THE IMPACT OF ETHICAL CLIMATE AND WORKLOAD ON PHYSICAL HEALTH: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF MENTAL HEALTH

Abstract

Employees' health plays an important role in their ability to work and contribute to their organization, particularly as mental health issues are becoming increasingly common. Furthermore, mental health is closely correlated with physical health. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of ethical climate (as a job resource) and workload (as a job demand) on employees' mental and physical health. Data were collected from 276 employees working at state-owned enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City, and quantitative methods were employed for analysis. The analysis results show that ethical climate and workload directly affect mental health. In addition, workload moderates the relationship between ethical climate and mental health. Finally, mental health mediates the relationship between the above factors and physical health. The findings of this study expand the knowledge on how job characteristics impact employee health and offer to managerial implications for businesses seeking solutions to prevent and improve employee health.