Ever sat there, deeply immersed in yet another progress report on the third major cost management programme of the year, and wished you were somewhere else a long way away? Do you ever daydream about taking a few months out of another supplier management review and going to find yourself in darkest Peru or Outer Mongolia?

Most of us have these thoughts from time to time - and an increasing number of people are beginning to take these ideas seriously and act on them.

They are taking career breaks or sabbaticals to go travelling as they seek to take a break from the routine of their desks and day jobs. What was once the preserve of students leaving college to visit Australia is becoming increasingly common among the working population, as days get longer, the jobs get tougher and the pressure gets ever more intense.

This is not simply about wanderlust taking over either - many are using the opportunity of a sabbatical quite simply to spend some proper time at home with young families and partners.

I've recently returned from a four-month sabbatical, which gave me the opportunity to travel across some fantastic parts of the world. Of course, you return from such a trip fully rested with a renewed zest and energy, but it does so much more than that.

It gives you an opportunity to develop a new and fresh perspective on life, as well as take stock of a whole range of issues that you simply don't get a chance to think through properly when your day revolves around the daily commute and a relentless focus on trying to make supply chains quicker, cheaper, more efficient and stronger.

What is interesting about the trend is that businesses are increasingly supporting their staff in taking the time off to do this. As recently as a couple of years ago, taking a sabbatical would have been a difficult subject to broach with your management.

However, the more progressive companies in the UK are starting to offer ways of allowing employees extended time off, holding jobs open for up to a year, and offering support for both leaving and returning to the organisation.

A survey last year showed that 1 in 10 companies in the UK have a formal career break scheme in place and that, of the remainder, 1 in 5 were prepared to consider individual arrangements with key members of their staff.

Of course, this is not the result of some philanthropic epiphany sweeping the personnel departments of UK plc, but rather the hard-headed recognition that in a society that is increasingly cash rich and time poor, the softer elements of remuneration packages are becoming a crucial tactic to attract and retain key staff.

Just as working five days in four, jobsharing and other flexible working patterns have become increasingly prevalent, so the concept of offering key staff an extended period of time off to recharge the batteries and regain their sanity is becoming a key weapon in the HR armoury.

Clearly, it can also offer firms an easy way of reducing the payroll for a short while and managing a cash flow issue if required, without having to lose people permanently.

This for me is one of those rare things - a true win-win for both employer and employee. The employer has an increased likelihood of retaining and motivating a key member of staff, and the employee has the opportunity to do some great things and take a proper break and rest from the grind of the rat race.

So what are you waiting for? Get your atlas out, dig out the rucksack, schedule a session with your manager to extol the benefits to you and your company of you having a sabbatical, and starting turning those dreams of Outer Mongolia into reality.

Ian Russell is director, CIO business partners and service operations at Barclays Bank