Employer-Sponsored Sports Programs Amid COVID-19: The Approach of Social Capital.

Objective: To examine the effect of bridging social capital through sports programs on the job insecurity-well-being relationship.

Methods: A total of 473 Korean employees participated in a cross-sectional survey in May 2020. Using structural equation modeling, we tested the following hypotheses: (a) job insecurity will partially mediate the relationship between perceived threat and well-being and (b) social capital through sports programs will moderate the relationship between job insecurity and well-being. Socioeconomic status was used as a control variable for well-being.

Results: The hypothesized relationships in the structural model were all significant (P < .001). Bridging social capital through sports programs had a significant moderating effect on the proposed relationship.

Conclusions: Strong bridging social capital through employer-sponsored sports programs is likely to buffer the detrimental effect of job insecurity on employee well-being.