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Ask for a sabbatical or career break
You need time out: to travel, care for someone or just recover. Get a request that shows how your work will be covered and what you'll come back with.
The prompt · ChatGPT
Help me ask for a sabbatical or career break. How long and when: [e.g. 3 months from June] Why: [share what you're comfortable with] My role and who could cover: [details] Our policy: [paste it if there is one, or "none"] What I'd come back with: [e.g. rested, a new skill] Ask me up to 3 short questions first if anything important is missing. Wait for my answers. Then: 1. A one-page proposal: dates, reason, cover plan, handover, how I'll come back. 2. A cover plan table: my tasks, who covers, what they need. 3. Questions to ask HR: pay, pension, holiday, benefits, my job on return. 4. What to say if they say no, or offer something shorter. Only use what I've told you, leave blanks for anything I haven't given, and don't invent facts, dates or results. UK English. Stay in this ChatGPT chat. Do not turn on apps or connectors, and do not use memory from another chat.
A short example
Fill the blanks, then paste. e.g. 3 months from June: a short note you already have. share what you're comfortable with: a short note you already have. Leave the rest of the prompt as written.
The prompt · Copilot
Help me ask for a sabbatical or career break. How long and when: [e.g. 3 months from June] Why: [share what you're comfortable with] My role and who could cover: [details] Our policy: [paste it if there is one, or "none"] What I'd come back with: [e.g. rested, a new skill] Ask me up to 3 short questions first if anything important is missing. Wait for my answers. Then: 1. A one-page proposal: dates, reason, cover plan, handover, how I'll come back. 2. A cover plan table: my tasks, who covers, what they need. 3. Questions to ask HR: pay, pension, holiday, benefits, my job on return. 4. What to say if they say no, or offer something shorter. Only use what I've told you, leave blanks for anything I haven't given, and don't invent facts, dates or results. UK English. Stay in this Copilot chat. Leave plugins off, and do not open a file from OneDrive.
A short example
Fill the blanks, then paste. e.g. 3 months from June: a short note you already have. share what you're comfortable with: a short note you already have. Leave the rest of the prompt as written.
You type how long you'd like, when and why.
The assistant asks about cover, your role and whether your employer has a policy.
You get a proposal, a cover plan, questions to ask HR and what to check first.
What happens
Use Copilot to ask for a sabbatical or career break
You need time out: to travel, care for someone or just recover. Get a request that shows how your work will be covered and what you'll come back with.
Tools
Paste the prompt, fill the blanks, copy the draft.
- Microsoft Copilot — required. Drafts from the text you paste. Nothing is sent.
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