23 and on sabbatical

I've been a software engineer at Dayshape for nearly six years now and last year, at 23 years old, I had the pleasure of taking a sabbatical.

This is a fairly new policy that's been introduced at Dayshape, and I was one of the first at the company to be able to make use of it. The policy allows permanent employees to take four weeks of paid time off every 5th calendar year at the company.

I'm not normally one to take large blocks of time off unless I have something planned. However, sabbaticals at Dayshape need to be taken in one continuous block, which I found to be a nice nudge from the company to take some extended time off and truly reset. I took mine in late September, through to late October.

I didn't do anything particularly crazy with my time off. Some people probably would've gone backpacking or learned a new skill. For me though, I spent quality time with my fiancée by exploring new places and going on lots of walks. Doing this during the week when I'd normally be working was great as it meant we avoided queues and overcrowding at the cafes, shops, and pubs we visited.

One of my favourite trips was to Glencoe Lochan, which had some incredible views.

We also travelled further afield and visited Zante in Greece where we spent the majority of our time chilling out. When not lounging by the pool, we took in the sights and enjoyed traditional Greek food at a particular local taverna where we became friendly with the owners.

There was a bit of a running joke within my team at Dayshape about how much time off I had in 2022 as it's possible to get a very generous amount when you combine the various holiday policies at Dayshape.

In total, I had 64 days of holiday in my 5th year at Dayshape:

• 33 days holiday base (33)

• +1 for each year served (38)

• +4 weeks (20 working days) sabbatical (58)

• +2 extra bank holidays (60)

• +4 unused holidays transferred from the previous year (64)

I am very grateful to Dayshape for implementing this policy which highlights our well-being value. It's just one of the many things that make Dayshape such a great place to work and my tenure is a testament to that. I've watched the company grow and improve by leaps and bounds in my six years and I look forward to seeing what the next six years hold!