Recharging Their Batteries and the Firm Is Paying

My wife is a teacher and she is very good at it. It is a tough job, but there are a couple of things that I really love about her benefits. High on that list is sabbaticals. After a prescribed number of years, she can take a break up to a year from teaching and still get paid (at reduced rates). Teachers taking a sabbatical must either take educational courses or travel.

Who would have thought it, but paid sabbaticals have come to the accounting profession. Effective July 1, 2006, the Northeast regional firm of Citrin Cooperman & Company, headquartered in New York City, is implementing this innovative new benefit for its staff.

Citrin Cooperman's paid sabbatical plan will be available to audit, tax, Sarbanes-Oxley, and litigation professionals excluding partners and directors. All those who have worked at Citrin Cooperman for six years full-time or full-time equivalent from their start date are eligible for this one-time, four-week paid sabbatical. This is in addition to their regular vacation and other paid time-off.

Like the teachers, there is a condition. While on sabbatical, the Citrin Cooperman staff member will be required to prepare two 1,000-word reports. The first report would contain suggestions on improving the way the firm operates. The second report details what the professional wants to see happen with his or he career over the upcoming five years, and the steps they plan to take to make that happens.

This is a tremendous commitment on Citrin Cooperman's part to an investment in its staff. I am sure the firm will benefit substantially, as the sabbaticals will ultimately result in less burnout in the staff and increased productivity. It should also encourage staff to remain at Citrin Cooperman. What is so refreshing to see is the addition of a new benefit that firms may offer to their seasoned staff--just the ones they are worried about losing.

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