How to

May 2, 2022

How to offer sabbaticals

A growing number of startups are offering sabbaticals to draw in talent. But how do you set up a sabbatical programme? And should you?


Offering sabbaticals can improve the performance and happiness of employees and help companies hang onto their talent longer. But they shouldn’t be offered without carefully considering the consequences on the business. We chatted to Linnea Bywall, head of people at Alva Labs, a Stockholm-based digital hiring platform, about how startups can implement sabbaticals — with less collateral damage.

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Miriam Partington

Miriam Partington is a senior reporter at Sifted, based in Berlin. She covers the DACH region and the future of work, and writes Startup Life , a weekly newsletter on what it takes to build a startup. Follow her on X and LinkedIn

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