Causal factors of employee engagement in natural rubber plantation: the case of Hamid Sawmill Sendirian Berhad / Ahmad Nasa'ie Ismail & Amru Abd Hamid

The natural rubber plantation sector is labour intensive. The employee turnover problem has affected the business performance of Hamid Sawmill Sendirian Berhad in Johor,
Malaysia. The purpose of this applied business research is to investigate the influences of engaging leadership, working conditions, and reward and recognition on employee
engagement to help the company reduce employee turnover. Data were gathered from 50 workers of the company through a survey approach using a self-administered questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. The proposed regression model integrates a framework that has previously been independently considered in employee engagement literature. The findings highlight that
all input variables: engaging leadership, working conditions, and reward and recognition had significant positive influences on employee engagement. The most influential factors of employee engagement are reward and recognition. The present study helps the top management to improve employee engagement. The emphasis on employee engagement
factors will help the company formulating effective organizational policies and practices to reduce its employee turnover. The findings also provide the company ideas to develop a competitive advantage in the rubber plantation industry. This research could be a reference for other related companies, and it also directly contributes to the body of
academic knowledge, primarily involving workers in the plantation industry