Building Meaningful Workplaces: How HRM Practices and Leader Support Promote Voice Behavior

The role of Human Resource Management (HRM) in shaping employee attitudes and behaviors is well-established; however, its influence on the intricacies of work's meaningfulness and voice behavior has not been as thoroughly examined. This study harnesses the conceptual frameworks of Social Exchange Theory and extant leader support literature to investigate the potential of HRM in enhancing employee voice behavior through the mediating role of work's meaningfulness. Furthermore, it assesses how leader support may bolster the effectiveness of the exchange relationship between organizations and their members. Employing data from 851 employees across the United States, our empirical analysis substantiates a mechanism where HRM, work's meaningfulness, and voice behavior are dynamically interwoven. Notably, our findings illuminate that when leader support is high, its moderating role becomes significantly pronounced, magnifying the positive pathways between HRM practices and meaningful work, ultimately enhancing voice behavior. These insights underscore the imperative of nurturing affirmative leader-employee interactions that, alongside efficacious HRM practices, are instrumental in propelling favorable organizational outcomes.