Relationship between work life, leisure and holiday preferences

Purpose of this study is to measure the four assumptions of the Spillover and Compensation Theories, the primary theories developed in order to test the work life-leisure correlation, adopting a method suitable to the structures of the theories. While doing so, the goal has been to test the opinion that work life can affect touristic preferences as a leisure, taking into account the theoretical correlation between leisure motivation and tourism motivation, and hence, the theoretical and methodological framework of this study has been shaped accordingly. Within this scope, Job Characteristics Scale, Job Characteristics Satisfaction Scale and Leisure Motivation Scale have been implemented on occupational groups that are assumed to involve certain job characteristics and satisfaction levels. As a result of the tests; while assumptions of the Negative Spillover Theory have been rejected, assumptions of the Reactive Compensation Theory have been supported, and it has been proved that the Reactive Compensation Theory has a dominant structure over the Negative Spillover Theory. Furthermore, while no supportive evidence has been attained in testing the Positive Spillover Theory, strong supportive results have only been achieved in the tests towards the Supplemental Compensation Theory. On the other hand, in the tests comparing the Positive Spillover and Supplemental Compensation Theories, assumption of the Supplemental Compensation Theory has been supported, and it has been concluded that the assumption of such theory has had a dominance over that of the Positive Spillover Theory. Keywords: Spillover and Compensation Theories, Leisure, Work Life, Leisure Motivation, Job Characteristics, Touristic Preferences, Personality Theory.