Supervisor support and work engagement: The mediating role of psychological safety in a post-restructuring business organisation

Abstract

The present study aimed to examine employee perceptions of supervisor support, psychological safety, and work engagement in a restructuring mining organisation. Participants were 253 employees of a South African mining organisation (male = 65%; African = 57%; skilled supervisory technicians = 44%; and employees with 10–15 years’ experience = 23%). They completed self-report measures of supervisor support, psychological safety, and work engagement. Following structural equation modelling, results indicated that employee perception of improvement in supervisor support enhance both psychological safety and work engagement amongst retained employees. The results further indicated psychological safety to mediate the relationship between supervisor support and work engagement, thereby confirming the importance of psychological safety amongst retained employees. Psychological safety and work engagement would be important to workforce adaptation with business organisation restructuring.