Volume : 7, Issue : 11, NOV 2021

CAUSAL FACTORS OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IN NATURAL RUBBER PLANTATION: A STUDY OF A MALAYSIAN FIRM

AHMAD NASA’IE ISMAIL, AMRU HAMID, ZAMRI MISKAM, RAZIEMAN MOHD YUSOFF, SAMSUDIN WAHAB

Abstract

The natural rubber plantation sector is labor-intensive. The employee turnover problem has affected Hamid Sawmill Sendirian Berhad (HSSB) in Johor, Malaysia. The purpose of this applied business research is to investigate the influences of engaging leadership, working conditions, and reward and recognition on employee engagement to help the company reduce employee turnover. Data were gathered from 50 workers of the company through a survey approach using a self-administered questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. The proposed regression model is an integrated framework developed based on the employee engagement literature. The findings highlight that all input variables: engaging leadership, working conditions, and reward and recognition, had significant positive influences on employee engagement. The most influential factors of employee engagement are reward and recognition. The present study helps the top management to improve employee engagement. The emphasis on employee engagement factors will help the company formulating effective organizational policies and practices to reduce its employee turnover. The findings also provide the company with ideas to develop a competitive advantage in the rubber plantation industry. This research could be a reference for other related companies, and it also directly contributes to the body of academic knowledge, primarily involving workers in the plantation industry.

Keywords

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT, ENGAGING LEADERSHIP, WORKING CONDITION, REWARD AND RECOGNITION.

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