Switching off after work? It’s important and meaningful
Almost everyone agrees: time for relaxation and leisure is meaningful and important. This is shown by the representative IU study on leisure sickness.
Interestingly, the older the age group surveyed, the greater the importance attached to relaxation and leisure time.
Question: To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? “I think taking time for relaxation and leisure activities is important and meaningful.”
Excerpt from the statements surveyed
Leisure time as a source of energy? (Almost) complete agreement
There is also strong agreement with the statement that leisure time is a valuable opportunity to recharge your batteries and recover. Almost all of those surveyed completely agree or tend to agree with this statement. Here, too, the figures show that older employees agree with this statement more often than younger respondents.
Question: To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? “I see my leisure time as a valuable opportunity to recharge my batteries and recover.”
Excerpt from the statements surveyed
!
According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, every human being has the right to rest and leisure (Article 24):
“Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.”
Relaxation at the weekend or on holiday:
Not everyone manages it
Feeling exhausted or ill on days off? Too tired to do anything after work? These are typical signs of leisure sickness, which around 71.9% of employees in Germany have experienced at some point (see Symptoms and causes). This raises the question: is relaxation in your private life (on days off or on holiday) enough to avoid leisure sickness and return to work feeling fit and well again?
The IU study shows that 4 out of 10 respondents do not get enough rest and relaxation in their private lives to meet the demands of their jobs. Younger employees are particularly likely to completely agree or tend to agree with this statement (50.5%). They find it harder to relax on weekends, days off or holidays than older employees.
Question: To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? “I get enough rest and relaxation in my private life to meet the demands of my job.”
Excerpt from the statements surveyed
Young employees in particular often have not yet developed adequate strategies for coping with stress. They find it particularly difficult to relax on days off or on holiday. Employers should offer targeted programmes to promote stress resistance and resilience in order to reduce the risk of leisure sickness.”
Prof. Dr Stefanie André
Professor of Health Management at IU International University of Applied Sciences and expert on health in the workplace
Not being able to switch off as a warning sign
95.6% consider time for relaxation and leisure to be meaningful and important. And yet more than a third of respondents say they find it difficult to switch off after work and concentrate on their leisure time (38.4%). Noticeable here is that among young employees aged 25 and under, this figure rises to 45.0%, i.e. almost half.
Our expert Prof. Dr Stefanie André describes this inability to switch off as a “subjective experience of stress and an indication of a reduced ability to self-regulate and cope with stress.” Therefore, it is considered a warning sign of inability to relax and a further risk factor for leisure sickness.
Question: To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? “I find it difficult to switch off after work and concentrate on my free time.”
Excerpt from the statements surveyed
In a world where we increasingly use the same device for personal and professional communication, it is becoming ever more difficult to really relax. If you are always available, you are always in work mode, even during leisure time. That’s why it is so important to set boundaries and consciously take time out – because being continually available stops you from truly recharging.”
Prof. Dr Stefanie André
Professor of Health Management at IU International University of Applied Sciences and expert on health in the workplace
Passive leisure time or active leisure time – a balance is best
Half of the employees surveyed say that they organise their leisure time in a balanced way, with a mix of relaxation, hobbies and activities with friends or family. On the other hand, one fifth use their leisure time primarily for passive activities such as reading and watching television, but often do not feel rested or enriched by this.
I spend my leisure time in a balanced way – relaxing, pursuing hobbies and enjoying activities with friends or family.
49.8 %
I like to spend my leisure time alone, reading, going for walks or pursuing personal hobbies.
17.5 %
I mostly use my leisure time for passive activities such as reading or watching television, but I often don’t feel rested or enriched.
17.0 %
I organise my leisure time well and plan everything carefully so that I can be productive and manage all important activities.
11.3 %
I often do work-related tasks in my leisure time and am almost always available.
4.3 %
Question: Which of the following statements best describes how you spend your leisure time?
People who spend their leisure time in a balanced and meaningful way are less likely to experience leisure sickness. On the other hand, those who only engage in passive relaxation such as watching television after a stressful week at work are more likely to develop symptoms such as exhaustion or headaches on their days off. Companies can help by integrating exercise breaks and conscious relaxation phases into the working day, for example.”
Prof. Dr Stefanie André
Professor of Health Management at IU International University of Applied Sciences and expert on health in the workplace
