The study investigates the factors contributing to employee happiness in rural hotels, focusing on transcendent happiness—a concept that transcends organizational harmony and emphasizes personal growth and moral development. Existing literature links organizational culture, internal communication, and people management to firm performance and employee well-being. However, this study explores how these factors contribute to transcendent happiness, which is rooted in an employee's personal values and moral principles. The study addresses two gaps in the literature: 1) considering transcendent happiness as a key aspect of corporate governance and 2) demonstrating the positive influence of internal communication and passion at work on the transcendent happiness of employees in rural establishments. The study aims to propose a model that guides employees towards happiness within the tourism industry.

The theoretical framework draws on the Attraction-Selection-Attrition (ASA) theory, suggesting that employees are attracted to organizations that align with their values. The paper explores how organizational culture, internal communication, and employee-centered personnel management contribute to transcendent happiness, defined as the development of personal values and moral principles in the workplace. Existing literature highlights the positive relationship between internal communication and happiness, emphasizing the importance of open and fluid communication. The paper also reviews studies linking personnel management to employee well-being, noting a shift towards employee development rather than solely organizational development. The literature lacks empirical exploration of the link between transcendent happiness and organizational culture, prompting this research to bridge this gap. Furthermore, while internal communication's influence on various aspects of organizational success is established, its connection to transcendent happiness within tourism companies remains underexplored.

The research employed a partial least-squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS 3. A survey was sent to 11,340 rural hotels in Spain, resulting in 623 positive responses, and a final sample of 443 employees. The questionnaire used validated scales to measure transcendent happiness (THP), corporate culture (CC), internal communication (IC), and employee-centered personnel management (EPM). The survey included items assessing prosocial happiness, passion at work, spiritual well-being, internal communication satisfaction (feedback, informal communication, climate), organizational culture (team orientation, people orientation, innovation, planning), and employee-centered personnel management (intrinsic motivation, participation, perceived organizational support). Seven indicators with loadings < 0.707 were eliminated from the analysis. The goodness-of-fit indicators indicated a valid model (SRMR below 0.08). The model assesses the direct and indirect effects of the hypothesized relationships among the constructs.

The measurement model demonstrated adequate reliability and validity. Seven hypotheses were accepted, while four were rejected. The overall model showed moderate explanatory power (R² = 0.518) and predictive relevance (Q² > 0). Internal communication (R² = 0.416) and personnel management (R² = 0.431) significantly contributed to employee happiness. Within internal communication, informal communication was the most crucial aspect. Organizational culture had the most significant impact on personnel management and employee happiness. Passion at work (R² = 0.197) was found to be a strong predictor of transcendent happiness. The mediating effect of internal communication between personnel management and employee happiness was significant. However, organizational culture did not mediate the relationship between personnel management and happiness; the direct effect was significant. Effect sizes were predominantly small, except for the impact of organizational culture on personnel management and happiness.

The findings highlight the pivotal role of organizational culture in influencing both personnel management and employee transcendent happiness. Internal communication acts as a significant mediator in the relationship between personnel management and transcendent happiness. The strong positive relationship between passion at work and transcendent happiness indicates its importance in achieving job fulfillment and personal growth. The relatively small effect sizes, except for the impact of organizational culture, highlight the complexity of factors contributing to transcendent happiness and suggest the need to consider the interplay between different constructs in future research. The study's focus on rural accommodations in Spain necessitates further research in other contexts to determine the generalizability of the findings.

This study offers valuable insights into fostering transcendent happiness in the rural tourism industry. It underscores the critical role of organizational culture and the mediating effect of internal communication. Future research should explore the longitudinal effects, examine other cultural contexts, and investigate the influence of additional variables related to happiness management. The findings offer practical implications for rural accommodation managers by emphasizing the creation of positive work environments, implementation of supportive human resource practices, and promotion of a culture that values employee growth and well-being.

The study's limitations include the cross-sectional nature of the data, limiting causal inferences; the sample's focus on Spain's rural accommodations, affecting generalizability; and the specific variables included in the model, potentially overlooking other relevant factors. Future research could address these limitations through longitudinal studies, comparative analyses across different cultural settings, and the inclusion of additional variables from various theoretical frameworks related to employee well-being and happiness.