Responsible leadership: fostering employee engagement through positive emotional climate

Purpose Employee engagement is crucial for organizational success, yet it has become increasingly challenging, particularly post-COVID-19. Research highlights that engaged employees contribute significantly to organizational performance, driving productivity, creativity and commitment. This paper aims to explore the role of emotional climate and responsible leadership in fostering engagement. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 100 employees across various organizations using an online survey. Participants completed questions on demographic, work-related factors and measures of responsible leadership, emotional climate and employees' engagement. Multiple regression analyses tested the relationships between responsible leadership, emotional climate and engagement, while mediation analysis explored the three-way relationship across variables. Findings This study demonstrates a significant positive relationship between responsible leadership and employees' engagement. Responsible leadership, characterized by ethical behavior, transparency and stakeholder focus, fosters employee engagement. Additionally, the study highlights responsible leadership's role in enhancing organizational emotional climate, with dimensions like moral person and moral manager driving this effect. Such leadership promotes fairness and ethical standards, cultivating a positive climate. The findings show that emotional climate directly impacts engagement, for example, encouraging risk-taking, creativity and deeper involvement. Finally, emotional climate was found to mediate the relationship between responsible leadership and engagement, emphasizing the importance of ethical and socially sustainable practices in modern organizations. Originality/value By investigating the dynamic interplay between responsible leadership and emotional climate, this study seeks to advance understanding of how their combined influence shapes employee engagement and organizational performance, thereby addressing a notable gap in the existing literature.