Does Leisure Contribute to the Improvement of Individual Job Performance? A Field Tracking Study Based on the Chinese Manufacturing Industry

Abstract

Theories of work–life balance (WLB) examine the dynamics of the relationship between work and life, but no universally accepted conclusion has yet been achieved. This study examines the effect of leisure time on job performance using first-hand data obtained in a field study in the Chinese manufacturing industry. The results reveal that the relationship between leisure participation and individual job performance presents an inverted U-shaped nonlinear relationship. Endogenous testing and robustness testing also demonstrated the reliability of the findings. In this study, we identified an “opportunity window” which promotes the best individual job performance, with an average daily leisure time threshold of 4.7 h. Our analysis of the underlying mechanism showed that leisure participation has an impact on job performance through physical health and happiness. This study advances the literature on the leisure economy and provides insights into work–life balance and optimal leisure time allocation on a daily basis.