PurposeBased on The Conservation of Resources Theory (COR), Spillover Theory and Social Exchange Theory (SET), this study investigates the mediating role of job dedication in the relationships between job stress, happiness and perceived organizational support (POS).Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 5-star resort hotel employees in Turkey. 362 valid questionnaires were collected. The research hypotheses were tested using Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modeling (CB-SEM).FindingsThe analysis results show that POS is positively related to employee happiness and job dedication. Job stress is negatively related to employee happiness but positively related to job dedication. Job dedication partially mediates the relationships between job stress and happiness, and POS and happiness.Research limitations/implicationsThe study's findings could be used by hotel managers to improve employees' job dedication, which will lead to increased employee happiness. Together with qualitative and quantitative research methods, future research could be conducted on the predecessors of job dedication and comparatively on employee happiness for different country samples.Practical implicationsIn order to increase employee happiness, Turkish hotel managers may want to increase POS and decrease perceived job stress of their employees. Although it was found out in this study that job stress increases job dedication, it is also accepted that this unexpected situation arises due to special conditions. Therefore, by reducing job stress, hotel managers may prefer to increase the job dedication of their employees and their happiness indirectly.Originality/valueThe current study contributes to the hospitality management literature by investigating the organizational factors behind employee happiness. In addition, it also explored in depth the mediating effect of job dedication on the relationships between POS, job stress and happiness.