Impact of managers' leadership style and mental health literacy on work-related stress as perceived by hotel support staff: a qualitative study Open Access

Workplaces play a role in both the experience of stress and in protecting against it (WHO, 2022, p. xviii). Work-related stress can occur when individuals do not have the capacity or resources to manage required demands (Florea & Florea, 2016). The consequences of work-related stress (Florea & Florea, 2016; Palmer, Cooper, & Thomas, 2004) are reduced wellbeing, which can influence people's thoughts, feelings, behaviour, relationships and physical health (WHO, 2022). Occupational or work-related stress has the potential to prompt the onset of anxiety-like symptoms, fluctuations in mood, poor sleep and fatigue, which are all symptoms of poor mental health and poor wellbeing (Kamal, Ahmed, Wassif, & Greda, 2021; McCallum et al., 2019; Van der Klink, Blonk, Schene, & Van Dijk, 2001). This study thus explored “how do leadership style and mental health and wellbeing literacy among managers in hotels impact the perceived work-related stress that hotel support staff experience”.

Elevated levels of stress and symptoms are the precursor of poor mental health and mental illnesses. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), work-related stress is a significant occupational risk that the working population in industrialised countries is dealing with (WHO, 2009). The state of mental wellbeing that “enables people to cope with the stresses of life, to realise their abilities, to learn well and work well, and to contribute to their communities” (WHO, 2022, p. 8). In their published report, the WHO further stated that preventing mental disorders and promoting mental health requires the collective efforts of all organisations to promote wellbeing (WHO, 2022). Therefore, high levels of stress must be addressed to promote mental wellbeing and avoid the onset of mental illnesses among staff (Hetrick et al., 2008). Keyes (2007) also recognised that preventing risk is a key factor in promoting good mental health and reducing cases of mental illness (Keyes, 2007).

Work-related stress can be high in the hotel industry (Ariza-Montes, Hernández-Perlines, Han, & Law, 2019; Kim, Umbreit, & Shin, 2007; Pidd, Roche, & Fischer, 2015). The rate of employee turnover is high in the hotel industry, and among the highest compared with other industries (Dwesini, 2019; Pearlman & Schaffer, 2013 have indicated that because of the seasonal nature of hospitality, having enough staff to cover operations is a challenge (Pearlman & Schaffer, 2013). High turnover rates leave remaining staff to work in understaffed teams, in which they often extend beyond their capacity (Chiang, Birtch, & Kwan, 2009; Hudson & Shen, 2018). Other studies have linked high levels of work-related stress among hotel staff to poor job performance, decreased motivation and exhaustion (Gilboa, Shirom, Fried, & Cooper, 2008; Hur, Moon, & Jun, 2016; Karatepe, 2013; LePine, Podsakoff, & LePine, 2005). Working in a constantly strenuous environment can affect staff's emotional and psychological wellbeing, as well as increase levels of work-related stress and depressive and anxiety-like symptoms (Kamal et al., 2021; Papadopoulou-Bayliss, Ineson, & Wilkie, 2001).

Hotel “support staff” (i.e. sales, marketing, events, reservations etc.) in particular can experience work-related stress as they are customer-facing, encounter challenges such as deadlines, limited resources, complaining guests, pressure of achieving key performance indicators, financial goals and targets (Harris & Mongiello, 2001; Srivastava & Maitra, 2016). Limited studies have explored hotel support staff's experiences of work-related stress; generally, studies with this population have been limited to exploring job satisfaction or retention of hotel staff (Beck, Lazer, & Schmidgall, 2007; Cannon, 1999; Hawkins & Lee, 1990; Mandelbaum, 1997). Thus, through gaining insight into varied leadership styles and levels of mental health literacy among managers, the study aimed to explore how hotel support staff perceive the leadership style of their manager and to explore the experiences hotel support staff report working under managers with different levels of mental health literacy. There is also scant research focusing on hotel staff's perceptions of work-related protective factors against stress, such as individual coping strategies, social support, supportive peer relationships at work and strategies for organisational-level stress prevention (Chae & Boyle, 2013; Sarkar & Fletcher, 2014). Limited research has focused on the area of hospitality in terms of workplace culture factors (e.g. the impact of leadership styles on staff wellbeing and work-related stress) (Aarons & Sawitzky, 2006; Wambugu, 2014; Zhao & Guo, 2019; Zhao, Mattila, & Ngan, 2014).

Managers and their leadership styles influence organisational culture (Alola, Avci, & Ozturen, 2018). Leadership styles are known to be a combination of behaviours that leaders exhibit towards subordinates to enact their leadership or management duties and influence the subordinates to achieve the organisation's goals (Igbaekemen, 2014). Several common leadership styles exist, including authoritative, autocratic, persuasive, consultative, transformational and transactional styles (Nanjundeswaraswamy & Swamy, 2014; Wen, Zhou, Hu, & Zhang, 2020). In the wider hospitality industry, the dominant leadership styles include:

1. the manipulative style, in which a leader relies on manipulation to command power over staff and resources

2. the bureaucratic style, in which strict rules govern leadership and management

3. the professional management style, in which managers effectively achieve objectives using predetermined strategies

4. the transformative style, in which leaders seek to develop their staff by encouraging them (Elkhwesky, Salem, Ramkissoon, & Castañeda-García, 2022; Minett, Yaman, & Denizci, 2009)

The study explored what leadership style do hotel support staff perceive their managers to possess and what work-related stressors do they perceive to be associated with working under managers who possess different leadership styles. Transformational or transformative leadership style involves leaders working towards the holistic development of their staff (Nanjundeswaraswamy & Swamy, 2014). In previous studies, researchers have encouraged leaders who have natural leadership roles (e.g. parents, teachers, coaches, community leaders and managers) to support the mental health and wellbeing of individuals (Bapat, Jorm, & Lawrence, 2009; Lawrence, 1953). Thus, the study demonstrated the relationship between the role of managers in supporting their staff's wellbeing and the perceptions of staff regarding their managers' leadership style.

Indeed, poor leadership style can negatively affect the wellbeing of hotel staff by causing elevated levels of work-related stress (Hight, Gajjar, & Okumus, 2019; Minett et al., 2009), and leadership behaviour can affect employee wellbeing (Van Dierendonck, Haynes, Borrill, & Stride, 2004). Previous studies have called for further research on workplace culture to explore additional forms of mistreatment that staff experience at work (Harvey, Stoner, Hochwarter, & Kacmar, 2007; Nguyen & Stinglhamber, 2020), including the influence of managers who can play an important role in influencing staff wellbeing (Gayed et al., 2018).

Transformational leadership style is also known to have reduced burnout among hotel staff, as found by Salem (2015) in their quantitative study conducted with over 370 five-star hotel staff in Egypt (Salem, 2015). Another study, by Gill, Flaschner, and Shachar (2006), found that hotel and restaurant staff perceived that the level of burnout they experienced was related to the level of stress they encountered and the degree of stress was influenced by the type of leadership their managers adopted (Gill et al., 2006). Therefore, the study defined mental health literacy as knowledge and awareness among managers (leaders) regarding how they can support themselves and other community members (or workplace colleagues) in realising a state of emotional and psychosocial wellbeing, as well as in flourishing to achieve their full potential at the workplace. The relationship between supportive leadership and mental health and wellbeing literacy has been further explained in paragraphs to follow and in the theoretical framework section.

There is a current knowledge gap regarding the work-related stress and stressors that hotel support staff experience (Agius, Blenkin, Deary, Zealley, & Wood, 1996; Gillespie, Walsh, Winefield, Dua, & Stough, 2001; Khuong & Linh, 2020; Walters & Raybould, 2007; Wong, Kim, Kim, & Han, 2021). Researchers have urged managers to understand improved working conditions and overall workplace culture because it can reduce the psychological strain placed on their staff (De Croon, Sluiter, Blonk, Broersen, & Frings-Dresen, 2004; Wambugu, 2014; Zeffane & McLoughlin, 2006). Although previous researchers have noted that the transformational leadership style (i.e. when leaders work with the development of their staff) effectively establishes superior financial hotel performance and retention of staff, there is yet a lack of research that describes how this leadership style impacts the perceived work-related stress of hotel staff (Long, Yusof, Kowang, & Heng, 2014; Minett et al., 2009; Nanjundeswaraswamy & Swamy, 2014; Patiar & Mia, 2009).

Currently, knowledge of the interpersonal and organisational factors that contribute to work-related stress, such as leadership styles, mental health literacy of managers and management practices within the hotel industry, is lacking (Aarons & Sawitzky, 2006; Wambugu, 2014; Zhao & Guo, 2019; Zhao et al., 2014). These factors and workplace culture are interrelated and influence each other (Aarons & Sawitzky, 2006; Wambugu, 2014). O’Neill and Davis (2011) have emphasised the importance of addressing and reducing work-related stress in hotels by defining it as an understudied area. The authors asserted that although the benefits of reduced work-related stress to employers are well known (e.g. reduced expenses), little knowledge exists regarding how reduced work-related stress affects staff (O'Neill & Davis, 2011).

Although the demand for hotel services has historically relied on inbound international travellers, interdependence for Australia has grown because of specific emerging tourism economy markets such as China and New Zealand (Pike & Bianchi, 2016). Economic and societal level factors, such as financial uncertainty and exposure to global events over which individual countries, economies or organisations (including their staff) may have little to no control (Zhang, Torres, & Jahromi, 2020). The hotel industry has faced adverse effects from several economic and natural crises, including the SARS pandemic, natural calamities, a global financial recession, and, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic (Kim, Chun, & Lee, 2005; Temelkov, 2022; Whyte & Prideaux, 2006). The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the global hospitality industry, which employs 212 million people worldwide (Jones & Comfort, 2020). Support from managers and senior stakeholders is vital for staff during distressing events like layoffs, job rotations or redeployments (Brower et al., 2021).

According to the mental health and wellbeing model, economic conditions and environmental factors (e.g. natural or man-made disasters, political conflicts and rapid technological changes) will affect the mental health and wellbeing of individuals (Michaels et al., 2022). Support from managers and senior stakeholders is vital for staff during distressing events like layoffs, job rotations or redeployments (Brower et al., 2021). Teng, Wu, and Lin (2020) linked the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic to increased levels of work-related stress after they examined survey responses from 170 quarantine hotel staff in China (Teng et al., 2020). The authors published another study in 2020, in which they recommended that managers in hotels advise their staff about coping strategies to manage elevated stress levels associated with the challenging experience of working in a quarantine hotel (Teng et al., 2020).

Although a distinction has been made between the factors at all levels, the mental health and wellbeing ecological model emphasises that all factors are interrelated and impact one another rather than being isolated (Bronfenbrenner, 1977, 1993; Davis & Elliott, 2019; Dollinger, 2003; Michaels et al., 2022). For example, an individual manager's communication style and the staff's preferred communication style may impact the relationships they form with the staff. Further, the manager's relationship with staff members can be impacted by organisational policies, such as workload, preventing available time to form deeper relationships.

Mental health literacy has historically been defined as the “knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders which aid their recognition, management or prevention and includes the ability to recognise specific disorders”, p. 182 (Jorm et al., 1997). Conversely, wellbeing when being described in context of mental health is referred to as the state of mental wellbeing that “enables people to cope with the stresses of life, to realise their abilities, to learn well and work well, and to contribute to their communities”, p. 8 (WHO, 2022). When referring to mental health, modern studies instead focus on positive functioning and wellbeing – that is, the ability to cope with the normal stresses of life and to contribute to the community and flourish (WHO, 2014).

Mental health literacy is thus defined in this study as the knowledge and awareness among managers (leaders) regarding how the self and other community members (or workplace colleagues) can be supported to realise a state of emotional and psychosocial wellbeing and to flourish and achieve their full potential at work. This study's definition of mental health literacy was inspired by the modern-day concept of wellbeing literacy as published by Oades (2014), Oades et al. (2021), in which the authors regard wellbeing literacy as the capability to improve the wellbeing of oneself and others through the consistent use of positive language regarding wellbeing (Oades, 2014; Oades et al., 2021). Both “mental health literacy” and “wellbeing literacy” are simultaneously used in this study to demonstrate the overall relevance of wellbeing in good mental health.

Several recent studies have encouraged future works to extend beyond considering mental health literacy and the broader concept of good mental health as merely the absence of mental health disorders (Galderisi, Heinz, Kastrup, Beezhold, & Sartorius, 2015). Several authors have challenged the concept of mental health literacy being limited to the prevention of disorders; instead, they encourage building knowledge about the positive benefits of good mental health and wellbeing describe in the paragraph above (Galderisi et al., 2015). In a positive workplace culture context, mental health literacy can be regarded as awareness of the positive components of a positive culture that allow staff to fully exploit their potential, be autonomous and maintain control over their work (Galderisi et al., 2015; Jahoda, 1958).

Mental health literacy can be enhanced in several ways. For example, Jorm (2012) and other authors have recommended that mental health first aid training should be delivered to staff in workplaces (Jorm, 2012; Kitchener & Jorm, 2004). This study again recognises that having knowledge about preventing mental disorders may not be enough to support community members or staff. This study explored how do hotel support staff perceive the mental health and wellbeing literacy of their managers and consequently uncovered specific recommendations for managers in hotels regarding communication that the hotel staff perceive to be supportive of their wellbeing.

Little is known regarding whether managers in the hotel industry have sufficient mental health and wellbeing literacy to support their team's wellbeing (Oades et al., 2021). A key concept in this study is work-related stress, which might imply that the authors only explored the negative consequences of poor wellbeing. However, the study focusses on the opposite – that is, focus on providing suggestions related to proactive steps that hotel organisations can take to prevent work-related stress and thus proactively prevent poor staff wellbeing. Thus, this study has adopted an integrated approach to recognise wellbeing as a key component of mental health literacy and recognises it as a combined concept of “mental health and wellbeing literacy”. Further, information and knowledge regarding how to support others in times of distress, such as during COVID-19 (as discussed above), is a component of mental health literacy (Clegg, 2019). It is unknown to what extent hotel staff perceive their managers to possess mental health literacy and awareness in terms of supporting team members during work-related stressful periods.

According to Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory (EST) (Bronfenbrenner, 1977, 1993), people evolve and develop differently in life in accordance with their experiences in the context of individual, interpersonal, organisational/structural, sociocultural and environmental factors. Previous studies have advocated for multidimensional intervention in handling work-related stress in the hotel industry, which supports the chosen theoretical framework (Hsieh, Apostolopoulos, & Sönmez, 2016). In the context of mental health and wellbeing, this study used the mental health and wellbeing ecological model developed by staff from the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health, which was based on EST (Bronfenbrenner, 1993). Similar to Bronfenbrenner's EST, the mental health and wellbeing model illustrates the links between individual, relational, organisational, community and societal factors, and depicts how each factor shapes the mental health and wellbeing of individuals (Michaels et al., 2022).

The mental health and wellbeing ecological model (see Figure 1 below) also recognises that individual experiences are shaped by a complex and interrelated range of factors (Michaels et al., 2022). The model provides a framework in which it is understood that one factor does not solely determine the positive and negative effects on an individual's mental health and wellbeing; rather, it demonstrates an interrelationship between the factors (Michaels et al., 2022). This study chose this model because it allowed the study to address research gaps and data in a systematic way, as well as provide recommendations across all levels to reduce work-related stress for hotel support staff. Additionally, the model is suitable for this study as a guiding analytical framework because, instead of defining just the absence of mental health disorders, the model highlights the importance of good mental health that is obtained by helping individuals flourish and grow. Interview questions were developed by following the model through exploring work-related stress through several factors. The model helped us analyse and interpret the data, especially to understand how different leadership styles influence the experience of work-related stress for hotel staff and how enhanced knowledge of mental health and wellbeing literacy can positively influence change in hotel workplace culture.

The interpretative lens(es) in this qualitative study were constructionism and pragmatism (Goodrick, 2007; Green & Thorogood, 2018; Palmer, Larkin, de Visser, & Fadden, 2010). Overarching analytical framework was the mental health and wellbeing ecological model (Michaels et al., 2022) and the framework method was employed to organise, chart, code and analyse the data (Gale, Heath, Cameron, Rashid, & Redwood, 2013; Ritchie & Spencer, 2002). Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather in-depth qualitative data. The interviews were guided by an interview protocol, comprising open-ended questions that enabled us probing deeper into specific areas of interest and was developed based on the existing research on leadership styles, mental health literacy and work-related stress (Ariza-Montes, Arjona-Fuentes, Law, & Han, 2017; Bond, Tuckey, & Dollard, 2010; Bush, Michalek, & Francis, 2021; Clegg, 2019; Coffey, Cook, Farrugia, Threadgold, & Burke, 2021; Harvey et al., 2007; Rees, 2019; Said & Tanova, 2021; Vahabi & Wong, 2017) and structured around the mental health and wellbeing ecological model (Michaels et al., 2022). Interviews were conducted with 18 participants, each lasting approximately 60 minutes in an online setting via the Zoom platform. To ensure accuracy, all interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim.

This article is based on work from the first author's master's thesis, titled “Impact of managers” leadership style and mental health literacy on work-related stress as perceived by hotel support staff: A qualitative study’ completed at Victoria University in 2023, with the last author acting as the principal supervisor and the second author acting as the co-supervisor. The study protocol was approved by the Victoria University Human Research Ethics Committee ref: HRE22-014). Informed consent was obtained via email from all participants.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 participants. All 18 interviews were conducted online on the Zoom platform with varying durations of between 45–75 minutes. Data saturation was determined through recognition of repetition in data specially related to participants' opinions on organisational factors such as workplace culture and processes. Since the study concerns exploring work-related stress and how organisational stressors impact the wider workforce, the data were considered to be sufficient in generating codes and themes.

Qualitative methodology involves purposefully selecting a sample of participants through critical case sampling to enable “selecting information-rich cases” (p. 169) for their ability to contribute insights that may be crucially important for the research topic (Patton, 1990). The sampling in this study involved purposefully selecting hotel support staff who are employed in roles such as sales, marketing, revenue, reservations or events. The critical cases selected for this study were hotel support staff whose perceptions were crucial because of their experiences in the hotel industry. A combination of “critical case sampling” and “snowball or chain sampling” was implemented. Participants were recruited from the hotel industry through the first author's professional networks by approaching them on social media platforms. The recruited participants were also asked to refer their colleagues to participate in the study. The snowballing sampling assisted in ensuring that the selection would address any potential personal bias from authors and prevent relying on the authors' judgement when deciding which participants were suitable as “critical cases”.

The sample size was purposefully recruited to ensure perceptions from those working in hotel sales, marketing, revenue and reservations departments. Although staff working in these hotel support departments are mainly tasked with growing hotel revenues, their job functions, ways in which they work, their specific tasks and areas of specialisation are very different from one another. Capturing perceptions from participants from each of these departments enabled the study to collect data based on diverse perceptions from hotel support staff based on their experience through working in these respective departments. Hotel support staff (as defined in this study) are generally employed on longer tenures compared to hotel operations staff (Bird, Lynch, & Ingram, 2002; Knox & Walsh, 2005; McNamara, Bohle, & Quinlan, 2011). Addressing the work-related stress that hotel support staff experience due to longer tenures and experiences of elevated work-related stress is critical. Critical case sampling is justified in this study by selecting participants according to their ability through their experience to contribute insights that may be crucially important for the research topic being explored (Patton, 1990). Although the critical sample set may not be representative of the general population, due to their experience, the weight of participants' information is significant enough to form rich data in qualitative studies (Patton, 1990).

The tenure of operational hotel staff in front-line roles is typically no more than three to five years on average, so it is not considered a long-term career option (Cheng & Brown, 1998). Conversely, hotel support staff who choose hotels as a long-term career tend to transition to support roles (e.g. sales, revenue and event roles) after their initial years and after they gain experience as operations or front-line staff (Guerrier & Lockwood, 1989). Hotel support staff also have customer or guest-facing roles that are similar to those of hotel operations or front-line staff. However, they tend to have a working space (e.g. at the back of the hotel or office space), unlike front-line staff who continually work in direct contact with guests. Having a workspace at the back of the hotel provides the hotel support staff behind-the-scenes space and opportunities to strategise, debrief and work while sitting down.

Customer-facing support staff, such as those who make reservations, set pricing or plan events, traditionally arrive at these roles after having spent time as front-line operational employees. These hotel staff must be highly skilled, and they are regarded as being among the core group of staff (Guerrier & Lockwood, 1989; Yang, Cheung, & Fang, 2015). By first obtaining knowledge and experience as front-line staff, the hotel support staff can then progress to choosing support roles as a long-term career prospect (Chacko, Williams, & Schaffer, 2012). The customer-facing support departments encounter similar challenges as the hotel operations departments in terms of deadlines, limited resources and complaining guests; however, customer-facing support staff can operate partly from the back-of-the-hotel workstation or desk. Finally, management may have higher expectations of hotel support staff in terms of them achieving certain key performance indicators, financial goals and targets (Harris & Mongiello, 2001; Srivastava & Maitra, 2016).

It is critical to address the work-related stress that hotel support staff experience because of their longer tenure and experiences of elevated work-related stress (McManus, 2013; Timo, 2001). Hotel support staff, such as those in sales and marketing, are a crucial group of members that can greatly influence the financial success of hotel businesses. However, limited studies have specifically explored this critical group's experiences that may lead to work-related stress; generally, they have been limited to exploring the job satisfaction or retention of hotel staff (Beck et al., 2007; Cannon, 1999; Hawkins & Lee, 1990; Mandelbaum, 1997). Additionally, existing literature is further limited in terms of demonstrating the work-related stress that hotel front-line or operations staff experience (Beck et al., 2007; Cannon, 1999; Hawkins & Lee, 1990; Mandelbaum, 1997). Finally, scarce studies have specifically examined the work-related stress experienced by hotel support staff in roles such as sales, marketing, revenue, reservations or events – which is a critical gap that this study explores.

A total of 18 interviews were conducted with participants between 30 March 2022 and 27 April 2022. Several code groups were created to categorise the data, and data were then organized into overarching code groups/categories. Participant demographic data have been presented in Table 1 below:

Participants were recruited from four and five-star hotels in four urban areas across Australia: New South Wales, Queensland (QLD), Victoria (VIC) and South Australia (SA). This study focused only on hotel support staff who worked in four and five-star hotels, as these have experienced a large increase in numbers since the early 1990s, responding to a growing demand from international and domestic markets (Hundloe, 1996; Lee-Ross, 1998). Hotels that are categorised as three stars and fewer (motels, guesthouses and small-to-medium-sized hotels) are mainly owned and run by families – that is, by family members who directly work in the business's operations as staff (Lee-Ross, 1998).

This study utilised the framework method for data analysis (Ritchie & Spencer, 2002). The following eight steps were followed (Gale et al., 2013): (1) transcription using Otter AI as a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS) to generate written transcripts of the audio recordings from the Zoom interviews; (2) familiarisation with the transcripts by reading at least three times; (3) coding using Atlas Ti (CAQDAS); (4) Deductive coding was implemented as the first step to incorporate elements from the mental health and wellbeing ecological model into the data analysis. This study also employed the inductive coding strategy. Each line in the transcript, sentence, clusters of sentences or paragraphs was coded according to the essence of the statement(s). This ultimately resulted in 105 codes; (5) After the codes were applied to all participant data, each code was subsequently segregated into a designated code group or category; (6) Each transcript was indexed in Atlas Ti; (7) Once all transcripts were coded, Atlas Ti was used to chart all groups of sentences, paragraphs or sections. Data collection and data analysis were conducted by the first author with guidance from other authors.

It is essential to highlight here that the first author is considered an insider researcher in this study, having worked in hotels for over 20 years, including extensively in hotel support roles. The first author's role as an insider researcher and background proved useful in conducting research, such as access to resources and participants (Fleming, 2018; Sikes & Potts, 2008; Unluer, 2012). It also supports understanding industry jargon is relevant to develop a rapport with the participants and to foster empathy. A reflective journal was kept by the first author throughout the data collection and analysis phases, which has enhanced the processes of understanding, interpreting and distilling the study's findings as well as addressing any potential bias.

Based on a combination of inductive and deductive coding strategies, 105 codes were developed, grouped into 52 subcode groups and 12 main code groups (see Figure 2 below).

The main 12 code groups were also developed based on a combination of deductive and inductive coding. Table 2 below contains a collection of all 12 code groups and 52 subcode groups.

Participants shared that they experienced high levels of wellbeing when their work-related stress was low and they considered that certain situations at work were reflective of a state of wellbeing if they experienced peace, calm and balance as they performed their tasks.

Being able to express oneself and speak freely without fear of judgement was considered desirable by participants.

Data showed that the coping strategies were helpful only when work-related stress was mild to moderate. When experiencing high levels of stress, some participants could not engage with their coping strategies.

Further, some participants related wellbeing to having meaningful relationships, including with their loved ones and colleagues at work. According to participants, managers should aim to be role models in terms of caring for their own wellbeing – such as by having a balanced work–personal life. Participants also expressed that they desire to observe managers employ leadership approaches in which they displayed confidence in decision-making, which enables a sense of comfort among team members.

Additionally, participants considered that genuine support and prioritising team members' holistic interests were favourable leadership approaches.

While supporting individual team members facing unique circumstances, managers who enabled development opportunities were regarded highly. Managers who provide feedback and enable growth opportunities through challenges and variation in jobs were perceived as prioritising the wellbeing of team members.

One participant highlighted that some emotional separation from the work can be helpful to minimise self-blame when issues emerge – such as when a guest complains.

No workplace can be free of challenges, as they are a part of work and are expected to surface periodically. Participants considered wellbeing in relation to their workplace culture as an experience in which work-related stress was low and where professional and personal lives could remain separate. They mentioned that being able to “switch off” after work was key to good wellbeing.

Opportunities to identify and be able to discuss challenging situations with others demonstrate a healthy workplace culture. According to participants, a workplace culture that promotes awareness and prevention of burnout among team members is favourable to wellbeing (e.g. it discourages long hours).

Further, autonomy and the feeling of being in control were also considered to be a critical aspect of wellbeing:

Continuous stress through a range of workplace-related factors described above can potentially lead to poor wellbeing. Participants disclosed that they experienced compounding and adverse effects of work-related stress. Some participants described anxiety-like symptoms, such as a racing heart every time a guest approached or the phone rang. They felt feeling on guard and fearful about being reprimanded by a manager following a complaint.

Participants told us that they experienced work-related stress from several sources – namely, their managers, work-related expectations, work processes and wider workplace culture.

Participants considered leaders with a transformative leadership style as possessing supportive traits. In contrast, participants expressed that authoritative, bureaucratic, transactional, manipulative and micromanagement-focused styles as possessing several traits and features that increased their work-related stress. Participants recommended that managers should be hired according to their ability to display the transformative leadership style.

According to participants, when managers do not make time for their team and are not genuinely invested in staff wellbeing that it affects the self-confidence of staff members. Participants felt their work-related stress increased when they felt stuck, restricted or not free to express their ideas and suggestions. According to participants, hotels have widely instructed their staff to approach the manager if they experience bullying. However, this is very difficult when the manager is the source of the bullying. Participants desired support from their managers when handling guest complaints and feel that they often don't receive this.

Beyond the role of their immediate managers, participants believed that stakeholder expectations exceeded the scope of their roles and responsibilities and there was a lack of organisational support to meet these. Participants believed that stakeholder expectations were not accompanied by the required support when staff faced any problems. Participants felt that a lack of collaborative or team culture, and that gossiping contributed to work-related stress.

Participants felt that the COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the most challenging time periods for the hotel industry. Their experience was mixed: although they experienced stressful situations (e.g. from their managers or work environment), some participants also shared positive experiences that were prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g. the importance of mental health being emphasised).

Participants described mental health and wellbeing literacy in the workplace as an overarching system of available resources to support mental health. Participants found that mental health awareness and literacy were low among hotel managers and their workplace more widely. Participants felt that a lack of self-awareness resulted in managers not being aware of how they influenced their staff and that managers were not interested in knowing team members and the pressures they faced at work. Some participants shared about having limited opportunities to interact with their managers. Participants recommended that a team's wellbeing and its level of work-related stress should be included as performance measures for managers.

Per participants, regarding workplace culture, mental health and work-related stress are often considered topics for the human resources department, and are avoided in strategy meetings, end-of-month sessions and sometimes in real scenarios, when it especially matters. Participants found a lack of education among hotel personnel and a lack of open discussion related to wellbeing. To improve workplace mental health literacy and culture, participants suggested that Employee Assistance Programs would benefit from employing counsellors with some connection to or background in the hotel industry. Participants shared there is a lack of adequate support and resources for handling emergency situations in hotels (e.g. hold ups, robbery, deaths or accidents) and that professional training should be considered for handling such situations, including debriefing protocols following a traumatic event. Finally, participants noted that handling guest complaints can expose staff to trauma and identified a need for hotel executives to provide resilience training to staff.

A summary of key recommendations for policy and practices in the hotel industry is available in Table 3 below.

The study found that participants felt high levels of wellbeing when their work-related stress was low, they could maintain a good work-life balance, felt supported by their managers and workplace culture. However, hotel support staff commonly experience work-related stress that was detrimental to their wellbeing from several sources, including managers, work-related expectations, work processes and the wider work culture of hotels. That mental health awareness and literacy were low among hotel managers and their workplace more widely. This finding correlates with the 2022 World Mental Health WHO report, which demonstrated that decreased wellbeing can affect an individual's physical and emotional health (WHO, 2022).

Participants considered leaders with a transformative leadership style to be supportive. Managers in hotels might like to be aware of the stress levels that their staff face, and to try and reduce this stress using strategies such as more effective communication or the provision of available resources (e.g. training and necessary tools for the job). In addition, be more approachable, invest time to build relationships with their subordinates and be sensitive to the individual needs of staff members. In doing this, managers might consider employing characteristics from the transformative leadership style, as this was the only leadership style identified as conducive to supporting staff wellbeing. This finding is consistent with previous work in the healthcare sector which reported that a transformative leadership style can psychologically empower and enhance staff performance (Attari, 2013). Well-communicated and fairly executed growth and development opportunities could also help the hotel industry remove favouritism and align with the Australian community values of being an “equal opportunity” organisation (Anitha, 2014; Ruck & Trainor, 2012; Turner, 2020).

The study's findings that coping strategies and resources were less effective or ineffective during periods of high stress support previous work arguing that stressors in a workplace should be proactively managed to protect staff wellbeing (Anton, Montero, Howley, Brown, & Stefanidis, 2015; Glazer & Liu, 2017). Managers in hotels should be aware of the stress levels that their staff experience and try to reduce sources of stress, where feasible. Managers might aim to be more approachable, invest time to build relationships with their staff and be sensitive to the individual needs of staff members. In doing this, managers might consider employing characteristics from the transformative leadership style, as this was the only leadership style preferred by participants as conducive to supporting staff wellbeing. This is consistent with previous work in the healthcare sector, which reports that a transformative leadership style can psychologically empower staff (Attari, 2013). This study acknowledges that people are complex and that their behaviour often does not fit solely under one leadership style. It is more likely that one manager will be perceived as operating with a combination of leadership styles or as displaying characteristics from more than one leadership style.

Hotel support staff tend to experience anxiety-like symptoms because of the nature of their role (i.e. being customer or guest facing). Participants shared that some staff members have to assume a hospitality persona and try to appear “perfect” in customer-facing roles. Similarly, previous studies found that faking positive emotions can cause emotional exhaustion for staff; previous studies have thus recommended that this hospitality persona be avoided to achieve effective customer service (Choi, Mohammad, & Kim, 2019; Lee & Madera, 2019; Zhao et al., 2014). Thus, to reduce work-related stress among hotel staff, it is recommended that a flexible environment be provided on an industry level, in which expression of emotions is encouraged and not suppressed in the hotel industry. For example, a debriefing session with key staff could be organised after a stressful event, as well as regular check-ins and a community of practice space in which staff can openly express their frustrations or issues.

This study's findings and the WHO's (2022) previous work indicate that workplaces such as hotels should engage with their staff in feedback exercises that are dedicated to identifying work-related stress, and that they should offer preventative measures that the staff consider helpful for reducing stress (WHO, 2022). As managers are not and cannot be solely responsible for their staff's work-related stress levels, supports at an organisational level, such as a robust wellbeing policy that comprises actionable and measurable outcomes and accountability are also recommended. This is consistent with previous authors who note that organisational level support or interventions are key to achieving positive and more enduring effects (Biron, Karanika-Murray, & Cooper, 2012; Biron & Saksvik, 2009; Cartwright, Albrecht, & Wilson-Evered, 2016). Thus, organisations' support is key to ensure strategies to enhance workplace culture are effective.

The finding that hotel staff believed that being part of a toxic work culture adversely affected their wellbeing is consistent with previous work showing that a better work culture enhances staff wellbeing in hotels (O'Neill & Davis, 2011). Previous work shows that an improved work culture can be achieved by building team spirit through team-building activities (Dyer, 2015). The study's finding that managers influence their staff's wellbeing supports the previous work advocating that increasing mental health wellbeing literacy among managers and senior executives, such as through “mental health first aid training”, may be beneficial for staff wellbeing (Kitchener & Jorm, 2008). Indeed, mental health first aid training can positively affect the wellbeing of an entire community through increased awareness (Kitchener & Jorm, 2008). Previous work argues that managers are in a key position to provide support, due to their direct relationships with staff (Jorm, 2000; Kitchener & Jorm, 2004; Milligan-Saville et al., 2017) and therefore the hotel industry might wish to facilitate targeted training for managers. It must also be noted that organisational culture change might require procedure and policy modifications to support the positive changes. Fostering and enabling stronger and more supportive relationships from the top (e.g. amending policies to allocate resources for team-building activities) can create a supportive workplace environment in which people encounter fewer risks of being exposed to high levels of work-related stress.

The study adds to the existing body of knowledge and provides novel insights regarding work-related stress in the hotel industry, as well as leadership styles and mental health and wellbeing literacy in the hotel industry. According to this study's overall findings, hotel support staff perceived that they experienced work-related stress from several sources, such as their managers, work-related expectations, work processes and the wider work culture of hotels. The study's findings support the results of existing studies that have noted that work-related stress continuously exists for staff who work in the hotel industry (Papadopoulou-Bayliss et al., 2001).

This study offers recommendations that were founded on findings and perceptions of hotel support staff. The recommendations were made to reduce the staff's perceived work-related stress and offer practical, evidence-based recommendations to reduce the staff's perceived work-related stress that could be valuable in developing workplace policies and governance practices that are intended to construct a workplace culture with lower levels of work-related stress.

Participants expressed that they would like managers to offer support when they noticed that a team member is “not quite themselves” and prefer managers who can sense urgency and offer practical advice and solutions. Similar to O'Reilly et al.’s (2011) findings, participants in this study perceived that managers in hotels lack mental health wellbeing literacy; further, they were also perceived to be misinformed about mental health and work-related stress, in which they referred to these terms as “gossip” (O'Reilly, Bell, Kelly, & Chen, 2011). The participants further encouraged managers among hotels to be open to mental health and wellbeing literacy and all related components because they are significant for the staff. Based on the study's findings, it is recommended that managers and senior executives engage in strategies that improve their mental health and wellbeing literacy; this would allow them to continually support, develop and transform the organisations and its staff.

Senior executives might aim to create an organisational culture that promotes social connectedness and cohesiveness among the staff and teams for the purpose of preventing incidents of bullying and harassment (Buysse, Reynolds III, Monk, Berman, & Kupfer, 1989). Senior executives facilitate more than one avenue for reporting bullying (e.g. through interdepartmental/discipline supervision) so that staff can build a trusted network outside their immediate department managers and supervisors. Senior executives should encourage open yet sensitive communication about complaints and bullying (Cornell & Cole, 2012). Indeed, organisational culture change requires procedure and policy modifications to support positive changes and is preceded by an effective “readiness to change”, which encompasses staff members' beliefs, attitudes and intentions related to change (Armenakis, Harris, & Mossholder, 1993). Participation is a vital factor for influencing change. Therefore, the hotel industry might consider involving staff in the development of wellbeing initiatives.

To reduce workplace bullying and improve relationships between staff members, the study's findings suggest that hotels should promote a sense of belongingness (among staff and with the organisation) and make the staff feel like they are part of a community (Holton et al., 2016). Participants recommended that the hotel industry should encourage its staff to openly share their challenges and issues in relation to work-related stress. Participants also suggested that building a community of individuals who gather to share their stories and work-related stress of wellbeing might help establish trust, belongingness, cohesion and a sense of safety among other staff. Senior executives might aim to create an organisational culture that promotes social connectedness among staff for the purpose of preventing incidents of bullying and harassment; and supporting all staff to develop cohesiveness among the various teams in a hotel (Buysse et al., 1989).

Some of the participants recommended that a team's wellbeing and its level of work-related stress should be included as performance measures for managers. Participants also felt the HR department's role should also be scrutinised as HR appears to be aligned with the company's financial performance more than they are with the staff's wellbeing. It is recommended that HR departments in hotels take a neutral and unbiased stance when they are approached about bullying – especially when managers are bullied. Senior hotel executives might consider facilitating professional training and development for managers in transformative leadership. This is consistent with previous authors who note that organisational level support or interventions are key to achieving positive and more enduring effects (Biron et al., 2012; Biron & Saksvik, 2009; Cartwright et al., 2016). The hotel industry might wish to facilitate targeted training for its managers regarding awareness of others, which would allow them to develop skills in observing their staff and proactively extending support.

This study's main limitation is related to the lack of diversity in the sample, as only participants from metropolitan areas in the eastern states of Australia were included. It was beyond the scope of the study to explore how managers with different gender identities affected the staff's experience of work-related stress. Previous studies have noted qualities such as warmth and nurturing abilities that female managers possess that could help develop strong relationships with their staff (Rhee & Sigler, 2015; Van Engen et al., 2001). Therefore, future works could explore the relationship between gender identity, leadership style and mental health and wellbeing literacy among managers. This study has identified several processes in hotels that prompt work-related stress. Future works could explore how technology can eliminate or reduce the experience of stress associated with some of the listed tasks – or whether these sometimes dated processes are still relevant. Similarly, further research should be undertaken to examine how staff targets and work requirements (e.g. work-related travel) affect wellbeing in the long term.

This study identified that hotel support staff perceived that work-related stress experienced at work varies under managers with different leadership styles. Findings in the study identified transformative leadership style to be supportive of hotel support staff's wellbeing and reduced work-related stress. It is recommended that managers should upskill in terms of mental health and wellbeing literacy. The findings also recommended that senior executives and the hotel industry should enable a working environment and culture that supports staff's mental health and wellbeing and that establishes policies to support managers in taking action to support their staff.