Predicting Employee Voice Behavior Based on Ethical Leadership and Organizational Justice: The Mediating Role of Psychological Safety

Laura Sánchez Romero; Aisha Mohammed; Selin Karaca

Authors

Laura Sánchez Romero Department of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain Author https://orcid.org/0009-0001-0988-942X
Aisha Mohammed Department of Leadership and Organizational Change, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada Corresponding Author https://orcid.org/0009-0009-4203-1706
Selin Karaca Department of Business Administration and Management, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey Author https://orcid.org/0009-0004-6498-7526

Keywords:

Employee Voice Behavior, Ethical Leadership, Organizational Justice, Psychological Safety, Structural Equation Modeling, Canada

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to predict employee voice behavior based on ethical leadership and organizational justice and to examine the mediating role of psychological safety among employees working in Canada.

Methods and Materials: This cross-sectional correlational study was conducted in 2026 among employees working in public and private organizations in Canada. A total of 326 employees were included in the final analysis. Data were collected using the Ethical Leadership Scale, Colquitt’s Organizational Justice Scale, Edmondson’s Psychological Safety Scale, and the Employee Voice Behavior Scale. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics and AMOS. Pearson correlation analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling were used to examine the proposed relationships. The mediating effects were tested using a bootstrap procedure with 5,000 resamples and bias-corrected 95% confidence intervals.

Findings: Ethical leadership significantly predicted psychological safety (β = .32, p < .001) and employee voice behavior (β = .14, p = .013). Organizational justice also significantly predicted psychological safety (β = .45, p < .001) and employee voice behavior (β = .17, p = .007). Psychological safety significantly predicted employee voice behavior (β = .50, p < .001). The indirect effect of ethical leadership on employee voice behavior through psychological safety was significant (β = .16, 95% CI [.10, .24], p < .001), as was the indirect effect of organizational justice through psychological safety (β = .23, 95% CI [.16, .34], p < .001). The structural model showed acceptable fit, χ²/df = 2.20, CFI = .93, TLI = .92, IFI = .93, RMSEA = .061, and SRMR = .055.

Conclusion: Ethical leadership and organizational justice contribute to greater employee voice behavior both directly and indirectly by strengthening psychological safety, indicating that employees are more likely to speak up constructively when they experience ethical supervision, fair organizational treatment, and a safe interpersonal climate.

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