{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,13]],"date-time":"2026-01-13T23:39:42Z","timestamp":1768347582200,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,9]],"date-time":"2026-01-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1767916800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Occupational Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study examines how Empowering (EL), Responsible (RL), and Ethical Leadership (EtL) relate to employees\u2019 perceptions of Decent Work (DW) in a Portuguese public university, using the Job Demands\u2013Resources (JD-R) framework. DW, defined by dignity, equity, and security, was assessed across seven dimensions. A total of 226 faculty, researchers, and staff completed validated measures of EL, RL, EtL, and DW. Results showed moderate to strong positive correlations between leadership styles and DW, especially for Fundamental Principles and Values at Work (DW1), Fulfilling and Productive Work (DW3), and Health and Safety (DW7). EL displayed the strongest associations with fairness, inclusion, and psychological safety, while RL and EtL were more closely linked to accountability and ethical climate. Analyses by role and education revealed systematic asymmetries, with leaders and highly educated employees reporting more favorable experiences. High intercorrelations among leadership styles (r \u2248 0.87\u20130.90) suggest an integrated values-based leadership pattern. In contrast, weaker associations with structural dimensions such as workload and social protection highlight the limits of leadership influence on DW. These findings advance research on DW in higher education and underscore leadership development as a lever for institutional justice and well-being.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/occuphealth1010005","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,9]],"date-time":"2026-01-09T16:03:16Z","timestamp":1767974596000},"page":"5","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Exploring the Relationship Between Leadership Styles and Decent Work in Higher Education"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"1","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4608-9883","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Helena","family":"Matos","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive and Behavioral Intervention (CINEICC), Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3000-115 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1564-8120","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nuno Rebelo","family":"dos Santos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Centre in Education and Psychology (CIEP-U\u00c9), School of Social Sciences, University of \u00c9vora, 7002-554 \u00c9vora, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Leonor","family":"Pais","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive and Behavioral Intervention (CINEICC), Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3000-115 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Bruno","family":"de Sousa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive and Behavioral Intervention (CINEICC), Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3000-115 Coimbra, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"International Labour Organization (1999). 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