The Role of Leisure in Sustainable Development
45
is motivated by various reasons (e.g. pleasure, economic benefits), yet sustainable
development is not always directly associated with this process. People with positive
attitudes towards the idea of sharing may not pay attention to the aspects related to
sustainable development. This means that sustainable development can be a weighty
factor only for people for whom sustainable consumption is important.
4 Leisure Time in the Context of Work-Life Balance
Free time is a part of the total resource of time given to people by nature during the
day, week, month, year or life, subtracted from the time of compulsory work and
the meeting of necessities. Due to the fact that leisure time used to be described as
a contrast to work, believing that it was time off from work, the time budget was
initially presented in a simplified way that comprised two components: working time
and time after work. Bombol (2009) divides the time available to an individual into:
working time, leisure time and remaining time. The latter is a complex and broad
category, as it covers all commutes, all activities related to satisfying living needs,
shopping, and obligations towards others. A similar view is represented by Robinson
and Godbey (1997), who divide the budget of time into paid work time, household
duty time, personal time (sleep, eating, hygiene) and leisure time. According to these
authors, leisure time remains after deducting the working, duty and personal times,
but also after deducting transportation time (commute).
The essence of sustainable development is to ensure the improvement of the
quality of life, while the quality of life depends on the quality of work and leisure time.
Success at work results in a good mood and has an impact on leisure time behaviour.
It suitably motivates people to perform recreational activities, and inversely, active
recreation benefits work performance and behaviour (Migdał 2011). Undoubtedly,
the sphere of work (position held, occupation) has an impact on the forms of using
time after work. People function in various areas of life, perform various roles and
use various goods and services to meet their needs. Work usually constitutes the
basis of their household existence. Work is both a means of human self-realization
and a source of their satisfaction or lack thereof, thus this sphere of human life is
of particular importance to them. Therefore, there is a need for balance between
work and life after work (including leisure time). This balance can be analysed at the
level of an individual (employee), organization, employee group or even societies.
The balance occurs when work does not occupy non-professional life, and vice
versa, when non-professional life is not enjoyed at the expense of occupational life.
At the individual level, the work-life balance model means the ability to combine
work with other dimensions of human life—home, family, health, social activity,
interests, etc. The balance between work and non-professional life is not the same
for every employee both within the country and between countries. Differences can
be noticed depending on various factors, e.g. age, gender, health, education, family
situation, religion, organizational culture, management style, company condition,
45
is motivated by various reasons (e.g. pleasure, economic benefits), yet sustainable
development is not always directly associated with this process. People with positive
attitudes towards the idea of sharing may not pay attention to the aspects related to
sustainable development. This means that sustainable development can be a weighty
factor only for people for whom sustainable consumption is important.
4 Leisure Time in the Context of Work-Life Balance
Free time is a part of the total resource of time given to people by nature during the
day, week, month, year or life, subtracted from the time of compulsory work and
the meeting of necessities. Due to the fact that leisure time used to be described as
a contrast to work, believing that it was time off from work, the time budget was
initially presented in a simplified way that comprised two components: working time
and time after work. Bombol (2009) divides the time available to an individual into:
working time, leisure time and remaining time. The latter is a complex and broad
category, as it covers all commutes, all activities related to satisfying living needs,
shopping, and obligations towards others. A similar view is represented by Robinson
and Godbey (1997), who divide the budget of time into paid work time, household
duty time, personal time (sleep, eating, hygiene) and leisure time. According to these
authors, leisure time remains after deducting the working, duty and personal times,
but also after deducting transportation time (commute).
The essence of sustainable development is to ensure the improvement of the
quality of life, while the quality of life depends on the quality of work and leisure time.
Success at work results in a good mood and has an impact on leisure time behaviour.
It suitably motivates people to perform recreational activities, and inversely, active
recreation benefits work performance and behaviour (Migdał 2011). Undoubtedly,
the sphere of work (position held, occupation) has an impact on the forms of using
time after work. People function in various areas of life, perform various roles and
use various goods and services to meet their needs. Work usually constitutes the
basis of their household existence. Work is both a means of human self-realization
and a source of their satisfaction or lack thereof, thus this sphere of human life is
of particular importance to them. Therefore, there is a need for balance between
work and life after work (including leisure time). This balance can be analysed at the
level of an individual (employee), organization, employee group or even societies.
The balance occurs when work does not occupy non-professional life, and vice
versa, when non-professional life is not enjoyed at the expense of occupational life.
At the individual level, the work-life balance model means the ability to combine
work with other dimensions of human life—home, family, health, social activity,
interests, etc. The balance between work and non-professional life is not the same
for every employee both within the country and between countries. Differences can
be noticed depending on various factors, e.g. age, gender, health, education, family
situation, religion, organizational culture, management style, company condition,