PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AS A PREDICTOR OF CAREER SUCCESS

Career success and physical activity are often treated as two very separate domains.
However, an increasing number of publications indicate that being physically active affects
various aspects of life, including professional work. It is possible to distinguish at least a few
ways in which engaging in sport influences professional work, including the development of
advantageous competencies, such as teamwork skills and the ability to achieve goals. These
competencies allow for the building of social capital and have a positive effect on physical
and mental health. The article examines the relationship between physical activity and career
success in Poland. The research involved the use of the Social Diagnosis database and found
that practicing sport is related to the level of a person’s earnings and their job satisfaction.
These two factors are important because they are indicative of career success. The study
concludes that practicing sport may contribute to career success.

Full text (pdf)

Arthur, M.B., Khapova, S.N., Wilderom, C.P.M. (2005). Career success in a boundaryless
career world. "Journal of Organizational Behavior", 26(2). DOI: 10.1002/job.290
Bailey, R., Hillman, C., Arent, S., Petitpas, A. (2013). Physical activity: an underestimated
investment in human capital? "Journal of Physical Activity & Health", 10. DOI:
10.1123/JPAH.10.3.289.
Barron, J.M., Ewing, B.T., Waddell, G.R. (2000). The effects of high school athletic
participation on education and labor market outcomes. "Review of Economics and Statistics",
82(August). DOI: 10.1162/003465300558902.
Bohdziewicz, P. (2008). Kariery zawodowe w gospodarce opartej na wiedzy. Łódź:
Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego.
Caspersen, C.J., Powell, K.E., Christenson, G.M. (1985). Physical activity, exercise, and
physical fitness: definitions and distinctions for health-related research. "Public Health
Reports", 100(2). DOI: 10.2307/20056429.
Commission of the European Communities. (2007). White Paper on Sport. Access on the
internet: https://eurlex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:
52007DC0391&from=EN.
Czapiński, J., Panek, T. (2015). Diagnoza Społeczna 2015. Access on the internet:
www.diagnoza.com.
Eccles, J.S., Barber, B.L., Stone, M., Hunt, J. (2003). Extracurricular Activities and Adolescent
Development. "Journal of Social Issues", 59(4).
Feldman, D.C., Ng, T.W.H. (2007). Careers: Mobility, embeddedness, and success. "Journal of
Management", 33(3). DOI: 10.1177/0149206307300815.
Gunz, H., Mayrhofer, W. (2011). Re-Konzeptionalisierung von Karriereerfolg: ein kontextbasierter
Ansatz. "Journal for Labour Market Research", 43(3). DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12651-010-0049-z.
Heslin, P.A. (2005). Conceptualizing and evaluating career success. "Journal of Occupational
Health". DOI: 10.1002/job.270.
Judge, T.A., Cable, D.M., Boudreau, J.W., Bretz, R.D. (1995). An Empirical-Investigation of
the Predictors of Executive Career Success. "Personnel Psychology", 48(3). DOI:
10.1111/j.1744-6570.1995.tb01767.x
Kavetsos, G. (2011). The impact of physical activity on employment. "Journal of Socio-
Economics", 40(6). DOI: 10.1016/j.socec.2011.08.011.
Kutwa, K., Rafał, M. (2019). Polski rynek sportu. Polski Instytut Ekonomiczny. Access on the
internet: http://pie.net.pl/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Raport_PIE-Sport-gospodarka.pdf.
Pfeifer, C., Cornelissen, T. (2010). The impact of participation in sports on educational
attainment-New evidence from Germany. "Economics of Education Review", 29(1). DOI:
0.1016/j.econedurev.2009.04.002.
Rooth, D.-O. (2011). Work out or out of work – The labor market return to physical fitness and
leisure sports activities. "Labour Economics", 18(3). DOI: 10.1016/j.labeco. 2010.11.006.

Schomburg, H. (2007). The professional success of higher education graduates. "European
Journal of Education", 42(1). DOI: 10.1111/j.1465-3435.2007.00286.x.
Skinner, J., Zakus, D.H., Cowell, J. (2008). Development through Sport: Building Social Capitał
in Disadvantaged Communities. "Sport Management Review", 11(3).
Spence, M. (1973). Job Market Signaling. "The Quarterly Journal of Economics", 87(3). DOI:
10.2307/1882010.
Swan, J., Hyland, P. (2012). A Review of the Beneficial Mental Health Effects of Exercise and
Recommendations for Future Research. "Psychology & Society", 5(1).
Thogersen-Ntoumani, C., Loughren, E.A., Kinnafick, F.E., Taylor, I.M., Duda, J.L., Fox, K.R.
(2015). Changes in work affect in response to lunchtime walking in previously physically
inactive employees: A randomized trial.