Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2025
“Communication matters”: Impacts of motivating language and internal communication on hotel employees’ emotions,psychological resilience,and work engagement
Utilising communication to motivate employees is crucial in the dynamic hotel industry. By integrating the social information processing theory and the broaden-and-build theory, this study aims to investigate the impact of motivating language and internal communication on employees’ emotional experiences. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study collected data from 480 survey responses and 21 semi-structured interviews among hotel employees in China. Canonical correlation analysis and structural equation modelling were conducted. Results reveal that leader-motivating language positively correlates with employees’ active, determined, and attentive emotions. Additionally, internal communication mitigated negative and enhanced positive emotions, with supportive peer communication exerting the most significant impact. Positive and negative emotions significantly influence employees’ psychological resilience and work engagement, emphasising the importance of attending to employee emotions in organisational contexts. Cross-cultural implications were assured particularly among those collectivist-oriented societies. The findings offer practical insights for hotel management and HR professionals, including strategies to promote employee well-being and engagement through effective communication practices. For this reason, hotel communications need to place emphasis on leaders’ motivation of employees and peer support.
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