Career Break

Career break also known as an “adult gap year,” is an agreed upon between off employment dur to personal, social or professional reasons. A career break is usually between one month to two years, but in most cases, employees opt for a shorter time before they come back to their jobs. Employees have different reasons they embark on a career break. Also, organizations have different policies that guide the idea of a career break for their employees. 

Some of the reasons employees can go for a career break include:

• Career Change: Employees can decide to take a career break when they are about to transit their careers. This can enable them gain the necessary skills they need for a career change. 

• Mental Health: Some employees can decide to take a break from work due to the state of their mentaal health. Also, with the increased awareness of mental health, people can take a break just to catch their breath. 

• Family Related Issues: Another reason for taking a career break could also be the need to take care of one’s family. A family member with special needs can cause an employee to take a break in his career. 

• Training, Upskilling and Certifications: Having time to either further an education, or upskill in one’s career could be another reason for a career break. That way, the employee is taking a step back in order to be more qualified to do the job. 

The pros of a career break include:

• Fresh motivation: After a career break, an employee is usually freshly motivated to take on another job and begin again. This serves as a boost to be able to do the job required without much hassle. 

• Newly Acquired Skills: When an employee takes a career break to upskill, it becomes a huge advantage to the organization as he is able to put his skills to use in the new position and get an excellent job done. 

On the flip side, there are possibilities that one who takes a career break may find it difficult to adjust to the workplace or lose touch in the field, especially with industry trends and innovations. However, taking time to retrain oneself can help the employee shake off the challenge and move ahead with his career.