Employee well-being has become an important concern within the South African healthcare sector, where demanding working conditions, workforce pressures, ethical challenges, and organisational constraints may adversely affect healthcare professionals. This study proposes to examine the relationship between ethical leadership, organisational culture, and employee well-being among healthcare professionals in selected public and private healthcare institutions in South Africa. Specifically, the study will determine whether ethical leadership is associated with employee well-being and whether organisational culture mediates this relationship. The study will adopt a quantitative research design. Data will be collected from 350 healthcare professionals using a structured self-administered questionnaire incorporating measures of ethical leadership, organisational culture, and employee well-being. A stratified random sampling strategy will be used to obtain representation across public and private healthcare institutions and selected geographical areas. Data will be analysed using appropriate descriptive and inferential statistical techniques, including mediation analysis. The study is expected to contribute to the literature by providing context-specific evidence on the interaction between ethical leadership, organisational culture, and employee well-being within the South African healthcare environment. Practically, the findings may assist healthcare leaders, human resource practitioners, and policymakers in developing ethical leadership practices and supportive organisational cultures that promote employee well-being and contribute to more sustainable healthcare workplaces.

Keywords: Ethical Leadership, Organisational Culture, Employee Well-Being, Healthcare Professionals, South Africa, Healthcare Sector.