Creating a culture of care: What leaders can do to enhance employee engagement and employee advocacy

The emotional culture of a workplace plays a vital role in organizational success. The present project builds on prior organizational emotional culture scholarship by 1) exploring specific positive communication behaviors derived from the model of positive communication that leaders can employ to facilitate a positive emotional culture (PEC), 2) examining the potential benefits of a PEC, including enhanced employee engagement and increased employee advocacy, and 3) grounding the research in broaden-and-build theory. The findings revealed that although positive communication practices from leaders do not directly impact employee engagement nor advocacy, they do shape the development of a positive emotional culture in the workplace, which in turn does influence those productive outcomes. This study highlights the significance of emotions in the workplace and offers practical insights for leaders to foster a more motivated and loyal workforce, benefitting both organizations and their employees.