Linking work engagement to employee performance in selected manufacturing firms in Nairobi City County, Kenya

Abstract

Employee engagement influences employees' attitudes towards their jobs and towards the organisation at large. Due to the poor institutional framework in manufacturing firms in SSA, employees are less inclined to be engaged in their work, leading to low employee productivity. Employee engagement results in motivated work behaviour and increases levels of effectiveness, innovation, and competitiveness. The study examined the state of work engagement in manufacturing firms and its impacts on employee performance of selected manufacturing firms in Kenya. The study was underpinned by the Job Demands-Resources theory, and adopted an explanatory research design with a target population of 6,254 employees of the selected manufacturing firms, with a sample size of 361 employees who were sampled through a proportionate stratified random sampling technique. A structured questionnaire was used, and the data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, and the output was presented in tabular and pictorial formats. Data was transformed before hierarchical multiple regression models based on the Hayes (2018) Process 4.2 macro to test the hypotheses at 0.05 significance levels. Diagnostic tests were carried out before regression analysis, and the assumptions were not violated. The study revealed that demographic characteristics (work experience, β = -0.187, p < 0.05 and job designation, β = 0.140, p < 0.05) and employee engagement (β = 0.700, p < 0.05) significantly and positively predicted employee performance. The study concludes that employee engagement positively influences performance. The study implication is that employee engagement practices are readily adoptable and contribute to the overall employee wellbeing while augmenting employee performance. Because of its collective benefits, manufacturing firms can improve work behaviour by revitalising formal employee engagement procedures. The JD-R theory provides a foundation for which the work engagement practices can be contextually applied to accentuate employee performance.