Pleasant music and voice behavior in the workplace: The mediating role of psychological safety

Although the importance of music for individuals has long been recognized, the effect of music on employee behavior in the workplace has not yet been fully realized. We developed a theoretical model emphasizing the mediating role of psychological safety in the relationship between pleasant music and voice behavior. A survey was conducted with 241 hotel employees in China. Structural equation modeling analysis results show that pleasant music was positively related to psychological safety, which was positively related to voice behavior. Further, psychological safety fully mediated the relationship between pleasant music and voice behavior. We discuss the implications of our findings to understand the mechanisms through which pleasant music boosts employees’ voice behavior, and suggest future research directions.