Employee engagement as a mediator between high performance work practices and extra-role customer service among non-managerial employees in travel agencies in Western Province

Abstract

The hospitality industry majorly depends on employee engagement for success. In the business field employee engagement can vary based on the practices implemented by the organization. Among them, High-Performance Work Practices (HPWPs) are a major concern because they impact employee engagement in a broader way. Among the HPWPs, training, empowerment, and rewards impact employee engagement largely based on previous findings. When employee engagement is higher, performance will be enlarged by working extras apart from their assigned tasks in the organization. When the HPWPs create a positive impact on the engagement of employees, it will lead to extra roles in the organization. Therefore, the main objective of the present study is to investigate the mediating impact of employee engagement between HPWPs and extra-role service in travel agencies in the Western Province, Sri Lanka. The quantitative research method was employed, and the population of the study consists of the nonmanagerial employees who work in travel agencies in the Western Province. The sample size of 306 travel agency employees was chosen based on the Morgan table by applying the convenience sampling method. The data gathering was done virtually by distributing structured questionnaires to employees at selected travel agencies. The data analysis was examined by using both IBM SPSS software to examine the descriptive statistics and Smart PLS version 4 to test the hypotheses. This current study developed and tested four hypotheses based on literature review. The results of the study confirmed the acceptance of the hypotheses. The primary finding of the study is that HPWPs positively impact extra-role service, HPWPs positively influence employee engagement, and employee engagement has a positive influence on extra-role service. Finally, employee engagement mediates the relationship between HPWPs and extra-role service. The present study offers practical insights to the travel agency management team to implement interventions that empower employee engagement by providing proper higher-performance work practices and improving employee engagement further, which leads to extra- role services of employees. Further, the theoretical contribution of the study is the mediating role of employee engagement between HPWPs and extra-role service. This demonstrates how HPWPs impact employee engagement, thereby providing a comprehensive understanding of employee engagement strategies. This leads to connecting the gap between theory and practice in travel agencies in the Western Province. By demonstrating the mediating effect of employee engagement, the present study provides a framework for organizations’ managers to practice effective HPWPs, which not only increase engagement but also enhance motivation for employees to work beyond their assigned tasks. As a result, this research study provides a contribution to academic and practice through providing evidence-based approaches to enhance employee motivation, satisfaction, and the overall performance of the organization in the service industry.