‘Work’ or ‘leisure’? The protestant work ethic and participation in an employee fitness program
研究新教工作伦理信念如何影响员工使用公司健身设施，发现高工作伦理者更常参与并视其为工作相关活动，而非休闲。
Abstract Is a company's in‐house fitness center perceived as a place to engage in ‘leisure ’activities that are distinct from ‘work’, or as an extension of normal ‘work ’activities? This exploratory study examined the possibility that Protestant Work Ethic (PWE) beliefs might influence the frequency with which employees use their company's exercise programs and facilities. If exercise programs are regarded as ‘leisure’, then PWE endorsers would likely not participate, but the reverse might be true to the extent that such programs are seen as ‘work’. A short survey was completed by 335 employees of a large Canadian corporation which maintained an in‐house fitness center that had been in operation for 16 months. The sample was almost evenly divided between users and non‐users of the facilities. Results indicated that PWE endorsement was positively related both to the frequency with which respondents visited their company's fitness center, and to the perception that exercise provided work‐related benefits, and these findings suggest that on‐the‐job fitness is regarded more as a component of ‘work ’than of ‘leisure’. ‘A corporate fitness program is the hottest perk since the executive washroom ’(Hoffman and Hobson, 1984, p. 110).