<![CDATA[Employee performance is an important factor in achieving organizational objectives and improving the quality of public services. This study examines the relationship between workload and employee performance and evaluates the indirect role of work stress among employees of the Secretariat of the Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) of Lubuklinggau City. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was employed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The population consisted of 36 civil servants, all of whom were included through saturated sampling. Data were collected using questionnaires and analyzed with SmartPLS. The results show that workload has a positive and significant relationship with employee performance (β = 0.878; T = 19.928; p < 0.001). The indirect effect of workload on employee performance through work stress was positive but did not meet the predetermined 5% significance criterion (β = 0.073; T = 1.956; p = 0.051). Therefore, the available statistical evidence is insufficient to support the indirect role of work stress in the relationship between workload and employee performance. The R² value of employee performance was 0.921, indicating that 92.1% of its variance was explained by workload and work stress in the proposed model. These findings suggest that workload distribution, work coordination, and periodic evaluation of task allocation should be considered to support employee performance. Further analysis of the individual paths involving work stress is required to provide a more complete explanation of the mediation mechanism.]]>
