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

Purpose The nature of work hotel staff perform is demanding and is likely to prompt high levels of work-related stress. Hotel support staff are an ideal population to inform about work-related stress in hotels. This study explored how hotel support staff perceive the leadership style of their managers their experiences while working under managers with different levels of mental health literacy. Design/methodology/approach This study was informed by the mental health and wellbeing ecological model as a theoretical framework and followed a rigorous methodological approach. This study aimed to gain insight into different types of leadership styles and mental health literacy among managers in hotels as perceived by staff. Using a qualitative research design, this study identified hotel support staff's perceived work-related stress under managers with different leadership styles. The study also explored how hotel support staff perceived the mental health and wellbeing literacy of their managers. Semi structured interviews from 18 participants were analysed through Atlas Ti using the framework method. Findings This study identified transformative leadership style to be supportive of hotel support staff's wellbeing and reduced work-related stress. The study recommends managers in hotels include enhancing their mental health and wellbeing awareness by upskilling. It is recommended that senior executives and hotel industry enable a working environment that supports staff's mental health and wellbeing. Originality/value This 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. The study's recommendations address a present research gap of practical suggestions that improve work culture in a post-pandemic time for hotels. The recommendations may be considered valuable in developing workplace policies and governance to improve workplace culture with lower levels of work-related stress.