Some employers are willing to give their workers a certain amount of unpaid sabbatical* time, believing this benefits the individual and the organisation. Other employers see no merit in this arrangement and discourage it. Consider the possible arguments for and against unpaid sabbatical leave, and reach a viewpoint of your own.

The idea of offering
employees
sabbatical time has become quite fashionable recently, with some major companies believing it has great benefits.
However
, there is
also
substantial opposition to the concept, and we will discuss the two views now. Those employers who support unpaid sabbaticals often highlight the motivating effect which
such
leave can have on an
employee
. They feel that, at a time when people are under pressure, a certain amount of extended leave can allow someone to return to work feeling refreshed and more committed to the company. A second point in favour is that
such
leave does not cost the company anything, as the
employee
stops drawing a salary. Indeed, it seems that
such
breaks might actually save money, as departments can be downsized without the need for redundancies or compensation.
On the other hand
, many other employers feel that
this
practice has a disruptive effect which outweighs its possible benefit to the individual.
For example
, if
employees
have a certain skill or responsibility, they must be replaced by someone who is
similarly
qualified, probably involving a cost in training or hiring a new worker. Companies are
also
reluctant to allow skilled
employees
to drift away from their business, fearing, with some justification, that the person might lose interest or even go to work for a competitor.
Finally
, some employers feel that the whole idea of sabbaticals is more suited to an academic context
such
as universities or research institutes, where the
employee
will be working on personal interests which coincide with their field of study, which is rarely the case among corporate
employees
.
To sum up
, it seems true that the problems caused by unpaid sabbaticals do indeed outweigh the potential advantages.
Although
the individual
employee
may be refreshed, the disruption and costs caused by
this
absence are unreasonable for the company and for the colleagues left behind at work

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Structure your answers in logical paragraphs

The easiest way to score well on the IELTS Task 2 writing portion is to structure your writing in a solid essay format.

A strong argument essay structure can be split up into 4 paragraphs, each containing 4 sentences (except the conclusion paragraph, which only contains 3 sentences).

Stick to this essay structure:

  • Paragraph 1 - Introduction
  • Paragraph 2 - First supporting paragraph
  • Paragraph 3 - Second supporting paragraph
  • Paragraph 4 - Conclusion

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