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Discover the Benefits of a 4-Week Sabbatical with Arm Employees

Introduction

At Arm, we recognize the importance of balancing work with personal growth and rest. That’s why, after four years with us, employees earn a special perk: a four-week paid sabbatical! This time away is an opportunity to reset, pursue passions, recharge with family and friends, or simply take a break from the routine.

Whether it’s traveling, starting a new project, or finding time for hobbies, we believe sabbaticals make it possible for our people to return with fresh perspectives, energized, and ready to ‘Be Your Brilliant Self.’

Read on to see how some of our team members used their time off and returned even more inspired.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your role at Arm?

Jenny: I am a Data Governance Manager at Arm Cambridge. My role in Arm is to support the key people across the business in governing the way we use data. My special skills include translating from engineering to non-engineering communication and breaking the awkward silence at the start of meetings with an embarrassing story. 

Ed: I am a Senior Principal Engineer, Strategic Alliances Technical Marketing, San Jose, CA, USA. I have a background in both hardware and software with a degree in Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. Our team’s aim is to ensure that our Strategic Alliances evolve their technology on Arm and that their technology runs best with Arm.

What inspired you to take a sabbatical, and what did you hope to achieve during this time?

Jenny: This was my second sabbatical, my first one during the summer of 2020 was rather limited with where I could go or what I could do. So, I had decided that this one really had to count. My aim was to get a balance of time with my two teenage boys and time without them.

Ed: It was my first one and wanted to do something I’m passionate about. I wanted to connect with nature, do something beneficial for others and have some fun!

What did you get up to during your sabbatical? Did you go on a holiday? Start a project? Relax and unwind with friends/family?

Jenny: Started the time off without my boys, firstly visiting the New Forest, a lovely part of England where donkeys and horses wonder the streets of towns and villages causing traffic chaos. Then travelled Iceland for a week, where I had close encounters with humpback whales and puffins, walked over volcanoes, under and behind breathtaking waterfalls and so much more. Then returned home and had a staycation with my kids, where we road our bikes on forest trails, went paddleboarding and so much more. We took a train to Cornwall, where we walked through the rainforest at the Eden Project and listened to history and mythology at Tintagel. My final week back home was preparing the boys for a return to school.

Ed: I wanted to do something beyond a typical vacation for my first sabbatical at Arm. I took the opportunity to focus on my passion project, the BearID Project, by expanding it to a different bear species, Andean bears. I spent four weeks in Ecuador, teaching conservationists how to use AI tools to aid in their work, building collaborations for BearID and exploring the amazing variety of ecosystems and wildlife the country has on offer. The mix of travel, wildlife and tech4good was invigorating.

What was the most rewarding or memorable aspect of your sabbatical?

Jenny: Bathing in a warm river in Iceland after a 2 hour hike up a geothermal mountain, while floating in the continuous flow of water between waterfalls I could not have felt more contented so far from home, surrounded by nature, miles from civilisation, it was a unique moment to stop, breath and relax.

Ed: Two things: First, demonstrating to conservation researchers how AI can save them thousands of hours of repetitive work. Second, seeing one of the elusive Andean bears in the wild!

Why do you think a sabbatical is a good benefit Arm offers employees and What advice would you give to other employees considering taking a sabbatical? 

Jenny: It encourages you to stop and recharge, taking annual leave is important but this is usually only two weeks at maximum. Having 4 weeks in one go kind of forces you to switch off and focus your energy on yourself. Try and get the balance right, don’t try and fill every day with something amazing, having a few days to simply slowdown is just as important.

Ed: A sabbatical is a unique opportunity to disconnect from work. It is a four–week period you can use to relax, travel, learn – to really do something beyond a typical vacation. It’s a time to recharge and reinvigorate yourself.

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