The Effect of Safety Leadership and Safety Climate on Healthcare Workers’ Life Satisfaction: The Mediating Roles of Compensation and Job Satisfaction

Abstract

This study examines the effects of safety leadership and safety climate on healthcare workers’ life satisfaction and evaluates compensation and job satisfaction as mediating mechanisms at RSUD Bahteramas, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted among 250 healthcare workers selected from a population of 666 employees. Data were collected using a structured five-point Likert questionnaire and analyzed with partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS 4.1.1.6. The measurement model demonstrated strong reliability and convergent validity, with factor loadings ranging from 0.886 to 0.986, Cronbach’s alpha from 0.965 to 0.989, composite reliability from 0.971 to 0.991, and average variance extracted from 0.850 to 0.949. Safety leadership did not directly affect life satisfaction (β = 0.048, p = 0.226), but positively affected compensation (β = 0.577, p < 0.001) and negatively affected job satisfaction (β = −0.217, p = 0.001). Safety climate also had no direct effect on life satisfaction (β = 0.052, p = 0.290), while positively affecting compensation (β = 0.464, p < 0.001) and negatively affected job satisfaction (β = −0.381, p < 0.001). Compensation strongly predicted life satisfaction (β = 0.782, p < 0.001), whereas job satisfaction did not (β = −0.059, p = 0.146). Compensation fully mediated the effects of both safety leadership (β = 0.452, p < 0.001) and safety climate (β = 0.363, p < 0.001) on life satisfaction; job satisfaction did not mediate either relationship. These findings identify compensation as the principal mechanism linking workplace safety conditions with healthcare workers’ overall life satisfaction.