Trust in the organization as a mediator in the relationship of good organizational context with employee well-being.

Abstract

Objectives: This study examined whether trust in supervisor, co-workers, and the organization mediates the relationship between organizational context and employee well-being. The research aimed to identify which components of trust have the strongest mediating effect, which organizational context elements are most strongly related to trust, and which dimensions of well-being are best explained by this model.

Material and methods: The study involved 1113 employees from various Polish organizations, averaging 45 years of age, with 41% having higher education. Participants completed questionnaires measuring areas of worklife, authentic leadership, trust propensity, trust in supervisors, trust in co-workers, trust in organization, workplace well-being, job satisfaction, and work stress. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze relationships between 3 latent variables: well-functioning organization (WFO), full trust in the organization (FTO), and well-being in the workplace (WB).

Results: The best-fitting model showed that full trust in the organization completely mediates the relationship between a WFO and WB. The WFO explained 90% of the variance in FTO. The WFO most strongly explained trust in the organization as a whole (81%) and trust in supervisors (68%), with weaker explanation of trust in coworkers (37%). The FTO explained 87% of the variance in WB, which in turn was strongly associated with job satisfaction (70% of variance) and negatively with work stress (34% of variance).

Conclusions: A wellfunctioning organization characterized by value congruence, fair rewards, recognition, authentic leadership, and supportive peer groups strongly influences full organizational trust, which in turn enhances well-being and job satisfaction while reducing work stress. Trust serves as a complete mediator between organizational context and employee well-being, with trust in the organization and in supervisors playing particularly important roles in this relationship. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2025;38(4).