Balancing Work and Leisure; Recreational Participation as a Predictor of Job Efficiency in the Public Sector

Yıl 2025, Cilt: 11 Sayı: 3, 284 - 293, 30.09.2025

Uğur İnce , Berkay Karagöz , Fatih Harun Turhan , Şakir Bezci

https://doi.org/10.18826/useeabd.1737163

Öz

Aim: The occupational performance of public sector employees holds critical importance not only in terms of institutional efficiency but also regarding the quality of services delivered to the public. Within this framework, understanding the relationship between individual job performance and engagement in leisure-time activities has emerged as a fundamental area of scholarly inquiry, with implications for both employee well-being and organizational success. The present study aims to examine the impact of recreational activity participation levels on the job performance of employees working in sports-related public institutions and to determine whether these variables differ significantly across various demographic factors.
Methods: This research employed correlational survey design. The sample consisted of 400 civil servants employed in various public institutions across Türkiye. Data was collected via an online questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 25.0. Tests for normality related to the MANOVA assumptions indicated that the data were not normally distributed; therefore, non-parametric analyses such as the Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis H tests were utilized, along with correlation and multiple regression analyses.
Results: The findings revealed statistically significant positive correlations between job performance and the motives for participating in recreational activities. Additionally, significant differences were observed across certain subdimensions based on demographic variables such as gender, educational attainment, and years of service.
Conclusion: In conclusion, the results suggest that participation in recreational activities serves as a reinforcing factor in enhancing the occupational performance of public employees.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Job Performance , Public Employees , Recreational Activity.

İş ve Serbest Zaman Dengesi; Kamu Sektöründe İş Verimliliğinin Bir Yordayıcısı Olarak Rekreasyonel Katılım

Öz

Amaç: Kamu kurumlarında görev yapan çalışanların iş performansı, yalnızca kurumsal verimlilik açısından değil, aynı zamanda halka sunulan hizmetlerin kalitesi açısından da öneme sahiptir. Bu doğrultuda, bireysel iş performansı ile serbest zaman etkinlikleri arasındaki ilişkinin anlaşılması hem çalışan refahı hem de kurumsal başarı için temel bir araştırma alanı hâline gelmiştir. Bu araştırmanın amacı, sporla ilgili kamu kurumlarında çalışanlarının rekreasyonel aktivitelere katılım düzeylerinin iş performansları üzerindeki etkisini incelemek ve bu değişkenlerin demografik faktörlere göre anlamlı farklılık gösterip göstermediğini ortaya koymaktır.
Yöntem: Araştırmada ilişkisel tarama modeli kullanılmıştır. Çalışmanın örneklemini Türkiye'deki çeşitli kamu kurumlarında görev yapan 400 memur oluşturmaktadır. Veriler çevrim içi anket yoluyla toplanmış, analizler SPSS 25.0 programı aracılığıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Verilerin MANOVA testine ilişkin normallikleri test edilmiş ve normal dağılmadığı belirlenmiş; bu nedenle Mann-Whitney U ve Kruskal-Wallis H testleri ile korelasyon ve çoklu regresyon analizleri uygulanmıştır.
Bulgular: Elde edilen bulgulara göre, iş performansı ile rekreasyonel aktivite katılım nedenleri arasında pozitif yönlü anlamlı ilişkiler bulunmuştur. Ayrıca, cinsiyet, eğitim durumu ve hizmet yılı gibi demografik değişkenlere göre bazı alt boyutlarda anlamlı farklılıklar tespit edilmiştir.
Sonuç: Sonuç olarak, memurlarının iş performanslarının güçlendirilmesinde rekreasyonel aktivitelerin destekleyici bir unsur olduğu görülmüştür.

Anahtar Kelimeler

İş Performansı , Rekreasyonel Aktivite , Kamu çalışanları.

Kaynakça

• Altunışık, R., Coşkun, R., Bayraktaroğlu, S., & Yıldırım, E. (2012). Sosyal Bilimlerde Araştırma Yöntemleri: SPSS Uygulamalı. Sakarya Yayıncılık.
• Befort, N., & Hattrup, K. (2003). Valuing task and contextual performance: Experience, job roles, and ratings of the importance of job behaviors. Applied HRM Research, 8, 17–32.
• Bloom, J. (2018). 1635b Making leisure work: Leisure crafting as active recovery from stressful work. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 75(2), https://doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2018-icohabstracts.1695
• Christiansen, N., Kahlmeier, S., & Racioppi, F. (2014). Sport promotion policies in the European Union: Results of a contents analysis. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 24. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2012.01500.x
• Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). Sage Publications. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429469237-3
• Cunningham, I., Mergler, J., & Wattie, N. (2022). Training and development in sport officials: A systematic review. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 32, 654–671. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.14128
• Çelikel, B. E. (2023). Düzensiz spor yapan bireylerin sağlıklı yaşam biçimi davranışlarının incelenmesi. Beden Eğitimi Spor Sağlık ve Efor Dergisi (BESSED) 3(2), 317-328.
• Devonish, D. (2016). Emotional intelligence and job performance: The role of psychological well-being. International Journal of Workplace Health Management, 9, 428–442. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijwhm-04-2016-0031
• Gulam, A. (2016). Recreation: Need and importance in modern society. International Journal of Physical Education, Sports and Health, 1, 157–160.
• Henriksen, K., Schinke, R., Moesch, K., McCann, S., Parham, W., Larsen, C., & Terry, P. (2019). Consensus statement on improving the mental health of high performance athletes. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 18, 553–560. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197x.2019.1570473
• Iqbal, S. (2017). Use of recreational activities in stress management of Gomal Universities teachers and employees. Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Sports, 28, 37–41.
• Karakurum, M. (2005). The Effcets of Person-organization Fit on Employee Jo Satisfaction, Performance and Organizational Commitment in a Turkish Public Organization. Master's Thesis, Middle East Technical University, Ankara.
• Kassim, M., & Musa, R. (2009). Measuring spectators’ leisure motivation cues, emotion experience and satisfaction: An analysis of motor sport tourism event. Malaysian Journal of Sport Science and Recreation, 5(1), 41–54.
• Kılıçarslan, F., Ayyıldız Durhan, T., & Özant, M. İ. (2024). Adaptation of the dimension of motivation cues scale into Turkish. The International Journal of Learner Diversity and Identities, 31(1), 1023–1031. https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.12592871
• Koley, T. (2024). Influence of sports and physical activities on job performance of working professionals. International Journal of Scientific Research in Engineering and Management. https://doi.org/10.55041/ijsrem35060
• Krejcie, R. V., & Morgan, D. W. (1970). Determining sample size for research activities. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 30(3), 607–610.
• Kutner, M. H., Nachtsheim, C. J., & Neter, J. (2004). Applied Linear Regression Models (4th ed.). McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
• Latif, R., Nor, M., Wahab, S., Zid, A., & Anuar, F. (2022). Job stress and employee performance among officers in public sports institutions. Malaysian Journal of Sport Science and Recreation. https://doi.org/10.24191/mjssr.v18i2.19586
• Lee, S., & Kang, M. (2024). A data-driven approach to predicting recreational activity participation using machine learning. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 95(4), 873–885. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2024.2343815
• Mokaya, S., & Gitari, J. (2012). Effects of workplace recreation on employee performance: The case of Kenya Utalii College. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2, 176–183.
• Motowidlo, S. J., Borman, W. C., & Schmit, M. J. (1997). A theory of individual differences in task and contextual performance. Human Performance, 10(2), 71–83. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327043hup1002_1
• Nahyan, M., Ahbabi, J., Alabdulrahman, M., Alhosani, I., Jabeen, F., & Farouk, S. (2024). Employee job security and job performance: The mediating role of well-being and the moderating role of perceived organizational support and psychological capital. European Journal of Management and Business Economics. https://doi.org/10.1108/ejmbe-01-2023-0011
• Nyone, C. B. (2025). Recreational facilities and employees’ job performance in selected Rivers State owned tertiary institutions. International Journal of Assessment and Evaluation in Education, 7(8), 213-227. https://doi.org/10.70382/mejaee.v7i8.024
• Petersen, C., Bekker-Jeppesen, M., Aadahl, M., & Lau, C. (2021). Participation in recreational activities varies with socioeconomic position and is associated with self-rated health and well-being. Preventive Medicine Reports, 24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2021.101610
• Radebe, P., & Dhurup, M. (2015). Sport and recreation officials' role innovation, job enjoyment and their relationship with job satisfaction and intention to stay in a developing country. African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance, 21, 711–723.
• Ross, C., Young, S., Sturts, J., & Kim, K. (2014). Personal correlates impacting job satisfaction among campus recreational sport employees. International Journal of Sport Management, Recreation and Tourism, 14, 68–96.
• Shujat, S., Ameer, F., & Cheema, F.-E.-A. (2011). Effects of recreational and entertainment activities on employees job satisfaction: A case study. IBT Journal of Business Studies, 7(1), 12–18. https://doi.org/10.46745/ilma.jbs.2011.07.01.02
• Stier, W., Schneider, R., Kampf, S., & Gaskins, B. (2010). Job satisfaction for campus recreation professionals within NIRSA institutions. Recreational Sports Journal, 34, 78–94. https://doi.org/10.1123/rsj.34.2.78
• Suwal, R., & Uprety, P. (2023). Impact of recreational activities on employee productivity of Nepalese commercial banks. Journal of Business and Social Sciences Research. https://doi.org/10.3126/jbssr.v8i1.56591
• Syardiansah, S., Chandra, R., & Lestari, E. (2024). Organizational commitment and job satisfaction on employee performance. Niagawan. https://doi.org/10.24114/niaga.v13i1.55853
• Tamini, B., & Kord, B. (2011). Burnout components as predictors of job & life satisfaction of university employees. The Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, 47, 126.
• Wang, X., Chen, X., Zhang, H., & Wong, C. U. I. (2025). Exploring the Role of Team Leisure Sports in Enhancing Occupational Commitment and Sustainability Among Construction Workers: A Focus on Team Cohesion. Buildings, 15(4), 522. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15040522
• Zhang, X., & Bartol, K. (2010). The influence of creative process engagement on employee creative performance and overall job performance: A curvilinear assessment. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(5), 862–873. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0020173