How Leisure Time Activities Improve Sustainability in the Career Path

The present study investigates the association between leisure time activities and the sustainability of career through variables which impact the work context (i.e., weekly working hours, weekly leisure hours, weekly work conducted during non-work hours, life satisfaction, career satisfaction, burnout, intentions to quit, psychological detachment from work, reattachment to work, resilience, future orientation). We hypothesised that leisure activities would positively relate to a balanced state between professional and private life and impact the sustainability of a career while also supporting a hopeful vision towards the future. In this study, 173 academics participated in a survey which entailed 9 specific questionnaires regarding the previously stated variables. As expected, all study variables were meaningfully correlated with each other. In the multilevel analyses, no significant difference among genders, working hours, and extra working hours were found when they were correlated with the study variables. The intentions of quitting in the participants were in correlation with disengagement, exhaustion, negative vision, and time perspective. Disengagement was found to be a significant predictor behind career turnover intentions. As expected, increased leisure time had a positive association with life satisfaction, work-life balance, and resilience. Through studying a sample population of academicians who are at risk for burnout and inadequate work-life balance, the findings highlight the prominence of non-work aspects and importance of leisure time in predicting a more balanced private and professional life which could eventually lead to a more sustainable career for the future.