Am not contented at work: unraveling socially responsible leadership and psychological safety on job satisfaction in Ugandan public universities

Purpose This study aims to examine the mediating effect of psychological safety on the relationship between socially responsible leadership and job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional design was used to obtain quantitative data from staff of 214 public universities in Uganda. The authors used Mplus to conduct structural equation modeling (SEM) for this study. Questionnaires were used to collect data. Findings Socially responsible leadership and psychological safety have a significant positive direct effect on job satisfaction. Further psychological safety significantly mediates the relationship between socially responsible leadership and job satisfaction. Practical implications Psychological safety and socially responsible leadership have been found to be important factors in determining how satisfied employees are at work. Furthermore, psychological safety is essential for creating a supportive workplace culture where staff members may freely voice their opinions without worrying about unfavorable consequences. Having a sense of security at work may boost job happiness. It is crucial to remember that there may be a complex link between these elements and job happiness, one that is influenced by a number of other variables including organizational culture, personal traits of employees and the unique circumstances of the Ugandan workplace. Originality/value This study contributes theoretically to the examination on the relationship between socially responsible leadership and job satisfaction. This study examined the role of psychological safety as a mediator in the relationship between socially responsible leadership and job satisfaction. Moreover, it has significant effects on the development of literature about socially responsible leadership, psychological safety and job satisfaction in Ugandan public universities.