Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of workplace empowerment and staff nurses’ perceptions of trustworthiness in their supervisor as determinators of organizational commitment. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 189 nurses working at Portuguese public hospitals. Findings – Results indicate that an empowering work context was significantly predictive of nurses’ affective commitment and on the perceptions of trustworthiness of the supervisor. The employees who understand that they have access to factors of empowerment (formal power, informal power, resources, opportunity, support and information), and feel that they can influence the organization where they work, are in a better position to establish affective connections with the organization, as well as to perceive their supervisor as trustworthy. Research limitations/implications – One limitation relates to the generalization of the study’s findings outside the national context. Practical implications – Organizations must meet the conditions that contribute to increasing the organizational commitment of healthcare professionals when developing policies for human resources since the emotional bond with the organization seems to provide the strength to withstand moments of great difficulties. Originality/value – This research contributes to the understanding of how fostering empowering and trustful leadership will generate positive effects on job attitudes, even in a particularly difficult context of austerity.