self‐funded leave and life role development

Self‐funded leave is an employee benefit that provides a time resource to those who wish to develop interests and other life roles. Semistructured interviews were used for this qualitative study to explore the motivations for enrolling in the self‐funded leave program, how the leave contributed to work‐life balance through development of other life roles, and the difficulties that arose during the program. Adult transition theory is used to conceptualize the process of participating in self‐funded leave programs and to suggest how employees who undertake self‐funded leave can be best supported by career counselors.