<![CDATA[Purpose: This study aims to examine the mediating role of work engagement in the effect of motivation and workload on employee performance at Klinik Handil Sejahtera. Method: Using an explanatory quantitative design, this study involved all employees of Klinik Handil Sejahtera as respondents (n = 48) surveyed in March 2026 using a 1–5 Likert-scale questionnaire; data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), with evaluation of the measurement model (convergent validity, reliability, discriminant validity) and the structural model through bias-corrected bootstrapping with 5,000 resamples. Findings: Motivation has a positive and highly significant effect on work engagement (β = 0.666; t = 6.306; f² = 0.729), whereas workload has no significant effect (β = −0.071; t = 0.681; f² = 0.008); motivation and workload jointly explain 48.6% of the variance in work engagement (R² = 0.486); work engagement has a positive and highly significant effect on employee performance (β = 0.814; t = 23.175; R² = 0.662); work engagement fully mediates the effect of motivation on performance (indirect effect = 0.542; 95% bootstrap CI [0.337; 0.696]; t = 5.899), but does not mediate the effect of workload (t = 0.661). Novelty: This study is among the first to examine work engagement as a mediating mechanism in the context of a small-scale private clinic using PLS-SEM complete with discriminant validity evaluation, finding that in small-scale organizations the role of motivation is far more dominant than workload in shaping work engagement and employee performance, while also revealing an empirical closeness between work engagement and employee performance that stands as a methodological note for future research.]]>
