This study examines the relationships among work environment, transformational leadership, and work motivation among full-time trade union officials in Ho Chi Minh City, while also testing the moderating role of transformational leadership in the relationship between work environment and work motivation. Drawing on Social Exchange Theory, Transformational Leadership Theory, and the Job Demands–Resources model, the study develops and tests a model comprising three relationships: the effect of work environment on work motivation, the direct effect of transformational leadership on work motivation, and the interaction effect between work environment and transformational leadership. Data were collected through a survey of 350 full-time trade union officials affiliated with the Ho Chi Minh City Federation of Labor and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results show that the work environment has a positive effect on work motivation (β = 0.35; p < 0.001), while transformational leadership also has a positive and statistically significant effect on work motivation (β = 0.29; p < 0.001). Notably, the interaction between work environment and transformational leadership is statistically significant (β = 0.15; p = 0.003), indicating that transformational leadership strengthens the positive effect of the work environment on work motivation. The findings highlight that enhancing the motivation of trade union officials depends not only on improving the work environment but also on developing transformational leadership capabilities that enable organizational resources to be used more effectively. The study adds empirical evidence on the role of transformational leadership in linking work-environment resources to employee motivation within trade union organizations in an emerging economy.

In the increasingly competitive context of non-public universities in Vietnam, effective human resource compensation policies are crucial for enhancing faculty engagement, with job satisfaction considered a key mediating mechanism. This study examines the relationships between multidimensional compensation, job satisfaction, and faculty commitment using survey data collected from 180 lecturers at Vietnamese private universities. Applying Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), we assessed the effects of five compensation components—salary, rewards, promotion opportunities, benefits, and organizational recognition—on job satisfaction and faculty commitment. Results indicate that the measurement model demonstrates strong reliability and validity. All five compensation components positively and significantly affect job satisfaction, with promotion opportunities exerting the strongest influence. Job satisfaction, in turn, substantially impacts faculty commitment, confirming its full mediating role in the relationship between compensation practices and organizational attachment. These findings offer important practical implications for private universities in Vietnam to design integrated compensation strategies that prioritize career development and recognition alongside financial incentives, thereby improving faculty retention and ensuring institutional sustainability.