How Does Empathic Leadership Link To Safety Behaviors: The Mediating Role of Belongingness

Abstract

In contemporary healthcare, particularly among nursing staff, there is a notable incidence of occupational accidents linked to safety participation. This research investigated the relationship between empathetic leadership and two key aspects of employee safety behavior—safety involvement and adherence—considering a sense of belonging as an intermediary factor. Data was gathered from 372 nurses across various hospitals over a two-week period. The findings strongly upheld our hypotheses. Empathetic leadership was found to have a positive association with belongingness. Furthermore, belongingness was predictive of both safety adherence and involvement, and it functioned as a mediator in the link between empathetic leadership and safety-related behaviors.. Additionally, our analysis explored the moderating role of social support. The outcomes reveal that to foster safety behaviors, managers in industries that are sensitive to safety, such as the nursing profession, should focus on psychological aspects within the workplace. The study further discusses the implications of these findings for safety interventions and future research.