For employers, founders and family offices
A quiet month for a key person.
Some companies, founders and family offices pay for a senior person's break. If that is you, here is how it works: the same programme, an invoice for you, and full privacy for them.
Email us first
Write to info@thequietmonth.com with the subject "Employer enquiry". We reply within 48 hours. Then, if you like, book a free 20-minute call.
Please don't send anyone's health details. That conversation is only between the guest and Sami.
The offer
The same month. You pay the fee.
US$10,000 a month
The programme fee for one guest, one month. One month is the minimum.
Up to 4 guests
Never more in one month. Each guest is 21 or over.
A doctor's letter
Every guest brings a fit-to-join letter from their own doctor.
Their own flat
The guest books and pays their own flat, in their own name.
Invoiced to you
Bank transfer or Western Union, with an invoice in Sami's legal name.
Start dates
1 January 2027, then the 1st of every month.
Nothing is paid before a video call with the guest and a signed agreement. Then a US$1,000 deposit (part of the fee) and the balance in two halves, on day 1 and day 15. See the price and the terms.
How it works
Your money. Their choice. Their privacy.
- You email us. Subject "Employer enquiry". Tell us who will pay and which month you have in mind. No names or health details needed yet.
- You tell the person about it. Share this page. It is an offer, not an order.
- The guest applies themselves at /apply, and has a free video call with Sami. Sami decides every application.
- The guest can say no. At any point before signing, with no reason needed. You are only told "not going ahead".
- If they join, the guest signs their agreement, and you get the invoice for the programme fee.
Privacy
What you see, and what you never see.
You see
- Whether it is going ahead, once the guest agrees we can tell you.
- The start date and length, so you can plan cover.
- The invoice and payment dates.
You never see
- Health details. They stay private between the guest and Sami. Not the application, not the doctor's letter.
- What is said during the month. Conversations stay with the people in them.
- Reports on the guest. We don't write any.
- Confidential both ways. We never name your company or the guest, anywhere, without written permission. No logos, no case studies.
- The guest is free. Like every guest, they can leave at any time. They keep their own phone, passport, money and key.
- Sabbatical, if you like. You can call it a sabbatical, a paid break or simply leave. Your choice. Check your own HR and tax rules; this is not tax advice.
Why companies do this
Long hours are common. Real breaks are rare.
The World Health Organization describes burn-out as an "occupational phenomenon", not a medical condition. In its ICD-11 classification it is a syndrome from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed, with three signs: exhaustion, mental distance from the job, and reduced professional efficacy.
Stress at work is widespread. Gallup's State of the Global Workplace report (2026, with 2025 data) found that 40% of employees worldwide said they felt a lot of stress the previous day, and 50% in the United States and Canada. These are survey answers, not diagnoses.
Senior people feel it too. In a Deloitte survey of 1,000 full-time US professionals, 77% said they had experienced burnout at their current job, and more than half said more than once. (Uncertain: Deloitte's page did not show the survey year. It is often reported as 2015, so it may be older data.)
Long paid breaks are still unusual. SHRM's US employee benefits surveys have, for years, put paid sabbaticals at only around 5% to 7% of employers. (Uncertain: the exact figure changes by year and we could not read the latest report in full.)
Sabbatical research is small but encouraging. A 2010 study in the Journal of Applied Psychology followed 129 university staff on sabbatical and 129 matched colleagues. Well-being rose during the leave, more for people who felt in control of their time and detached from work. That is one study about academics, so we don't build promises on it.
What we don't promise: any work result. No promise of better performance, output or return on the money. The Quiet Month is a calm month away. What a person does with it is up to them.
Read more in our journal: an executive burnout break: a month vs a long weekend and how to plan a wellness sabbatical.
The month itself
What the guest's days look like.
- Shared low-carb meals, with intermittent fasting, adjusted to each guest.
- Daily exercise at their own pace, and short, optional meditation.
- Outings and long talks. One free day each week.
- No alcohol, no smoking, no drugs for the whole month. Prescribed medicine is always allowed.
- Work kept to a minimum. A little is possible if agreed on the call, but a full handover works best.
Not medical, not rehab, not a treatment
The Quiet Month is a healthy-living month. It is not medical, not rehab, not therapy and not a treatment for any condition. It is not for anyone who needs medical or psychological care right now. Sami is self-taught in nutrition, and is not a doctor, counsellor or coach.
If you are worried about someone's health, the first step is their own doctor, not a month away. In a crisis, call the local emergency number, or find a free helpline at findahelpline.com.
Questions from employers
Can a company pay for The Quiet Month?
Yes. A company, a founder or a family office can pay the programme fee for a guest: US$10,000 for one month. It is paid by bank transfer or Western Union, with an invoice in Sami's legal name. The guest still applies and joins in the usual way.
Will the employer see the guest's health details?
No. Never. Health details stay private between the guest and Sami. The employer never sees the application, the doctor's letter or anything said during the month.
Does the guest have to agree?
Yes. The guest applies themselves, and the guest can say no. Nobody can be signed up by someone else. If the guest says no, or it isn't a fit, the employer is only told "not going ahead", never why.
Is it a medical programme?
No. The Quiet Month is not medical, not rehab, not therapy and not a treatment. It is a calm, alcohol-free healthy-living month. Sami is not a doctor, counsellor or coach.
Can we call it a sabbatical?
Yes, if you want to. Some employers call it a sabbatical or a paid break. The name is your choice. Please check your own HR and tax rules; a paid break can count as a taxable benefit in some countries. This is not tax advice.
How is the fee paid?
By bank transfer or Western Union only, invoiced in Sami's legal name. Nothing is paid before a video call with the guest and a signed agreement. Then a US$1,000 deposit, part of the fee, and the balance in two halves, on day 1 and day 15. There is no card payment.
What is not included?
The guest's own flat, flights, visas, travel insurance and personal spending. The guest books and pays their own flat, in their own name. If your company covers those costs, that is between you and the guest.
Can we send more than one person?
Up to four guests a month, and never more. Each person applies themselves and is decided one by one. Colleagues in the same month will share the days together, so please think about whether that suits them.
When can someone start?
The first month starts on 1 January 2027, then on the 1st of every month. The minimum stay is one month. Please allow at least two weeks for the call, the doctor's letter and flights.
Do you have company clients or reviews?
Not yet. The Quiet Month is new. We show no client logos and no reviews, and we will never invent any. Here is what we put in writing instead.
Sources
- WHO: Burn-out an "occupational phenomenon": International Classification of Diseases (May 2019)
- Gallup: State of the Global Workplace, global data (40% daily stress)
- Gallup: State of the Global Workplace, regional data (United States and Canada, 50%)
- Deloitte Workplace Burnout Survey, as reported by HealthManagement.org (1,000 US professionals; survey year not shown)
- SHRM Employee Benefits Survey 2023: leave (paid and unpaid sabbaticals; figures vary by year)
- Davidson OB, Eden D, Westman M et al. (2010), Journal of Applied Psychology: Sabbatical leave: who gains and how much? (129 on sabbatical vs 129 matched controls)
Sami Adham is a professional name. The payer gets his full legal name on the invoice and in writing before anything is paid.
The next step
Email us: "Employer enquiry".
Write to info@thequietmonth.com first. We reply within 48 hours. Then, if you like, a free 20-minute call.