Over 50% of employees are fearful about career-break stigma

The ‘Great Resignation‘ has seen millions take a break from work or leave permanently. Despite this growing trend, there is still a stigma surrounding the idea of leaving behind work on a temporary basis.

LinkedIn researched the attitudes towards taking a career break by speaking to over 2,000 employees in both the US and the UK.

The study found that although 73% of US respondents have taken a break in their career at some point, 65% believe that a stigma still exists around a career break. Similarly, the UK-based respondents (56%) were also aware of a stigma surrounding the practice.

Fortunately, this stigma is not as prevalent as many would think. After speaking to over 500 hiring managers in the US, LinkedIn found that 67% claim they are now more likely to hire someone who has taken a career break than before the pandemic.

Additionally, 49% have stated they will contact a potential candidate if they understand the context of their career break.

The positives of a career break

In the US, 43% of hiring managers said that they would want to know what lessons a candidate learned from their career gap. The study also found the key responses that these managers were looking for.

The hiring managers want to see lessons in assertiveness, resourcefulness, budgeting, creative thinking, and empathy.

While hiring managers won’t be asking why candidates haven’t had a career break, many people will be relieved that a stigma is being removed and that they can actually discuss what their experience has taught them.

To further conquer this stigma, LinkedIn has launched a new Career Breaks tool. The tool allows a candidate to list a career break – and the reason for it – on their LinkedIn profile. This would enable hiring managers to see the reason for a break and on the back of this data this suggests they would be more likely to speak to a potential candidate.

Adam Hawkins, head of search and staffing for EMEA and LATAM at LinkedIn, discussed the tool and the stigma surrounding career breaks: “While candidates often believe that any gaps in their career will be judged negatively by prospective employers, many hiring managers believe people with career breaks are actually an untapped source of talent.

“It’s great to see that the stigma has started to lift, however, there’s still a way to go to further normalize career breaks and talent professionals can play a big role in helping here.”

Hawkins added: “Rather than looking only at a candidate’s most recent experience – whether that’s a career break or their latest job – it’s important to look at the full set of skills they’ve developed throughout their lived experiences, whether those experiences be personal or professional, as well as a candidate’s future potential.

“Likewise, recruiters can really help put people at ease during the interview process, particularly those who have been out of the workplace for some time. We hope that by helping people to spotlight their career breaks, it becomes easier for candidates and recruiters to have open conversations around the skills and experiences they’ve gained away from the workplace.”

Undoubtedly, those who have chosen to take a break from work, will be pleased that this doesn’t diminish their experience.