Decoding the emotional needs of Gen Z employees: unlocking the benefits of organizational emotional capability and workplace friendship

Purpose Focusing on the emotional demands and interpersonal dynamics of Generation Z (Gen Z) hospitality employees, this study aims to explore the chain relationship between organizational emotional capability (OEC), workplace friendship, psychological safety and job performance, using affective events theory (AET) as a framework. Design/methodology/approach This research adopted a combination of an online scenario-based experiment (Study 1) and a survey (Study 2) to validate the proposed hypotheses. A total of 448 Gen Z hospitality employees participated in the two studies (Study 1: N = 100; Study 2: N = 348). Findings Workplace friendship positively influenced the psychological safety and job performance of Generation Z hospitality employees, with psychological safety acting as a mediator in the relationship between friendship and work role performance. OEC also enhanced workplace friendship and psychological safety, which improves work role performance. Practical implications This study offers actionable guidance for managers to use workplace friendship as a potential resource for Gen Z employee human resource management practices. Within an emotionally labor-intensive workplace, hotel managers must recognize the importance of OEC as an organizational-level emotional resource that can provide affective support and psychological safety for Gen Z employees. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study represents one of the first attempts in a hospitality context to examine Gen Z workplace experience through the lens of organizational emotional capability and its impact on work role performance. The research also extends AET and provides novel insights into the management and motivation of Gen Z employees in emotionally dynamic service environments.