<![CDATA[This study examines the mediating role of employee engagement in the effect of strategic human resource management practices on frontline employee performance in service firms in Kendari City, Indonesia. Using a quantitative explanatory design, data were collected from 110 non-managerial frontline employees selected through purposive sampling and analysed with partial least squares structural equation modelling. Strategic HRM practices were measured through recruitment and selection, training and development, performance appraisal, and compensation and rewards; engagement through vigour, dedication, and absorption; and performance through service quality, responsiveness, task completion, and cooperation. The results show that strategic HRM practices significantly influence both employee engagement and frontline performance, and that engagement partially mediates this relationship, with the indirect effect exceeding the direct effect. Engagement therefore functions as the principal mechanism converting HRM practices into service performance. Service firms should design HRM practices that sustain engagement at the customer interface, rather than mere procedural compliance]]>
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