A senior sales account manager with Intel, Lisa Girouard had her first sabbatical in June/July of 2007. Eight weeks’ paid.
For the first half of her time off, Lisa and her 11- and 14-year-olds traveled three weeks in London, Paris, and Italy, where the kids learned a lot about the kinds of food and arts that make you want to drop to your knees. They also got to view life beyond our super-sized model of living. Says Lisa: “They learned a lot about the world and that the U.S. is not the only way of life.” (For those wanting to do an extended study of other ways to live, check out Transitions Abroad.)
During the second half of her sabbatical, Lisa got her real estate’s license and plans to use it to pursue investments. It was hard work, she says, but she was able to really focus after de-stressing in Europe.
Work had taken a toll on Lisa. “You get caught up in work and being a little stressed out and you don’t think of enjoying life as a priority. My goal is to never stress out like that again.”
Intel’s sabbatical program will help Lisa with that goal, because she’ll have another big break in seven years. “There are thousands of employees who stay at the company because of it. It’s really, really valued by the employees. Everybody talks about it.”
The Santa Clara, CA-based technology company was one of the sabbatical movement’s trailblazers and has offered sabbaticals since the 1970s. To learn what other companies offer sabbaticals, check out the Companies on a Quest list at www.yoursabbatical.com.
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