Whether the support function is IT support, IT Security, HR they should not be allowed to simply say "No.".
If business wants to do a thing, then they should be saying "Well, this is how we can achieve that, the benefits and costs are these..."
I know they sound awesome. But why do some companies introduce them? What are you suggesting introducing them for? To combat burnout. I.e. hopefully shortly before someone really burns out or most probably after they burned out already and need recovery they can go on a sabbatical.
How about not doing 80 hour weeks in the first place? How about not using arbitrary deadlines and throwing a fit over minor delays or changes to the plan? How about not doing all the crazy preventable things and pawing it off on other people.
I know, might be too much to ask so to speak but I really wish that more people would just not take this abuse instead of asking for a sabbatical to recover from the abuse.
Anyway, my $0.02.
Offering sabbaticals and maintaining good work life balance are not mutually exclusive. We should be able to have both.
I quit my job in February in part because my employer would not offer me a sabbatical. Had they offered me a sabbatical, I would likely be returning to work around now. The business would benefit from my seniority and established relationships within the company. Instead I'm out here finding new ways of making money and supporting myself - which is good for me perhaps, but not good for the business that I left.
Not surprised. I assume that during the sabbatical, without the burden of the constant rat race, employees had time to reflect on what was bothering them about their job and practice interviewing without the daily work stress, allowing them to secure better jobs later.
I know a lot of people who hate their current job but the daily grind is so stressful, they don't have the energy to practice and interview at other places during the work week so they're more or less stuck in a place they hate.
As an example: my SO was dealing with a lot of stress due to health reasons and tried to use FMLA. Her company let her do the paperwork, but ultimately let her take off 3 weeks of paid leave that didn’t count against her PTO. That gave her some room to breathe, but she started crashing again a few months later and tried to hand in her resignation. Welp. Her company is now giving her 6 months of paid leave with no hard obligation to return to work, just a request to be courteous and let them know if she’s not coming back so they can stop paying her.
If the first time that your manager is hearing about your situation is also your request to start taking FMLA immediately or else resign, your manager isn't going to be able to do much for you (and probably won't want to either, given the tough situation you will be putting them in on short notice.)
IMO our industry should really start considering sabbaticals as the next standardized perk. I think they would do a lot to prevent burnout and retain top performers.