Work and life away from work: Predictors of faculty satisfaction

As one aspect of a study on faculty career development, relationships between work and life away from work were explored for 112 faculty members. The sample, from one department in the humanities and one in the natural sciences and from two professional schools, was stratified by academic rank and sex. The study employed in-depth interviews followed by questionnaires. Results of regression analyses indicated that both aspects of work and life outside of work were related to work satisfaction; likewise, work as well as nonwork conditions were associated with satisfaction in life away from work. Second, work and aspects of life away from work exerted indirect effects on life satisfaction. Finally, and unlike the general population, academics appeared to experience a high degree of spillover between work and life away from work.