The balance between work and leisure

The lifestyle of the average British person has changed considerably over the last 20 years or so. The growth of IT and teleworking, in particular, has brought new ways of working. There is less demand for unskilled labour because many routine tasks have been taken over by technology. Reduced job security means that people are more prepared to work longer hours, and indeed to spend time retraining and up-skilling. The stress of modern life affects us all. As a consequence our leisure time has become increasingly important.

In this activity you are asked to investigate the changes in lifestyle of the average British person over the past decades, and in particular the balance between work and leisure. The outcome of this investigation will be a presentation to your peer group, and a report detailing the conclusions you have formed from your research. You are also asked to include some predictions of how the trends in the work/leisure balance are likely to develop in the future. Perhaps your findings will suggest that the traditional ‘weekend’ is less common and that people’s work patterns are moving towards free weekdays. Or perhaps the increase in ‘flexitime’ means that people have free time at odd moments during the week. All these types of factors will change the way in which the leisure and recreation industry functions. One result of your investigations may be a positive view of the career opportunities in the leisure industry.