Is it time we start having a conversation about career breaks?

The Human Side of Change™

Issue 04 - October 2026

There’s nothing like rethinking how things have always been done. Especially when it comes to people, or more specifically, the person beneath the role and the title.
The topic of discussion recently has been career breaks and whether organisations could be deliberately creating the conditions for people to stop.
Not because they were sick or have reached a breaking point, but because rest, recalibration and reconnection with yourself is genuinely valuable - for the person, for the team and for the organisation.
I am talking about structured career leave. Like a golden gap year, or sabbatical, or whatever you want to call it. The concept is the same. A deliberate, supported period of time away from the role.

The conversation worth having

We talk about burnout and mental health in the workplace. We talk about flexible working and psychological safety. Yet the one thing that could genuinely address the root cause for many people is time.

Not a week of annual leave or a long weekend. Real time. Enough time to actually unwind and disconnect to be able to remember who they are when not defined by what they do.

Something I am hearing consistently from people out of high-demand roles is that the unwinding process takes longer than most people expect. The first weeks are often filled with restlessness, guilt and the nagging sense that they should be doing something productive. It can take months before the noise quietens enough for something clearer to emerge. This means, a meaningful break needs to be long enough to actually get there.

Benefits for the individual

The most important benefit is probably not the most obvious one. The opportunity to get to know who you are beneath your role.

For many people, particularly those who have spent a decade or more building a career, identity and work have become deeply intertwined. The title, responsibilities, the daily rhythm of being needed - these fill the space where the broader sense of self might otherwise live. A period of intentional leave creates conditions to ask questions that are normally buried in a busy life. What do I actually enjoy? What matters most to me now - not ten years ago when I made these choices? Who am I when I am not performing a role?

These are big questions. They don’t get answered on a period of annual leave.

Beyond identity, the practical benefits are well established. Rest restores cognitive function. People return from meaningful breaks with clearer thinking, renewed energy, and most importantly, a different relationship with their work.

Benefits for the organisation

Not only is career leave a benefit for the individual but organisations also gain significantly.

When a person steps away, others have an opportunity to step up. Skills get tested, developed and discovered. People who have been waiting for an opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities finally get one. The succession planning conversation which many organisations struggle to have, starts to happen naturally rather than theoretically.

Where there is no one to internally fill the gap, an opportunity is created for those in the market - people looking for work or seeking different experiences - to expand their skills and build on existing experience. There is also a retention argument. People who feel that their organisation genuinely supports their wellbeing and long term sustainability are more likely to stay. A culture that says - we understand that you are a human being and not just a resource - is a culture people want to return to.

What already exists

In Australia, long service leave already provides a partial framework. After seven or ten years of continuous service, employees are entitled to an extended period of leave. It is not universally taken and it is not always actively encouraged. But it exists.

The question is whether we could build on that? Whether organisations of a certain size, or employees with a certain tenure, might have access to a more deliberate form of career leave - structured, supported and genuinely encouraged. Say perhaps six or twelve months leave.

Something to think about. Knowing every organisation is different and every person’s circumstances are different, I am curious if this is a conversation that is happening or needs to happen.

The question I want to leave you with:

If you were offered a genuine period of career leave - would you take it?

For those in leadership or HR - is this a conversation your organisation is having? Should it be?

I would genuinely love to hear your thoughts.

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