The Impact of Health-Oriented Leadership on Employees’ Psychological Well-Being: The Mediating Role of Psychological Safety
Keywords:
Health-oriented leadership, psychological well-being, psychological safety, employee mental health, thematic analysis, organizational leadershipAbstract
This study aimed to explain how health-oriented leadership affects employees’ psychological well-being and to identify the mediating role of psychological safety in this process. This qualitative study employed an inductive thematic analysis approach. The participants were 22 employees working in public and private organizations in Tehran, Iran, who were selected through purposive maximum-variation sampling. Eligibility criteria included at least two years of work experience, a minimum of one year of collaboration with the current direct supervisor, and willingness to describe experiences related to leadership, psychological health, and workplace relationships. Data were collected exclusively through individual semi-structured interviews lasting between 45 and 75 minutes. Sampling continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. No substantively new theme emerged after the twentieth interview, and two additional interviews were conducted to confirm saturation. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, imported into NVivo 14, and analyzed through familiarization, initial coding, theme construction, theme review, definition, and naming. Member reflection, peer review, an audit trail, reflexive documentation, and thick contextual description were used to strengthen trustworthiness. Four main categories emerged from the data: “observable health-oriented care,” “psychological safety as a relational bridge,” “restoration of psychological resources and well-being,” and “facilitating or inhibiting contextual conditions.” Participants reported that genuine managerial attention to workload, nonjudgmental listening, confidentiality, tolerance of mistakes, fair treatment, and respect for work–life boundaries increased their psychological safety. This sense of safety enabled employees to express concerns, ask for assistance, disclose limitations, and behave authentically without anticipating humiliation or retaliation. Psychological safety subsequently promoted well-being by reducing anticipatory anxiety, strengthening perceived worth, restoring emotional energy, improving interpersonal relationships, and enhancing meaningfulness at work. Conversely, symbolic care, inconsistent managerial behavior, favoritism, excessive workload, and punitive organizational practices interrupted this process. Health-oriented leadership appeared to influence employee well-being not only through direct health-supportive actions but also by communicating interpersonal signals of respect, acceptance, and protection from punishment. Psychological safety functioned as the principal experiential mechanism connecting leadership behavior to psychological well-being. Organizations should therefore integrate health-oriented leadership development with nonpunitive communication systems, realistic workload management, confidential support procedures, and organizational policies that visibly prioritize employee psychological health.
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