Leisure at Work, Who can Resist? An investigation into Workplace Resistance by Leisure Service Employees

Abstract

This article compares and contrasts the findings of two case studies examining the prevalence and manifestations of resistance within the leisure industry. This study was based on workplace experience over a number of years and supported by thirty-six semi-structured interviews with employees at all levels of the two organisations studied. The author predicted that there would be a number of factors contributing to the employees resisting managerial controls. It was expected that the size of the organisation would, in part, determine managerial style. Managerial style would, in turn, influence employee perceptions of what were appropriate behaviours while in the workplace. However, the employment history and expectations of key managerial staff prove to be interesting complications in one case. It was found that in one organisation where middle-management culture was one of resistance to upper-managerial approaches, so-called deviant behaviours became more covert and damaging.