Why does family motivation occur and matter? Evidence from hotel and cruise ship employees

Supporting one’s family can be a powerful motivator for employees to work hard. However, very few research has been done and has explored the reasons why family motivation matters and how it occurs. Drawing on prosocial motivation theory and action identification theory, we propose that family motivation positively influences employee resilience, particularly when intrinsic motivation and challenge stressors are low. Additionally, perceived organizational support for families enhances family motivation, which in turn bolsters employee resilience. We have collected data from hotel and cruise ship employees to test these hypotheses. Our findings suggest that family motivation significantly strengthens employee resilience, especially in the absence of intrinsic motivation and challenge stressors. Furthermore, perceived organizational family support plays a crucial role in fostering family motivation, which mediates its positive impact on employee resilience. Based on these insights, we recommend that hotel and cruise ship companies cultivate resilient employees by reinforcing family motivation and implementing family-friendly practices. •Family motivation positively influences employee resilience.•Family motivation has a stronger effect on employee resilience under low intrinsic motivation.•Family motivation has a stronger effect on employee resilience under low challenge stressors.•Perceived organizational family support enhances employee resilience via family motivation.•Data were collected from both hotel and cruise ship employees.