PurposeAlthough internal communication is perceived as one of the crucial elements for favorable internal evaluation of an employer brand (EB), the importance of internal communication for EB advocacy has been insufficiently theoretically problematized and related empirical evidence is almost non-existent. In this paper, the relationship between employees' satisfaction with internal communication and their perceptions of their employers' attractiveness is explored.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire-based field research study was conducted on a sample of 3,457 Croatian employees. The Internal Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire (ICSQ) (Tkalac Verčič et al., 2009) and the Employer Attractiveness (EmpAt) Scale (Berthon et al., 2005) were used for assessing internal communication satisfaction (ICS) and employer attractiveness (EA).FindingsFindings reveal that respondents' overall satisfaction with internal communication in their organizations is significantly positively related with the overall attractiveness they assign to their employers, that all explored ICS dimensions are significant for the overall EA, and that each ICS dimension is significant for at least one EA dimension. The most relevant ICS dimensions for EA are “satisfaction with feedback” and “satisfaction with communication climate”.Originality/valueA conducted large sample study is among the first quantitative empirical studies that proved that employees who are satisfied with internal communication are likely to see their employers as attractive. Moreover, findings point toward internal communication endeavors which add more value to developing an attractive internal EB.

Strategic internal communication for effective internal employer branding

Guest editorial: Digitalization of Corporate Communications: a multi-stakeholder approach

Health and safety protocols have become a requirement to promote rural tourism (PRT). From this perspective, this paper empirically analyses how the health and safety dimensions influence the happiness of hotel managers and rural tourists in the post-Covid 19 era.A theory-based structural equation model will be carried out of activation of norms, that measure variables: sanitary, socioeconomic, and safety. Precisely, we will measure how those three attributes affect the managers-guests' health in rural areas and their search for happiness at the rural destination. Based on the above, a field of study has been 215 rural tourist accommodations in the Extremadura region (Spain) and a sample population of 443 guests. Data were organised through the SEM-PLS path modelling.The results achieved statistically show the need to undertake a new model of healthier and safer tourism consumption that values the tourist resources of rural areas, especially nearby and sustainable destinations, based on the guiding principles of safety, health, and happiness.The first conclusion is that promoting tourist destinations under safe and healthy conditions has become a priority objective in the tourism industry. The second conclusion that follows from the first is that the variables safety and health and the pursuit of happiness are essential factors in promoting tourist destinations for rural hotel managers and rural tourists. The third conclusion related to the first two is that the opportunity that this study provides to develop strategies of an innovative, sustainable, and creative nature based on the relationships of the new trinomial of health, safety and happiness, from the perspective of happiness management. 

https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12889-023-15849-8

The trinomial health, safety and happiness promote rural tourism

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to provide empirical evidence of discrepancies in certain management-related business factors in complex situations from a gender perspective.Design/methodology/approachThe study examined whether there are any differences in the characteristics of Spanish companies run by men and women and how male and female chief executive officers (CEOs) perceive critical situations such as the COVD-19 pandemic. To answer the research questions, the survey carried out by the Ibero-American Observatory of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (FAEDPYME) in 2021 was used. The final sample consisted of a total of 1,532 small and medium-sized enterprises.FindingsThe main results show that female CEOs are more likely to have a university education than male CEOs, but they run smaller companies in Spain. On the other hand, they are more risk averse and evaluate the impact of complex and risky situations more negatively.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings open up new research questions. This is a cross-sector study, but are there differences in behaviour between sectors? The view of the crisis is negative, but which types of companies have been strengthened?, finally, do other countries have similar results?Originality/valueThe originality and value of this document lies in the fact that it makes an interesting contribution to the open debate on the management of complex situations from a gender perspective.

Spanish CEOs' perceptions in complex situations: an analysis from a gender perspective

PurposeThe coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic changed the lives of people around the world. In a post pandemic era, leaders have a role to enable the changes needed to make workplaces smart and happier. The aim of this study is to look at human resource management (HRM) from new perspectives: being smart and happy in the workplace. Some research questions are proposed: What do we know about smart human resources (smart HR)? What do we know about human resource analytics (HRA)? and how can future research on smart and happy HRM be oriented?Design/methodology/approachA bibliometric technique is used to identify the main topics studied in smart HR and HRA. A logical reasoning is applied to propose future research models.FindingsFor smart HR, the roadmap considers the approaches, practices and purposes. For HRA, the roadmap shows what are the perspectives HR processes, tools and its usefulness. Considering the context of Industry 5.0 and post pandemic era, a future research line for studying smart HRA for happy management is proposed.Originality/valueThis study has developed a proposed model to guide future research on the application of HRA to manage smart and happy workers.

Smart human resource analytics for happiness management

PurposeThis article explores how internal communication impacts happiness at work and intrapreneurship through the dimensions of communication climate and communication in meetings.Design/methodology/approachLiterature analysis and quantitative empirical data collection are used to achieve this study's purpose. The study employed a non-experimental, cross-sectional, explanatory design. A questionnaire of closed-ended questions was used, adapted from validated scales for measuring constructs, and apply to 156 employees of industrial, service and commercial companies in the Northeast of Mexico. The analysis techniques used included exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modelling.FindingsIn the descriptive analysis of the data, the authors find that 57.7% of the sample is satisfied with the communication climate, 28.85% moderately satisfied, and 13.47% dissatisfied. Regarding the levels of happiness at work, high (71.15%), medium (21.15%) and low (7.7%) levels were found. In intrapreneurship, high (67.31%), medium (26.92%) and low (5.77%) levels were found. The exploratory factorial analysis showed that the instrument was adequate for measuring the variables. Good correlations were also found between the items that make up each variable. Finally, the relationship between internal communication, measured by the dimensions of communicative climate and communication in meetings, and happiness at work was verified using the structural equation technique. The latter has a positive impact on intrapreneurship.Research limitations/implicationsThis article has some theoretical and methodological limitations like any other academic work. They would be interesting to address in future research. In this way, it is possible to empirical examine the variables of intrapreneurship, internal communication and happiness (Ravina-Ripoll et al., 2021c). The first is the study's cross-sectional design and data collection by a non-probabilistic sample, carried out in a single source. Both aspects mean that our study is not free of corresponding biases; this may result in the findings of the present work not being statistically correct. The second derives from the absence in the literature of structural equation modelling studies that analyse the constructs that make up the object of this academic work in a multidimensional way. However, although an influence I show between the variables, it is recommended to take the data with discretion. There is still a need for more empirical evidence to support these relationships before generalised results can be presumed. Despite the remarkable progress made in recent years in the literature on the three dimensions of this article, few scientific studies examine inferentially how internal communication and intra-entrepreneurship influence employees' happiness at work in today's digital society. The authors of this academic work consider it attractive for future research to address the analysis of internal communication strategic management models. It is a robust driver of intra-entrepreneurship and employee happiness in organisations (Galván-Vela et al., 2022a). In conclusion, from this heuristic perspective, companies can improve, on the one hand, their competitive position in the market. Their managers must cultivate an organisational culture that emphasises internal communication as a catalyst for innovation, employee loyalty, and productive efficiency. On the other hand, companies will be able to invigorate their corporate image to face the significant challenges in the globalised economy, thus to become sustainable, humane, ecological intra-entrepreneurial corporations (Galván-Vela et al., 2021a). It may lead to a more social, inclusive, prosperous and egalitarian ecosystem. In this way, it makes the culture of organisations around the pillars of happiness management, social marketing and the Sustainable Development Goals shine (Galván-Coronil et al., 2021).Practical implicationsThis section does not attempt to argue that internal communication and intrapreneurship constitute two intangible resources that improve organisations' productivity and collective happiness (Lee and Kim, 2022). However, it is necessary to clarify that the results achieved in this academic study show two fundamental aspects. The first is to invite managers of companies in the post-Covid-19 era to cultivate a culture based on happiness management. It makes internal communication a fast vehicle that exponentially boosts intrapreneurship, among other things (Castillo-Abdul et al., 2021). To this end, their strategic management models must carry out a diametrical shift in their innovation and internal communication actions. On the one hand, it allows for building loyalty among their creative talent. It does this by creating an organisational climate that encourages interpersonal relationships, the spirit of teamwork, collaborative participation, and disruptive thinking (Thelen and Formanchuk, 2022). On the other hand, promoting an ethical, assertive and empathetic leadership style proactively stimulates the commitment, trust and passion for the work of all members of the company (Men and Yue, 2019). The second is to emphasise implementing a constructive, friendly and positive intra-organisational language. In this way, it is dynamising the collective happiness of its human capital through the figure of the Chief Happiness (Jiménez-Marín et al., 2021b).Originality/valueIntrapreneurship, internal communication and happiness at work are topics of great interest in academic agendas in recent years. It is basically because these three dimensions, individually or jointly, have positive effects on the productivity of organisations. However, no research flow evidences our theoretical model proposed in this article. Therefore, there is a need for future studies that advance the literature in the area of business. In this way, we will have more data on how these constructs affect the life of organisations in the post-Covid 19 eras.

Deisy Milena Sorzano-Rodríguez

Papers

Mapping intrapreneurship through the dimensions of happiness at work and internal communication