The sequential association of perceived organizational injustice and employee silence between psychosocial issues and health and well-being

Purpose Psychosocial factors can be a potential cause of adverse health and well-being. Previous studies have focused on mitigating the influence of psychosocial factors on health and well-being. However, the psychological factors that affect health and well-being have been overlooked in earlier studies. Therefore, this study aims to examine the sequential mechanism of perceived organizational injustice and employee silence between psychosocial factors and the health and well-being of employees. Design/methodology/approach This study used a cross-sectional survey design to collect data from office employees working in Malaysia. The analysis was conducted on 399 responses using the Process Macro in SPSS. Findings The results showed that psychosocial factors positively influence perceived organizational injustice, leading to employees' silence, which in turn negatively affects the health and well-being of employees. Additionally, perceived organizational injustice and employee silence were found to be sequentially associated with psychosocial factors and employee health and well-being. Originality/value Psychosocial factors serve as stimuli that shape employees' perceptions of unfair treatment, resulting in a reluctance to speak up. This silence can ultimately diminish employees' health and well-being. This study provides practical evidence of the impact of psychosocial factors on health and well-being, suggesting potential solutions in transparent organizational systems and promoting open communication.