Nurse leaders' work‐related well‐being—Relationships to a superior's transformational leadership style and structural empowerment

AIMS: To describe how nurse leaders' work‐related well‐being is related to a superior's transformational leadership style and structural empowerment. BACKGROUND: The demanding role of nurse leader means that these professionals experience emotional exhaustion and challenges with work–life balance. They can also be influenced by the leadership style of their own superiors. METHODS: A cross‐sectional questionnaire using two internationally validated scales, namely, the Transformational Leadership Scale and Conditions For Work Effectiveness Questionnaire‐II, was used. Statistical methods were applied during data analysis. RESULTS: A total of 155 nurse leaders participated completed the questionnaire. The participants' work‐related well‐being scores ranged from 8 to 10. The participants felt that their superiors employ transformational leadership. The dimension of feedback and rewards received the lowest scores, whereas the nurse leaders reported moderate overall empowerment levels. A nurse leader's work‐related well‐being was positively correlated with structural empowerment and their superior's leadership style. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the fact that nurse leaders reported relatively high levels of work‐related well‐being, more attention should be paid on the feedback and rewards and on the support of superiors as they positively influence the work‐related well‐being. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Transformational leadership should be supported in organisations and through education as it strengthens work‐related well‐being and structural empowerment of nurse leaders.