The Relationship Between Empathetic Leadership and Psychological Safety at a Hypermarket Company in Selangor

Abstract

This study examines the relationship of empathetic leadership and psychological safety in a hypermarket located in Selangor, Malaysia. Psychological safety is critical in the retail industry, where employees tend not to speak up and share ideas for fear of getting negative reactions from their supervisors. A quantitative method was conducted, and a sample of 120 non-managerial employees was taken by simple random sampling through a structured questionnaire. Empathetic leadership was assessed by the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), and psychological safety was measured through the Psychological Safety Scale by Edmondson (1999). The results of descriptive and inferential analyses showed that employees perceived high levels of empathetic leadership and psychological safety at work. This indicated a strong positive correlation between these two variables. Those leaders who exhibit empathy by perceiving and responding to employees’ emotions apparently contribute to promoting a psychologically safe atmosphere at work, which makes employees feel comfortable to share ideas, make open communication and collaborate. It emphasises the need for empathic leadership to improve employees' well-being and produce better communication and workplace climate and offers valuable information for retail organisations in Malaysia that wish to create a more supportive and psychologically safe workplace.