In Tough Times, Sabbaticals are the Answer | Big Think

In Tough Times, Sabbaticals are the Answer

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While downsizing is business-as-usual for many companies, the Logica North America CEO Amanda Mesler also encourages work hiatuses that retain talented employees for when prosperity returns.

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Amanda Mesler:

Amanda Mesler has over 25 years of extensive international leadership and general management experience at CEO and board level and held leadership positions as CEO, COO, Chief Client Officer, and Corporate Strategy Officer. Currently, she is a Non-Executive Director for Pace, a FTSE 250 company and Ensygnia, a technology start-up. Mesler is also a coach and Chapter Leader for Lean In and the Chair of Women Can Ltd., a social enterprise devoted to helping women succeed.

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TRANSCRIPT:

Topic: Downsizing and sabbaticals.

Amanda Mesler: We did go through some downsizing in specific areas and internationally. We’ve done no downsizing in North America, but I thought it was done quite well.

First, we have a new CEO that joined us in June ‘08. As part of our strategy of being more competitive, we were looking at ways to be more efficient. So, it wasn’t a true downsizing because of the economy, it’s how you can make your company more efficient.

So, the company has done many things, first they try to find folks other jobs where there are, is potential and mostly again it’s dealing with customers around projects. But they’ve also done some really unique things in offering very key folks that may not have work right now - sabbaticals. So I have a very good friend of mine who’s been with the company for a long time and she just took a three-month sabbatical. So we do a lot of unique things like that because we do see that the market’s going to return.

Topic: Advice for employees who have been downsized.

Amanda Mesler: Always re-tool yourself, always learn! If an employee, regardless of what title, what level, what company, if they’re constantly improving themselves, constantly looking at ways to get training and education.

And this doesn’t have to cost you anything. You go on ####### internet learn just about anything these days. But if you constantly are trying to better yourself and improve your knowledge and experience through education, you’re going to be able to have all types of opportunities at your fingertips. Even now, even in this down economy there are people that are looking for right folks to employ, I certainly am.