Ethical Work Climate and Its Influence on Employee Well-Being, Organizational Citizenship Behaviour, and Leadership
Wandile Vilakazi & Andrisha Beharry-Ramraj 
Issue: Vol. 6 No.12 Article 38 pp.3423 – 3436
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202561238 | Published online 28th November, 2025
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
The concept of ethical work climate has gained significant attention in modern organizational studies due to its impact on employee well-being, job satisfaction, and overall organizational performance. However, there remain critical gaps in understanding the precise mechanisms through which ethical work climate influences key employee behaviours, such as organizational citizenship behaviour, and how ethical leadership shapes this climate. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the relationship between ethical work climate, ethical leadership, and organizational citizenship behaviour, and their collective impact on employee well-being and organizational outcomes. Further, this study assesses how ethical leadership shapes the ethical climate and how this climate influences organizational citizenship behaviour and employee engagement, satisfaction, and performance. To achieve this objective, the study used a desktop research method to collect secondary data from publications relevant to the study using keywords. It was found that a positive ethical environment, grounded in justice, accountability, and integrity, significantly enhances employee motivation, engagement, and job satisfaction, driving superior organizational outcomes. Conversely, a deficient ethical climate fosters stress, erodes trust, and undermines performance. It was also found that ethical leaders who model transparency, accountability, and ethical decision-making create a culture in which employees feel empowered, valued and safe to raise concerns without fear of retribution. This leadership fosters a climate of trust, which is directly linked to higher organizational commitment and satisfaction. Organisations were recommended to have ethical leadership development and training initiatives. Additionally, align performance metrics with ethical standards and promote a culture of psychological safety.
Keywords: Ethical Work Climate, Ethical Leadership, Organizational Citizenship Behaviour, Employee Well-Being, Organizational Commitment
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Wandile Vilakazi is a student at the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Law and Management, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 3629, South Africa.
Andrisha Beharry-Ramraj is a Senior lecturer at Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Law and Management, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 3629, South Africa.
Vilakazi, Wandile, and Andrisha Beharry-Ramraj,“ Ethical Work Climate and Its Influence on Employee Well-Being, Organizational Citizenship Behaviour, and Leadership,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 6, no. 12 (2025): 3423 – 3436, https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202561238.
© 2025 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
