At Rewind, we believe in celebrating long-term commitment and making space for meaningful rest. That’s why we offer a four-week paid sabbatical to employees who have been with us for four or more years. It’s more than just a break—it’s a chance to step away, explore personal passions, spend time with loved ones, or simply recharge.
Read on to discover how some of our team members recently spent their sabbaticals. From international adventures to quiet time with family, each experience reflects the value of pressing pause.
How long have you been with Rewind?
I have been with Rewind since its very beginning.
What initially drew you to Rewind, and what’s kept you here for 4+ years?
What initially drew me to Rewind was the unique opportunity to help build something from the ground up—a product designed to make a meaningful impact by giving users true peace of mind that their data is protected and recovery is just a click away. What’s kept me here over the years is the incredible team: a group of passionate, talented people deeply committed to our mission of backing up the cloud and making restoration possible in seconds.
How did you spend your sabbatical?
We took our little ones on a month-long escape to the Caribbean to get away from the cold Canadian winter. We visited four different countries, explored incredible places like rainforests, and—best of all—soaked up a whole lot of sunshine together as a family.
What’s one word to describe your sabbatical experience?
Unforgettable.
What do you feel was the impact of sabbatical on your personal and professional life?
The sabbatical deepened my connection with my family and reminded me how important it is to slow down and be present while the kids are still young. Professionally, it gave me the space to recharge and return more focused and engaged with my team. Overall, it strengthened my appreciation for work-life balance and showed me how occasionally stepping back ultimately benefits both the personal and professional sides of my life.
Did you travel anywhere unexpected or go somewhere you’ve always dreamed of visiting? If so, where?
Absolutely! I’ve always been fascinated by airplanes and had long dreamed of visiting the famous beach in St. Maarten where planes fly right overhead as they land. On our trip, we finally got to experience it—standing on the beach, watching the planes come in low over us, and even feeling the jet blast as the larger planes took off. It was an unforgettable moment.
How did the time away help you reconnect with something or someone important?
The time away helped me reconnect with my kids and really appreciate how quickly they’re growing. When you’re caught up in the daily grind, it’s easy for time to slip by without fully noticing those little moments. The sabbatical gave me the space to slow down, be present, and enjoy that precious time together as a family.
How long have you been with Rewind?
I have been with Rewind for about 4.5 years now.
What initially drew you to Rewind, and what’s kept you here for 4+ years?
What initially drew me to Rewind was the size of the company (40 at the time) and the growth opportunities. I was hired to help build our R&D team, but my role with time grew to support hiring across the whole organization. I am also able to branch out and work on other People & Culture initiatives. I really enjoy that my role is not strictly limited to Talent Acquisition and I’m able to contribute to a lot of other People-related projects.
How did you spend your sabbatical?
I spent my sabbatical in my hometown (Bratislava, Slovakia) where I spent quality time with my family and friends. I also explored some European destinations I had been wanting to visit, such as Gothenburg and Stockholm, Sweden, Copenhagen, Denmark, and Berlin, Germany.
What’s one word to describe your sabbatical experience?
Fulfilling.
What do you feel was the impact of sabbatical on your personal and professional life?
The impact was overall positive. Being able to truly disconnect for such a long period of time feels very different than other one or two-week vacations I usually take. That true disconnect really came after the first week off.
I was able to spend time with my family without any work distractions. We have an amazing policy of working from other countries which gives me more opportunities to go back home, but that always comes with challenges like a time difference and missing out on time spent with family.
What was it like disconnecting fully from work—and how did your team make that possible?
Our team was very supportive and excited for me to achieve this milestone. We planned ahead and made sure to transfer knowledge, so that by the time I was leaving, I didn’t feel any stress about being away for an extended period of time. Our team-first mentality came through during this time.
How did the time away help you reconnect with something or someone important?
It truly helped me reconnect with my family. We were able to take small trips together and do lots of fun activities, spend time in nature, and go to a town my grandparents lived in where I spent a lot of summers. The time helped me reflect on the importance of spending time with your loved ones, pausing and slowing down a little, and cherishing these moments—since we don’t have the opportunity to be together that often.
How long have you been with Rewind?
I have been with Rewind for five years.
What initially drew you to Rewind, and what’s kept you here for 4+ years?
After being released from my previous position due to the pandemic, Rewind’s COO at the time reached out to see if I was interested in filling a recent opening. I spoke to a few other acquaintances about the leadership team, and that sealed the deal.
The people and the vision keep me here. Plus, our breadth of coverage means there is always a new platform to learn.
How did you spend your sabbatical?
My stepson’s family has a tradition of taking trips to celebrate graduations. He decided that rather than visiting Thompson, Manitoba, where he was born, he wanted to visit Iceland—so his five-day trip with his mom turned into a 10-day trip with both of us!
What’s one word to describe your sabbatical?
Epic.
How did taking a month off impact your perspective — personally or professionally?
Iceland is an incredibly unique country in so many ways, and it was amazing to experience how the people have adapted to life on their island!
- The entire country’s population is 393K, and every one of them is in the book of Iceland, so they can ensure their genetics stay strong. That also means they can trace their family tree back farther than most.
- Hot water via geothermal springs is critical to survival. We visited one from which 180 liters of 100° C water flowed every second! This was used to power and heat three villages, including keeping their greenhouses warm during the long winter.
- The water used for drinking and bathing comes from glaciers! It is filtered through the lava, tastes amazing, and the opulence of flushing one’s toilet with glacier water can’t be understated.
Did you travel anywhere unexpected or go somewhere you’ve always dreamed of visiting? If so, where?
I got to visit Dragonstone Isle from Game of Thrones! (Also, the location of the opening scene from Rogue One and a village from Witcher).
How did the time away help you reconnect with something or someone important?
My stepson told me that scuba diving between two tectonic plates was the highlight of his life so far! That is a memory that will last a lifetime.
What’s a personal highlight or “win” from your time off that you’re proud of?
I got the Sky Lagoon to refund the entire price of admission (56,964 ISK, roughly CDN$569) because they allowed a child having a temper tantrum while their parents were in the lagoon to remain inside of their adult-only facility.
How long have you been with Rewind?
I’ve been at Rewind for just over four years.
What initially drew you to Rewind, and what’s kept you here for 4+ years?
Having spent my career in the Telecom space, I had a growing interest in joining a SaaS company. I also was excited to get back to a smaller company where I could have more of an impact, and Rewind checked both of those boxes.
How did you spend your sabbatical?
I spent the first half of my sabbatical on a tour of Japan, which was on my and my wife’s bucket list. We are celebrating a milestone anniversary this year and wanted to do something special, so the timing of the sabbatical was perfect. The second half of the sabbatical was mostly spent at home, with a family trip to a cottage and a couple of trips to pick up my kids from university.
What’s one word to describe your sabbatical experience?
Memorable.
How did taking a month off impact your perspective—personally or professionally?
Being able to take a four week leave from work is not something you get to do very often in your working life. Having shelved our last milestone wedding anniversary trip due to COVID, this trip was a very memorable experience for my wife and I. Being able to reconnect with each other away from the busyness of everyday life is something we really appreciated.
Did you set any personal goals or intentions for the time away? If so, what were they?
I love setting personal goals, and used the time to follow through on some of my ongoing goals. I spent some time running in Japan when I had some free time from our tour, and set a new goal to spend more time on mindfulness (I’m still working on turning this into a habit).
What was it like disconnecting fully from work—and how did your team make that possible?
Being able to disconnect for a longer period of time is really liberating. It is something that is hard to do with only a single week off (or even a couple). Having four consecutive weeks forces you to hand things off to others ahead of your time off. My management team and colleagues helped cover off all of my responsibilities while I was away, which I am very grateful for. It is a very unique and amazing perk that Rewind offers!
How would you spend your sabbatical? Join our team!
Working at Rewind has its perks—on top of our sabbatical program, we also offer:
- 3 weeks vacation + Summer Fridays
- Generous paid parental leave
- $1000/year work-wellness allowance
- $5000/year for professional development
- Holiday company shut down in December
- One paid volunteer day
- Much more!
Interested in growing your career at Rewind? We’d love to hear from you. Check out Rewind career opportunities.
