The role of female managers in enhancing employee well-being: a path through workplace resources

Purpose Following the job demands-resources theory, this study aims to investigate the role of female managers in enhancing employee well-being in terms of psychological health via workplace resources. Design/methodology/approach Based on a large-scale job stress survey of approximately 96,000 employee-year observations ranging from 2017 to 2019, this study applies structural equation modeling to construct latent workplace resources at the task, group and worksite levels and then examines the impact of female managers on employee well-being, including occupational stress, job satisfaction, work engagement and workplace cohesiveness. Findings The findings provide supporting evidence for the transformational leadership behaviors of female managers. The presence of women in management is associated with improved workplace resources and employee well-being, particularly workplace cohesiveness, work engagement and reduced occupational stress. These relationships are significantly mediated by workplace resources, which elucidates the underlying mechanisms involved. Notably, the positive indirect effects via workplace resources could counteract the negative direct effects of female managers. Compared with top managers, female middle managers have more substantial impacts. Practical implications In practice, it is recommended to promote female representation at the management level and strengthen policies that support female middle managers to ensure favorable effects on workplace resources. In a gender-diverse management team, it is important to share female managers’ experiences in improving employee psychological well-being. Originality/value This study provides new empirical evidence to support the transformational leadership behaviors of female managers and elucidates the mechanism of female managers’ influence on employee well-being by introducing workplace resources as mediators.