Read it and reap. Or weep. But read it, and realize (if nothing else) that there are a few BreakAway Brethren out there. There are even gracious employers out there using the downturn as an excuse not to downsize, but offer Sabbaticals!   Sign me up!

We shall change the world! One blogpost, one BreakAway, one bobbing head at a time!

Check it out! This guru and travel agent for the BreakAway-bound is offering discounts to those who lost their jobs! He’s talking with HR departments to help tend to the soon-jobless.

He’s preaching the virtues of “newfound freedom” when unemployment strikes. He’s swimming against current panic and making money doing it.

Gotta love this guy—AND the amazing trips he offers!

Have a game plan. For any game worth playing. This “Shifting Careers” column offers a spot-on Sabbatical story well worth studying.

Barbara Raab brings a perspective that this Breakaway boy may lack: What it’s like to tell The Boss (and your workplace team) you want time off and make sure their needs are met—all without getting canned or kicked in the can. Ms. Raab has it “easy” in a way we self-employeds envy, though: She’ll return to a job and benefits.

That sounds pretty good about now. Last time 2 Heads shut shop to run away, we left when business was booming (the dot-com melt-up). But we came back to see billings cut in half for two years (the dot-com blow-up). If that happens again, Boy Genius here may lose money AND faith.

Let’s have a make-believe, virtual conversation with Ms. Raab…

“A short walk that nonetheless feels far away.”

That proves that, even if you stay in the ‘hood, everything changes. My personal preference, as written up in the Sabbatical Suggestions, is to seek new sights—as in, leave the country, if possible. That guarantees new perspectives. But her approach is appropriate for her Mission.

“Updating my own skills.”

Amen to that. It’s nearly impossible to keep up with trades and technology any more. She’ll make quantum leaps and return a more savvy employee. In my world, this Hiatus includes confronting my technophobic ways with 2 new cameras, many new puter programs, an i-Touch, and this here website.

“Figure out if you can afford it.”

She can—mostly because she proudly stays out of debt and chooses a simple-enough lifestyle. Agreed, as illustrated in the “11 Commandments of Fiscal Fitness.”  That said, I also believe there are many times throughout life when it’s best to break out this five-word mantra: “It’s not a financial decision.”

“Offer solutions.”

Brilliant. Vital in the workplace. But if you’re flying off, you may also need to anticipate issues and provide solutions for residence, schools, yard, pets, relatives, organizations, and of course, your bowling team.

“And, oh yeah, somehow get my own radio show.”

Really? Get out!?! I thought I was the only cat around here with that dream! Tell ya what, Barbara, whoever gets there first has the other on as a guest asap. Okay? Cool!

BlogStar Seth Godin today writes about the need to attract—and retain—top talent. As he puts it,

“It only takes 10% as much effort to hire someone in the bottom 90% of the class. And it takes the other 90% to find and cajole and retain the top 10%.”

Don’t mean to repeat myself—or to beat a dead Horsted—but once you get those four-star performers, and they stay and keep giving moremoremore, give them a BreakAway now and then. If there is a better way (beyond mere pay) to keep key people, please tell me all about it.

My 2-person corporation would love to know. After all, we constantly seek ways to prevent an exodus of crucial, if crotchety, stakeholders.

Survey sez:

• 93% Percentage of leaders who think retaining key employees is even more important during an economic downturn than it is in a robust economy.
• 68% Percentage of companies that maintain a list of key employees they need to retain.
• Source: PDI

Attention: It’s the retention!

In survey after survey, employees say that it’s the little things—like Sabbaticals, family leave programs, and flextime—that matter most when it comes to job satisfaction.

Sadly, most can’t get no satisfaction. Because too many corporations and Daddy Warbucks types get all greedy when it comes time to make people happy. Too bad. Because people who LIKE their jobs often don’t mind working 55-hour weeks. That’s especially true if they know that after, say, 7 years, they get few months Big Break.

In a downturn, it may seem silly to worry about retention. Won’t most people just stay put rather than risk being jobless? Well, no. Good employees think long-term. And good employers are always on the hunt.

So what’s a great way to make people want to stay? Reward them for staying. That means pay, bonuses, perks, and bennies, of course. But moreso, it also means time off.

Stay here 7 years and meet a few other conditions, and we’ll let you take some time to chase a dream, learn something new (perhaps even job-related) and come back refreshed and ready to get back to work.

Here’s a little article that nicely sums up why just everyone, not just Us, should be thinking about taking a BreakAway: They recharge batteries. As this story points out, that’s a great way to keep employees pleased and productive. But better yet, it’s a great way to keep employees from abandoning ship.

The good news mentioned here is that most companies are gradually growing up and offering folks more ways to get more done—flextime, offsite work, shared jobs, and all that. The bad news is that Sabbatical programs are still way behind that progressive curve. In my experience, many companies WANT to do it—and even kick it around—but then wimp out when it comes time to actually try business-as-unusual.

With the economy fears and money meltdown (Dow below 10,000 today, UGH), perhaps now is not the seize-the-moment alignment for Big Breaks to take off. But let us remember: Nothing lasts forever. If you (or your company) want to make Sabbaticals happen, the Dow will be somewhere else by the time you go somewhere else.

Take your time. And don’t be shy to talk to your boss (or spouse or shrink) about this wild idea you’ve been pondering…