Australian Workers Open to Career Breaks Following Pandemic

Research from Robert Half finds that employees seeking a break often want to focus on mental health, spend quality time with family, commit to passion projects, or reevaluate career plans.

By Maggie Mancini

More than half (55%) of Australian employees say they are now more willing to take a career break than they were five years ago, according to research from Robert Half. Still, workers are not confident about the support that their employer can offer them to take a career break, with about one-third (30%) reporting guidelines have not been established by their employer. 

While 55% of workers are more willing to take a career break, the research shows another 26% of workers are less willing to take one now than they were before the pandemic because of the effect it may have on their careers and earning potential. The remaining 19% of workers have had no change in willingness for a career break. 

When asked why they wanted a career break, those workers who are more willing now than five years ago want the time to: 

• focus on mental health (59%); 
• spend quality time with family (50%); 
• undertake personal development, such as travel or passion projects (46%); and 
• reevaluate career plans (30%).  

When those workers who are less willing to take a career break were asked for their reasons, they commonly revealed concerns about what a break would mean for their current and future prospects: 

• hold concerns about finances (63%); 
• hold concerns about job security (50%); 
• hold concerns about career advancement (30%); and 
• want to keep skills current (29%).  

The research reveals only 39% of workers are aware their employer has a policy or guidelines in place to accommodate workers who request a career break. Almost as many (30%) workers report guidelines have not been established by their employer, while 31% are unsure if they exist. 

Workers do agree there are ways that employers can better support them when they want to apply for a career break.  

Nearly half (44%) of workers think employers should offer flexibility when employees return to work, such as the date of return, the hours worked on recommencement, and the ability to phase back into full-time work. Further, 39% of workers want the conversation around career breaks to be normalised and career break planning to be encouraged. Approximately 38% of workers want employers to establish a formal policy that explains the specifics of a career break available to staff. Additionally, 37% of workers want employers to emphasise the mental health resources available to employees and destigmatise the fact that career breaks can be a method to prevent burnout.