus where social media is concerned. 4. Controlling the controllable  There’s always a lot going on at work, and within business generally. There is much I can control or significantly influence, but plenty of things that I can’t.  Dwelling on things that you can’t control consumes more mental energy that you might think. So far at least, I am not spending too much time or mental energy on the things that I can’t do anything about, and that’s also making me feel relaxed and focused on the things that I can control. Should you consider taking a sabbatical? I personally think everyone can benefit from taking time out. It’s only when you get off the hamster wheel that you realise how fast you were having to run. Apart from feeling generally refreshed and reinvigorated, I also have a different perspective on my career. I know what I truly enjoy about it and the approach I want to apply going forwards. Even if a sabbatical isn’t on the table, there is much to be said for feeling you’re in control of your work – rather than your work being in control of you. Andy Pyle is UK head of real estate at KPMG