Factors influencing job performance in the public sector: Three approaches from Viet Nam

Abstract

Despite extensive studies on the prior factors leading to job satisfaction and performance, significant gaps remain, particularly in the global health crisis caused by COVID 19. This event has profoundly impacted employee engagement due to increased remote work, lack of social interaction, blurred work life boundaries, and anxiety over job security. While organizational emotional engagement has gained attention within the corporate world, it remains underexplored in the domain of public administration, with a limited understanding of its impact on job satisfaction. Moreover, there is a scarcity of empirical evidence on the effect of internal social media on employee outcomes through employee engagement. Additionally, career adaptability has become a key area of interest in career development, emphasizing the ability to make meaningful career choices. However, previous research often separates work and life outcomes, restricting the comprehension of how career adaptability influences positive work results via well being factors. Therefore, this dissertation investigates factors influencing job performance in Vietnam‘s civic sector during the outbreak through three separate studies. The first study focuses on the role of organizational emotional engagement and its antecedents in promoting job satisfaction and job performance. The second study explores the impact of internal public relations on employees‘ life satisfaction and job performance. The third study examines the mechanism through which well being indicators demonstrate how career adaptability enhances job performance. The studies focused on public servants in Ho Chi Minh City and Long An Province, as well as aviation industry employees in Southern Vietnam. To evaluate research models, Study 1 and Study 2 utilized partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS SEM) to analyze a sample of 335 and 193 responses, respectively, while Study 3 used covariance based structural equation modeling (CB SEM) to draw insights from 301 answers. The research results found that factors such as relational contracts, senior management receptiveness, and upward iv employee communication significantly affect organizational emotional engagement, which in turn affects job performance and job satisfaction. Additionally, internal public relations practices, including internal social media, perceived organizational transparency, and organizational identification, were significant determinants of employee engagement, positively impacting life satisfaction and job performance. Career adaptability was also found to be essential in enhancing employee job performance through well--being experiences. This study adds to the existing body of knowledge by filling a gap in the research concerning organizational emotional engagement in the public sector and shedding light on the effective use of internal public relations to enhance employees‘ life satisfaction and job performance. It also provides insights into promoting career adaptability to improve job performance and well--being in both work and life contexts. The analyzed findings also provide insights for future strategies and management implications aimed at improving employee performance within the organization.