The Role of Leader Communication in Fostering Respectful Workplace Culture and Increasing Employee Engagement and Well-Being
Abstract
Although communication is commonly recognized as an indispensable element of leadership, less is known about how leadership communication interacts with workplace respect to affect employee outcomes. We surveyed 1,512 U.S. working adults to test a model that examines the relationship of leadership communication, two types of workplace respect, and occupational resilience with employee engagement and well-being. We found that leadership communication was not associated with employee engagement and well-being; however, it was positively related to respectful engagement (generalized respect extended to employees because they are part of the organization) and autonomous respect (individualized respect that recognizes specific achievements). Leadership communication was negatively associated with occupational resilience, while employee engagement and well-being were positively associated with occupational resilience, respectful engagement, and autonomous respect. Our findings indicate that leadership communication contributes to a respectful workplace culture that then positively affects employee engagement and well-being.
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Biographies
Justin F. Willett, MHA, is a program director at the Novak Leadership Institute and a strategic communication doctoral student at the Missouri School of Journalism. His research focuses on health advertising, leadership communication, and consumer and employee well-being.
Danielle LaGree, PhD, is an assistant professor of strategic communications at Kansas State University. Her research examines how early-career professionals are socialized into the strategic communications field, with particular emphasis on organizational socialization, career adaptability, and communicative leadership.
Haejung Shin, PhD, is an assistant professor of communication and digital media production at the University of Central Missouri. Her research focuses on the role of media and communications in individuals’ perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors in the context of disaster, risk, and crisis.
J. Brian Houston, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Communication and director of the Disaster and Community Crisis Center, University of Missouri. His research focuses on communication at all phases of disasters and on relationships between communication and resilience.
Margaret Duffy, PhD, is a professor of strategic communication at the Missouri School of Journalism and executive director of the Novak Leadership Institute. Her research focuses on leadership and persuasion, organizational behavior, and visual communication.
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Article first published online: August 30, 2023
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