Exploring the Role of Team Leisure Sports in Enhancing Occupational Commitment and Sustainability Among Construction Workers: A Focus on Team Cohesion

In the context of high turnover rates in the construction industry, team leisure sports activities have been increasingly promoted, with growing attention on their potential impact on the sustainability of construction workers’ occupational commitment. However, there is a lack of systematic research on the mechanism through which team sports promote occupational commitment. This study explores how team leisure sports activities enhance the sustainability of construction workers’ occupational commitment through the mediating effect of team cohesion, integrating perspectives from social psychology and organizational behavior. Data were collected from 509 Chinese construction workers using a structured questionnaire. The results revealed the following: (1) Four dimensions of team sports experience—social interaction quality, emotional engagement, team culture perception, and work pressure relief—positively affected workers’ commitment to sustainability. (2) Team cohesion mediated the relationship between the team sports experience and sustainability. This study provides insights into career sustainability in the construction industry and highlights the importance of team cohesion in enhancing workers’ professional commitment. The findings offer practical implications for optimizing team-building and human resource management strategies, with a focus on retaining employees in the construction industry.