Leadership Impact on Employee Satisfaction and Well-being in the IT Sector

High turnover rates among IT professionals are primarily driven by salary competition and restricted career growth opportunities, with pay differences influenced by job title, industry, experience, nationality, and education (Tan & Igbaria, 1994). Studies indicate transformational and servant leadership styles positively impact employee engagement, productivity, and retention (Khera & Divya, 2019; George & Sreedharan, 2023). An appropriate leadership style can significantly enhance team motivation and optimize productivity in performance. According to Gonzalez (2025), 60% of employees are contemplating leaving their jobs this year. A systematic review methodology was employed in this study, a structured and comprehensive analysis of existing research on a specific topic, using a rigorous and transparent methodology to identify, evaluate, and synthesize relevant studies. This study uncovered key themes, such as leadership styles, organizational culture, work-life balance, and retention strategies. Transformational and servant leadership foster support, engagement, and burnout prevention, and work-life balance is crucial for leadership effectiveness, stressing flexible policies and mental health initiatives. Adaptive leadership is also vital for workforce stability in the fast-paced IT sector and future research can explore the impact of different leadership styles on employee well-being through a mixed-methods approach. A quantitative study can use survey-based structural equation modeling (SEM) to assess the statistical significance of leadership factors on job satisfaction and a qualitative phenomenological study can gather the lived experiences of employees in the IT sector.