Factors determining employee engagement role in Malaysian private higher educational institutions

This study's primary purpose is to establish a model of employee engagement from the perspective of academics in Malaysian private higher educational institutions (PHEIs) that may contribute to the body of knowledge. It is carried out to determine the mediating role of the meaning of work, a dimension under the higher construct of psychological empowerment, in the relationships between perceived organisational support, job characteristics, and skills utilisation on employee engagement in the context of PHEIs in Malaysia. Data was collected among 308 academics with a 65% response rate. This study found that the meaning of work partially mediates the relationship between job characteristics and skills utilisation on employee engagement. Thus, this study recommends that PHEIs should consider prioritising efforts that enhance job characteristics and skills utilisation and streaming the academics based on baskets of tasks or key performance indicators (KPIs) that incorporate their choice of inclination.