Intel has offered sabbatical leave for over 40 years: What HR should know about the benefit

Sabbatical leave—isn’t that just a fancy way of saying PTO? Au contraire, mon frère.

A sabbatical leave benefit offers employees more than just some time away from the office. It can be a strategic investment in their well-being, providing them with the chance to rest, recharge, and recommit to their jobs following extended time off to travel, study, or whatever else they’d like to do.

And there are benefits for employers, too. Sabbaticals can have a positive impact on recruitment and retention because they can help reduce burnout and improve mental health, according to research from the Adecco Group. Employers that prioritize the overall emotional well-being of their workforce are more likely to see an improvement in recruiting and retention.

“Some employers argue that offering paid time-off won’t help keep employees around,” Crissie Hoskins, creative director at Stoltz Marketing Group, wrote of her eight-week sabbatical in Business Insider last year. “But my sabbatical made me more passionate about my work—and my workplace—than ever.”

Still, as of 2019, 11% of employers surveyed by SHRM offered the benefit unpaid, while just 5% offered it paid.

One employer offering paid sabbatical leave is Intel. The tech giant’s turnover rate has been just 5.6% since 2021, compared to the 13.2% turnover rate for the industry as a whole. Amber Wiseley, Intel’s VP and head of global benefits, told HR Brew that she believes the sabbatical benefit has played a part.

“This is one of many things that we think of when we think about offering a benefits package that is going to attract and retain the best employees,” she said. “We do our best to make sure this program is highlighted and promoted, but really that employees understand [it’s] one of many features of our well-being [program].”

Intel established its sabbatical leave policy in 1981, Wiseley said, “to really allow people to take a break, refresh, and come back more energized.” She added, “We believe that when employees are thriving in our personal and professional lives, they’re going to be more likely to be more creative, more innovative, and help us solve what we think are some of the hardest and most difficult problems facing society today.”

When employees reach their fourth year at Intel, they can take four consecutive weeks of paid sabbatical leave, and when they reach their seventh year, they can take eight weeks, which can be divided into two, four-week leaves.

Ready to try it out? There are several factors HR can consider when implementing a sabbatical benefit, according to Paycor. They include compliance with local, state, and federal laws, as well as qualifications, like length of tenure. HR should also determine what, if any, compensation (including salary and benefits) employees will receive while on leave, and how employee’s responsibilities will be covered while they are gone.