Conservation of resources perspective on authentic leadership and employeewell-being: The influence of job stress and emotional intelligence.

Background: Health care industriesmust consider their sustainable development, and employee well-being is a crucial environmental, social, and governance indicator that should be prioritized. During events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, information transparency is a concern for health care workers. Authentic leaders can build trust by openly sharing their thoughts and feelings. Understanding how authentic leadership affects employee well-being through job stress and how emotional intelligence reduces job stress is essential for health care workers. Purposes: This study investigated the effect of authentic leadership on employee well-being and considered the mediating role of job stress and moderating role of emotional intelligence in this effect. Methodology/Approach: A time-lagged survey of 452 full-time health care workers (comprising nurses, allied health professionals, and administrative workers) from a general hospital in Taiwan was conducted. Findings: Authentic leadershipwas positively associatedwith employee well-being, and job stressmediated the effects of authentic leadership on employee well-being. Among the employees who perceived leadership to be authentic, those with higher emotional intelligence felt less job stress. Conclusion: From the perspective of conservation of resources theory, authentic leadership was identified as a crucial factor influencing how health care workers reduce job stress and improve theirwell-being. Emotional intelligence was identified as essential in enhancing the effects of authentic leadership on reducing the job stress of health care workers. Practice Implications: Organizations should promote authentic interactions between leaders and followers and provide training for developing authentic leadership. They should also provide training to improve their employees' emotional intelligence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]