Leadership Styles as Predictors of Job Involvement and Burnout among Bank Employees in Pakistan

Leadership plays a vital role in shaping employee well-being and performance, particularly in high-pressure service sectors such as banking. This study examined the impact of transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles on job involvement and job burnout among bank employees in Sialkot, Pakistan. Using a cross-sectional design, data were collected from 173 employee’s response rate = 86.5% through two-stage cluster sampling. Standardized instruments, including the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, Kanungo Job Involvement Scale, and Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, were employed. Regression analyses indicated that transformational leadership significantly predicted job involvement ΔR² = .110, F = 3.41 while transactional leadership accounted for an additional 6% of variance ΔR² = .061, F = 3.66. Transformational leadership also predicted job burnout ΔR² = .067, F = 2.41, whereas transactional leadership explained 6.3% of variance in burnout ΔR² = .063, F = 4.83, p < .05. Laissez-faire leadership demonstrated a significant negative association with burnout β = –.52. Moreover, job involvement positively predicted burnout β = .31, reflecting the cultural reality of Pakistani banks where strong work commitment often coexists with high occupational stress. These findings underscore the importance of effective leadership in enhancing employee engagement while mitigating burnout. The study contributes to the limited literature on leadership and employee well-being in Pakistan and suggests that organizations should promote transformational and transactional leadership practices to sustain workforce motivation and reduce stress.