The Role of Religiosity on Employee Engagement and Performance: The Perspective of Muslim Employees

Anthony Brien (Assistant Professor, Faculty of Agribusiness and Commerce, Lincoln University, Christchurch, New Zealand.)
Dwi Suhartanto (Professor, Department of Business Administration, Politeknik Negeri Bandung, Indonesia.)
Ira Siti Sarah (Lecturer, Department of Business Administration, Politeknik Negeri Bandung, Indonesia.)
Tintin Suhaeni (Lecturer, Department of Business Administration, Politeknik Negeri Bandung, Indonesia.)
Setiawan Setiawan (Lecturer, Department of Accounting, Politeknik Negeri Bandung, Bandung, Indonesia.)
Aldy Mochammad Faiz Raksayudha (Graduate Student, Post Graduate Program, Bandung State Polytechnic, Bandung, Indonesia.)

International Journal of Applied Business Research
Vol 3 No 01 (2021)

Literature suggests that religiosity is an imperative factor in influencing a person's work. However, a lack of attention has been given to its effect on employee engagement and employee job performance. The purpose of this study is to assess the direct effect religiosity has on employee job performance and its indirect effect through employee engagement from the perspective of Muslim employees. To examine the religiosity-job performance model, this study utilizes Partial Least Squares (PLS) modelling with a sample of 569 Muslim employees in Bandung, Indonesia. This study reveals that religiosity dimensions (practice, altruism, and belief) significantly influence employee engagement. However, among the religiosity dimensions, only altruism has both a direct and indirect effect on employee engagement. While this unique study confirms the link between engagement and job performance, it offers a new understanding of the employee engagement role and the link between employee religiosity and employee job performance. With no previous studies in this area, it offers new insights and theoretical and managerial implications.