Purpose: This systematic literature review (SLR) investigates the existing body of scholarly work on the relationship between ethical leadership and employee well-being. Recognizing the increasing global emphasis on cultivating ethical practices and fostering a thriving workforce, particularly within the demanding context of educational institutes, a compelling need emerged to synthesize and evaluate the current state of research to identify critical gaps and future directions.

Design/methodology/approach: The review adheres to a rigorous SLR protocol. A comprehensive search of the Scopus database, using keywords related to ethical leadership and well-being constructs, was followed by a multi-stage filtering process based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. This process resulted in a final sample of 73 peer-reviewed articles published between 2020 and 2025 for in-depth thematic analysis.

Findings: The findings highlight prevailing trends in the existing literature, including dominant methodological approaches and commonly employed theoretical frameworks. It uncovers conceptual limitations in how employee well-being is often addressed and signals a need for broader and deeper exploration of the topic. The study emphasizes the importance of diversifying research methods, expanding geographical representation, and examining the underlying processes that connect ethical leadership with employee well-being in educational settings.

Originality/value: This paper provides a comprehensive, up-to-date map of the ethical leadership and well-being literature. It moves beyond previous reviews by offering a granular analysis of methodological trends and proposing a clear, actionable research agenda specifically tailored to address the need for fostering employee well-being within educational institutes.