Christi Dixon of Standing Partnership
Christi Dixon would be lying if she didn’t admit her company’s sabbatical program has kept her on the job. A vice president at Standing Partnership in St. Louis, Dixon has been recruited by headhunters and business acquaintances, but never gave the offers real consideration.
Standing Partnership’s 24 staff members are eligible for a two month paid sabbatical after seven years of employment. Because a three- to five-year turnover is pretty standard in the communications industry, Dixon said the program gives the firm several extra years to build relationships with its team members.
“It’s a way that Standing says, ‘Hey, I really want to invest in you and give you some refresh and recharge time,” Dixon said. “In a business that relies on creative energy and good ideas, that’s really helpful.”
Dixon is splitting her sabbatical in two, with plans to take one month in November 2009 and the second in June 2010. The first month is just for her; the second for family.
While Dixon is still finalizing her plans, she is looking into urban volunteering and perhaps even a poverty immersion. She plans to visit many of the area’s museums and take advantage of other experiences that are hard to access with kids in tow.
“It’s an opportunity for me to do some things I’ve never had the chance to do,” she said.
In June, Dixon’s kids will be out of school, and she’s planning a month of family time, enrichment activities, and at least one week-long vacation to travel and visit family.
When Dixon talks to other people about her upcoming sabbatical, she says they often want to know where she’ll be teaching or what kind of report she’ll be writing.
“They think of it as an academic sabbatical, and I explain it’s a benefit sabbatical,” she said. “People are really amazed this is truly a benefit sabbatical for you to use how you wish.”
