Organisational Conditions for Healthcare Workers' Wellbeing: The Roles of Leadership, Social Climate and Psychosocial Safety Climate
Huijuan Dong, Sudong Shang, Jane Gifkins, Adrian Wilkinson, Xi Wen Chan, Paula BroughABSTRACT
Aim
To assess a comprehensive model linking servant leadership, health‐promoting leadership, workplace social climate, psychosocial safety climate, work conditions and healthcare workers' wellbeing.
Design
A cross‐sectional survey design.
Methods
A total of 1563 healthcare workers completed a survey between 2024 and 2025. Structural equation modelling was employed to test the hypothesised relationships.
Results
Servant leadership, health‐promoting leadership and workplace social climate were positively associated with healthcare workers' perceptions of psychosocial safety climate. Higher levels of psychosocial safety climate were linked to lower cognitive job demands and greater job resources, including job control, supervisor support and colleague support. These work conditions were associated with lower psychological strain and turnover intention, as well as higher job satisfaction and work engagement. Unexpectedly, cognitive job demands were positively related to work engagement, suggesting that cognitively challenging work may be perceived as meaningful and motivating in healthcare settings.
Conclusions
Supportive leadership and a positive workplace social climate are important correlates of psychosocial safety climate, which was associated with healthier work conditions and better wellbeing among healthcare workers. In addition, the findings suggest that certain job demands may play a motivational as well as a straining role in healthcare contexts.
Implications
Strengthening leadership practices and cultivating a supportive workplace social climate help healthcare organisations foster psychosocial safety climate and improve work conditions for healthcare workers. Enhancing these conditions supports healthcare workers' wellbeing and is associated with more sustainable healthcare workplaces.
Reporting Method
The STROBE checklist.
Patient or Public Contribution
No patient or public contribution.