Der Zusammenhang zwischen Führungsverhalten und Gesundheit steht erst seit einiger Zeit verstärkt im Fokus wissenschaftlicher Untersuchungen und die vorliegenden Erkenntnisse zu diesem Thema sind bislang kaum systematisch aufbereitet und zusammengefasst worden. Dieser Artikel versucht, einen zusammenfassenden Überblick über den aktuellen Stand der Forschung zu geben. In einschlägigen Datenbanken wurden 42 Publikationen zum Zusammenhang zwischen Führungsverhalten und der Gesundheit bzw. dem Wohlbefinden von Mitarbeitern gefunden. In der Literatur wird Führungsverhalten sowohl als Stressor als auch als Ressource diskutiert. Die vorliegenden Veröffentlichungen liefern zudem erste empirische Belege zum Einfluss unterschiedlicher Führungsstile auf die Mitarbeitergesundheit. Vor allem eine transformationale und eine mitarbeiterorientierte Führung sind demnach gesundheitsförderlich. Die Frage, in welcher Weise das Führungsverhalten auf die Gesundheit Einfluss nimmt, konnte jedoch noch nicht befriedigend geklärt werden. In den meisten der berücksichtigten Veröffentlichungen wurde ein direkter Zusammenhang unterstellt und mehrheitlich auch empirisch bestätigt. Daneben erscheint aber auch eine indirekte Wirkung möglich, die z. B. über Arbeitsbedingungen und Persönlichkeitsmerkmale moderiert oder mediiert wird. Die relativ kleine Zahl von Untersuchungen zum Einfluss von Führungsverhalten auf Gesundheit und Wohlbefinden von Mitarbeitern zeigt, dass weiterer Forschungsbedarf besteht. The link between leaders’ behaviour and health has only recently been the focus of scientific research and the results which already exist on this topic have, to date, not been systematically evaluated or summarized. The objective of this article is to make an attempt to provide a summarised overview of the current state of research. Subject-related databases list 42 publications dealing with the relationship between leaders’ behaviour and the state of health and well-being of their employees. The literature discusses leaders’ behaviour as being both a stressor (source of stress) and a resource. The publications discussed here also provide the first empirical evidence on the influence of various leadership styles on the health of the employees. In particular, transformational and employee-orientated leadership are considered to be beneficial to health. But the question of how leaders’ behaviour influences health has not been satisfactorily explained. In most of the publications included, a direct link was assumed and, in the majority of cases, confirmed empirically. In addition, it also appears that there may be an indirect influence which may be moderated or mediated by, e. g., working conditions or the personality of the individual. The relatively small number of research examinations into the influence of leaders’ behaviour on the health and well-being of their staff shows that there is a need for additional research.

Due to the decrease in informal care by family members and the demographic development, the importance of professional geriatric care will rise considerably. Aim of this study was to investigate the psychosocial workplace situation for employees in this profession.

Evidence points to an indirect relationship between transformational leadership (TFL) and employee well-being, and numerous work characteristics have been identified as mediators. However, the relative mediating effect of different types of job resources and job demands on the TFL–well-being relationship remains unclear, rendering it impossible to determine which ones are the most influential. This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the relative mediation potential of different work characteristics in the TFL–well-being relationship in multiple three-level meta-analytical structural equation models of 243 samples. Based on the JD–R Model, this study extends this theoretical framework by suggesting TFL as a predisposing variable that influences both job resources and job demands, leading to changes in indicators of both positive and negative employee well-being. The results show that, while all the examined job resources and demands mediated the TFL–well-being relationship, organizational resources were identified as the strongest mediators. Furthermore, job demands had a strong mediating effect on the relationship between TFL and negative well-being, while job resources more strongly mediated TFL and positive well-being. We present a differentiated picture of how transformational leaders can influence their employees’ well-being at the workplace, providing valuable knowledge for future research and practice.

Studies show that high-quality reciprocal relationships between leaders and followers are positively associated with employee well-being. However, the pathways for promoting this health-enhancing leadership behaviour have not yet been well explored, and most studies have been cross-sectional. The primary objective of this study was to examine the effects of the interplay between job-related resources and leader–member exchange (LMX) on employee well-being, measured as the emotional exhaustion component of burnout. We applied a two-wave paper-and-pencil design, with an 11-month interval, in a sample of 343 employees working in the German healthcare sector. By means of structural equation modelling, we found that job-related resources (role clarity, meaningfulness and predictability) predicted higher quality LMX, which in turn related to lower levels of emotional exhaustion. The results support the important role of job resources in stimulating health-relevant aspects of leadership behaviour, and indicate ways in which leaders can promote employee health and well-being.

Social and healthcare workers are at high risk of experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace. Although sexual harassment is detrimental to people’s well-being, only a few studies have systematically investigated social and healthcare workers’ experiences of different forms of sexually harassing behaviors by patients, clients, and residents in Germany. This study aimed to address this gap by determining the prevalence rates and frequency of nonverbal, verbal, and physical sexual harassment by patients, clients, and residents against social and healthcare workers. In addition, we examined the associations of sexual harassment with workers’ well-being and described employees’ awareness of offers of organizational support for sexual harassment prevention and aftercare. Data were collected from n = 901 employees working in a total of 61 facilities, including inpatient and outpatient care, psychiatric facilities, hospitals, and facilities for persons with disabilities. While the prevalence, frequency, and predominant forms of sexual harassment differed across sectors, the results indicated that nonverbal, verbal and physical sexual harassment were highly prevalent in social and healthcare work, with both men and women being affected. Furthermore, we found that sexual harassment was positively related to impaired well-being (e.g., depressiveness and psychosomatic complaints). In terms of support offers for sexual harassment prevention and aftercare, we found that approximately one-third of social and healthcare workers were not aware of any offers at their facilities. In addition to highlighting the problem of sexual harassment by patients, clients, and residents in social and healthcare settings, this study provides recommendations for the development of interventions and suggests several avenues for future research.