Determining factors in the perception of corporate sport: Quantitative evidence from the employee’s perspective

Background The growing trend towards remote working and the resulting increase in sedentary lifestyles have exacerbated certain tensions in the workplace and affected employees’ emotional well-being; as a result, corporate sport has established itself as an organizational response aimed at addressing these issues. However, its effectiveness is linked to how employees perceive it, rather than simply its existence. Based on this premise, this study assessed employees’ perceptions of corporate sport policies, strategies and activities across Colombian companies in various sectors and examined their association with actual participation, operational barriers and the perceived benefits for employees’ performance. Methods To this end, a quantitative, non-experimental, correlational, and cross-sectional approach was adopted, based on the Perceived Organizational Support Theory, Self-Determination Theory, and the biopsychosocial model of occupational health. In Colombia, a structured electronic questionnaire—validated by expert judgment and with an internal consistency greater than 0.80—was administered to 1,198 employees; Pearson’s chi-square test with the phi coefficient and Spearman’s Rho correlation were used. Results The study shows that, whilst 74.37% report that sports facilities are provided by their organization and 95.24% attribute a positive impact on their physical and mental health to these facilities, 32.55% do not participate; this gap is explained by structural constraints, as 29.30% consider the flexibility of working hours to be insufficient, 23.79% perceive a lack of management interest and 22.04% rate the facilities as inadequate, whilst future demand is shifting towards virtual and hybrid formats and sports with a low competitive element. Conclusions It is concluded that corporate sport enjoys virtually unanimous legitimacy, but participation is limited by time, infrastructure and leadership by example; therefore, there is an urgent need to move away from superficial wellbeing towards flexible, hybrid and multi-level ecosystems that preserve employees’ autonomy.