Ebullient Leadership and Employee Happiness in Pakistan's Tourism Sector: The Mediating Role of Employee Advocacy

This study investigates the influence of ebullient supervision, defined as positive, high-energy managerial behaviour, and job stress on employee happiness, with employee advocacy examined as a mediating construct. Grounded in Social Exchange Theory (SET), the research employs a quantitative, cross-sectional design and analyses data from frontline employees across Pakistan’s tourism industry. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) is utilised to test the proposed conceptual framework. The results demonstrate that ebullient supervision significantly enhances both employee happiness and advocacy behaviour, while job stress exerts a negative effect on happiness. Employee advocacy partially mediates the relationship between ebullient supervision and happiness, but not between job stress and happiness. These findings underscore the importance of positive supervisory practices and advocacy-driven engagement strategies in enhancing workforce well-being. The study contributes a novel leadership model to HRM literature and offers actionable insights for tourism managers aiming to foster resilient, satisfied, and productive service teams.