The High Plains Society
for
Applied Anthropology

Leisure and the Quality of Working Life in an Academic Health Center

Sue Gena Lurie

Promotion of leisure activities to alleviate workplace stress and organizational wellness programs have developed with management efforts to improve work design and enhance productivity. This study of employees in an academic health center assesses the role of leisure in workplace stress. The basic hypothesis, that employees’ use of allocated leisure time for work-related interaction with colleagues increases stress, was tested by anonymous survey of faculty, staff, and administrators on work roles, leisure, and social activities. Preliminary analysis of responses did not support the hypothesis for the majority of respondents, but it confirmed perceptions of work as stress-inducing and the value of leisure in reducing stress. Intra-organizational variations in leisure patterns associated with diverse occupational and professional roles are suggested.

High Plains Applied Anthropologist No. 2, Vol. 19, Fall, 1999 pp 158 – 167

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