Macromedia gives employees a six week sabbatical every four years, time to switch off, unwind, reset, and refresh. I’ve been eligible for my sabbatical for almost two years, but with product launches and being on the road, I have never been able to block out six consecutive weeks. Until now. I’ll be on sabbatical as of this coming Monday. I have no big travel plans (the last thing I want to do is see an airport), and do have a long list of stuff I have wanted to get done and have not had the time to do. Until now. No, I’ll not be offline altogether (I am not sure I could survive that), and will still be doing some work (non Macromedia work that is, including a couple of book projects I am working on), and so I will still be around somewhat. But expect far fewer postings for the next six weeks. And with that, seeya!
Going Dark(ish)
9 responses to “Going Dark(ish)”
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Ben,
Not only is that a policy of the coolest nature, I can’t think of anyone more deserving… you bust your butt for the community constantly.
Having you and Mr. Corfield on sabbatical at the same time will leave things unusually quiet in some respects, but getting your batteries recharged can only be a good thing.
So have a fantastic time!
Jared -
No airports, cool! Go, Ben! 😀
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I agree with Jared!
And with 7 children it would be great for them to have their dad around for six whole weeks!
Enjoy the break! -
Ben and I only overlap for two weeks, in terms of our sabbaticals, but things are going to be fairly quiet from me for a while even before my sabbatical I expect…
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Have fun! You deserve it!
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enjoy my friend!
you deserve it.
later.
tony -
I have read several articles in biz magazines over the past year or so talking about sabbaticals. Other than MM, I have not heard of any well-known companies who do this regularly.
I know everyone at MM has plenty to keep themselves busy, but it would be very cool if one of the top-brass over there wrote down some thoughts/observations about why MM has chosen to implement this policy and what positive effects it has had. (I’m assuming it DOES have positive effects or you wouldn’t keep doing it.) I’m sure we can all see the personal benefit of "time to switch off, unwind, reset, and refresh" but it would be nice to get the perspective of those watching the bottom line.
Another suggestion. It would be very interesting to hear how Ben and Sean approach the day-to-day and week-to-week balancing of their time during the sabbatical. My wife is an academic, so I know lots of folks who take sabbaticals. Having a fulfilling time off that balances personally-enriching, non-regular-job-related work with relaxation seems to be the trickiest part. I’d love to hear Ben and Sean’s take on it. -
Michael (and others), I’ve responded to your excellent questions with a new post on my own blog…
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Well deserved!! Enjoy your break!!
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