Guaranteeing a job opening (and presumably the same position, or at least the same salary) for a year is a huge ask. I suppose there are two problems. One is p

Guaranteeing a job opening (and presumably the same position, or at least the same salary) for a year is a huge ask. I suppose there are two problems. One is paying partial or full salary during the leave, and the other is getting a job when you’re ready to return. The first problem is easy to solve just like unemployment, except that in this case it’s paid based on voluntary leave. Since companies don’t make the decision, companies wouldn’t be penalized for having employees take the leave like they can be with unemployment though. The second issue of finding a place to work when you’re ready to return is tricky. It’s absolutely unfair in certain situations for the company and particularly the specific team for someone to take a year leave and have to hold their spot. But I also understand you want to minimize friction of returning to work. In many cases the person taking leave isn’t doing anything particularly specialized and it’s a complete non-issue. I don’t know how you might try to codify how specialized a position is other than a salary cap. For example, if you’re paid less than $X and the company has over 50 employees, your position is guaranteed. Over $X or 50 and under employees and you have a job search at the end of the paid leave.