Anyone hoping that after the year 2000 work will be virtually abolished and leisure time will constitute the true essence of life will be surprised by the BAT Leisure Research Institute's outlook on the future. The new study, "How will we work after the year 2000?", presented in Hamburg to mark the institute's 10th anniversary, predicts that the traditional work virtues of diligence, conscientiousness, and ambition will continue to dominate working life well into the next millennium.

A fulfilling life is only possible for those who are also willing to work in a performance-oriented manner. The reasoning: Leisure time, if it is to be truly satisfying, will always cost money. And – even more importantly – people's well-being will increasingly depend on the enjoyment of life during leisure time and at work.

A challenge for the future: More quality of life at work

Professor Dr. Horst W. Opaschowski, scientific director of the BAT Leisure Research Institute, therefore expects the major change not in leisure time, but in working life, "which will take on a new quality." While leisure values remained high throughout the 1980s and showed only slight increases, the positive feeling about work is rising rapidly. This was the finding of a recent replication of a representative survey conducted by the BAT Institute in 1981 among 400 and 600 working people aged 16 to 59.

Today, work offers more opportunities for self-realization, personal advancement, and the implementation of one's own ideas. And the possibilities for achieving something at work and facing challenges have also increased significantly in recent years.

The majority of working people even find work (59 percent) more interesting than leisure time (53 percent). In the early 1980s, the opposite was true. This means that the multitude of attractive leisure activities cannot compete with interesting and meaningful work. Particularly encouraging is the fact that a good third of those surveyed are already "truly happy" with their work, something that only one in ten employees would say eight years ago.

Younger generation as pacesetters

The attitude of the younger generation towards work, in particular, offers a glimpse into the future of professional life. Those aged 20 to 29 already find their work more satisfying and fulfilling than the 50- to 59-year-old generation. The new trend: socializing and having fun are essential. Younger people expect the same level of enjoyment in their work life that they already find in their leisure time. The old adage "work before pleasure" is outdated; it originated with the older generation, who only knew work. Work truly offers quality of life when it also includes enjoyment. And this, of course, doesn't mean a decrease in performance.

According to Hamburg leisure researchers, this attitude sets the course for the future. The influence of leisure on work will continue to grow and change professional demands. Self-reliance, spontaneity, and social contacts will transfer to the workplace.

The counterpart to this, the humanization of the workplace, is also progressing. This not only concerns work methods and employee management. Design and style, essential attributes of leisure time, also influence the work atmosphere.

High-quality workplace equipment is becoming increasingly important.

A new generation of employees is emerging, one that, despite its diligence, is also cheerful. They demand joy, openness, consideration, and tolerance in their professional lives – all values that dominate leisure time. Conversely, qualities such as creativity and social skills are increasingly expected in the workplace. Material and qualitative incentives will be equally important in the future. Both will determine job satisfaction and...
Achievement motivation includes fun, money, meaning in work, time, and status.

Professor Opaschowski's conclusion: "Don't be afraid of work in 2000. It will be perceived and experienced differently than today. Whether in a double-breasted suit or casual clothes, in the office and in the factory of the future, work will continue to be just as intensive, but spontaneous reactions, unconventional thinking, and joyful laughter will also be encouraged. In the future, work and leisure need not be opposites, and performance and enjoyment need not be contradictory."„