ORIGINAL PAPER
Trust in the organization as a mediator in the relationship of good organizational context with employee well-being
 
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1
SWPS University, Warsaw, Poland (Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Law in Poznań)
 
2
SWPS University, Warsaw, Poland (Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology in Katowice)
 
3
Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland
 
 
Online publication date: 2025-09-04
 
 
Corresponding author
Agnieszka Czerw   

SWPS University, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Law in Poznań, Gen. T. Kutrzeby 10, 61-719 Poznań, Poland
 
 
 
HIGHLIGHTS
  • Trust fully mediates between organizational context and employee well-being.
  • Institutional trust matters more than peer trust for workplace well-being.
  • Value congruence drives trust more than rewards or fairness.
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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)
eISSN:1896-494X
ISSN:1232-1087
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