An empirical investigation into the influence of human resource management practices on work engagement: the case of customer-contact employees in Malaysia

Abstract

Purpose – This study aims to examine the impact of specific human resource management practices on employees’ work engagement. Design/methodology/approach – Data were gathered using surveys from a sample of 438 customer-contact employees attached to 34 upscale hotels throughout Malaysia and analyzed using partial least squares technique. Findings – The findings showed that service training and performance appraisal have a positive and significant influence on work engagement. The proposed model was able to explain 16.2 per cent of the variance in work engagement. Research limitations/implications – The findings indicate that hotel authorities can enhance work engagement of their customer-contact employees by improving service training and refining performance appraisal practices. Originality/value – This study is one of the few studies that focus on the specific effect of individual human resource management practices on work engagement, especially within the context of a developing country (i.e. Malaysia) using structural equation modelling.