THE IMPACT OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES ON THE WORK MOTIVATION OF OFFICE WORKERS IN HO CHI MINH CITY

THE IMPACT OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON THE WORK MOTIVATION OF OFFICE WORKERS IN HO CHI MINH CITY

Abstract

The study examines the impact of physical exercise (PE) activities on work motivation among office employees in Ho Chi Minh City, while testing the mediating roles of positive spirit (PS), sense of belonging (SOB), and work–life balance (WLB). Data were collected from 284 valid survey responses from office employees in Ho Chi Minh City. Measurement analysis techniques and structural modeling (CFA/SEM) were employed to test the hypotheses. SEM results indicate that PE has a positive effect on PS (β = 0.304; p < 0.001) and WLB (β = 0.351; p < 0.001), while WLB strongly influences work motivation (β = 0.613; p < 0.001). However, relationships involving SOB and the PS → work motivation path were statistically insignificant. The only significant indirect effect was PE → WLB → work motivation (β = 0.151; p = 0.013), confirming that WLB serves as an important transmission mechanism through which the benefits of PE are transformed into work motivation. The model explains approximately 40% of the variance in work motivation (R² = 0.400). The findings suggest that organizations should design PE activities aligned with goals to enhance work–life balance in order to sustainably improve employee motivation.