“Don’t be a quitter” is a phrase that has so many meanings. The obvious one is the literal meaning of it, as a means of encouraging people to push through adversity.

My favorite is using it “tongue in cheek” when someone asks something like, “Are you going to finish all those french fries?” – I’m no quitter!

I have always felt strongly that I was “not a quitter.” I push through when things are challenging, problem-solving and finding solutions. Perhaps the finish line doesn’t look like I thought it would when all is said and done, but I persevere. It is something I enjoy, and I feel like I have a talent for getting creative to achieve a goal. However, I have been reading books, blogs, online groups and social media content creators who have taken a similar leap to take a sabbatical (career break, mini-retirement, whatever you want to call it), and what I am realizing is that, like all of them, I actually am a quitter. The difference from the traditional sense of the term “quitter” is that rather than running AWAY from something because it is scary or hard, we are running TOWARD something that will open opportunities and feels more authentic.

It’s strange to come to grips with, but I feel a sense of pride in embracing it. I feel like I should be standing up to tell my story in a support group – Hi, my name is Jeremy, and I am a quitter.

Here are a few reasons why I think the stigma around taking a purposeful career break should be seen as a power move, rather than a sign of weakness.

• Mental, physical and emotional health benefits:
• Reclaiming the loss of confidence and self-worth I experienced when I was in a role that was not a good fit, for me or the organization. I don’t want to find myself in a place where my value is not recognized.
• Reinvesting in and prioritizing relationships that uplift you: For me, this meant being the best husband and friend that I can be.
• Redefining your career. It means breaking the confines of traditional career options to explore what you are truly passionate about. It’s taking the time to invest in yourself and tackle new challenges that always fell into the “it would be nice if I ever had time” category.

Since the pandemic, there has been a lot written about “quiet quitting,” or the intentional act of an employee doing as little as possible to stay under the radar with their boss and essentially not get fired. I have never liked this term for a couple reasons. First, it was the hot button of the moment, which gave the legitimate feeling of burnout and overwhelming nature of the time in history a negative and passive-aggressive label. While the term was blown out of proportion, the phenomenon is real and I would say it has continued to be pervasive in most corporate cultures.

This brings me to my second reason for avoiding the “quiet quitting” label – It’s not new. It’s something that has always been going on. When people are one foot out the door, have severe burnout or an overall lack of engagement, they always start to put in less effort. They do what needs to be done to get their paycheck until they can find a new job. Rather than pointing the finger at the employees, it is the job of leaders to have the emotional intelligence to detect these issues in their teams and work with them to find the individual path forward that will help that person begin to thrive again.

Looking at this from an organizational development perspective, I am also reading a lot about the trend in the corporate world (not just the academic world anymore) to create sabbatical programs as a benefit to employees. I have long been an advocate for companies to get out of the traditional mindset for what “benefits” are or can be. ust having medical, dental, and two weeks of vacation isn’t enough anymore. The way to attract and retain top talent beyond just backing up a truckload of money is by offering them the freedom to choose rewards options that they intrinsically value. Paid tuition (for self and/or dependents), housing or car allowances, extended vacation and, yes, sabbaticals (paid or unpaid). The workforce, particularly the new generation of people entering the workforce for the first time post-graduation, wants flexible schedules, flexible working situations (i.e., working remotely), and an overall ability to have greater work-life balance. The carrot of promotion and more money does not have the same value to them that it has had in the past.

Here are a few great resources I have come across doing the work with companies to help them introduce these types of programs, as well as helping individuals plan for and achieve the goal of taking a sabbatical.

• The Sabbatical Project (They also have pretty active communities on LinkedIn and Facebook where you can ask others about their experiences, get tips, etc.)
• Tripping Millennial – Not just for Millennials! The author is a financial planner who shares her sabbatical experiences, how to plan for them and lots of other great first-hand suggestions.
• The Case for Taking a Mid-Career Career Break – Personal Experience Blog on LinkedIn by Marie Herlihy, Global Head of Executive Search at Ericsson (March, 2024)

Viante Talent Solutions has no affiliation with these organizations, their views are their own.

If you’re feeling like you are not living life to the fullest or at the very least prioritizing yourself enough to have time to pursue personal growth or interests because of work obligations, we can help. Our proprietary coaching methodology, FORWARD^TM, guides you through framing what you want your journey to be, observing your current reality and what might not be working for you, and then reimagining the possibilities. Perhaps taking a career break is not what you want to do, but we can nonetheless guide you in thinking about what the next steps of your journey look like.

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