Be engaged in work, don’t feel work stress! The interaction effects of daily positive affect and supervisor calling

Purpose: This study investigates how supervisors’ calling moderates the effect of daily positive affect on employees’ daily attitudinal outcomes in the hospitality industry, in which employees closely work with their supervisors. Design/methodology/approach: To test our hypotheses, data were collected from 244 frontline employees over 14 consecutive workdays using the experience sampling method. Findings: The results of the multi-level analysis indicate that both employees’ daily positive affect and supervisors’ calling enhance employees’ daily work engagement and reduce their daily job stress. Furthermore, supervisors’ calling strengthens the negative effect of daily positive affect on daily job stress. Originality/value: The current study underlines the critical role of supervisors’ calling and daily positive affect in influencing frontline employees’ job attitudes, offering new practical insights into supervisors’ role in improving frontline employees’ work engagement and relieving their job stress on a daily basis.