EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

Employee engagement and organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) have emerged as central constructs in organizational psychology and human resource management. Both phenomena significantly influence employee motivation, performance, and organizational effectiveness. This paper provides a comprehensive literature review exploring the conceptual foundations, dimensions, determinants, and interrelationship between employee engagement and OCB, with a particular focus on public-sector employees at the local government level. Drawing on foundational and contemporary scholarship, the review underscores that employee engagement—defined as a positive, fulfilling, work-related psychological state encompassing vigor, dedication, and absorption—serves as a critical antecedent to discretionary behaviours that characterize OCB. The paper further discusses mediating factors such as organizational support and moderating variables like job satisfaction, highlighting their influence on the engagement– OCB nexus. Finally, a conceptual framework is proposed to guide future empirical studies. Keywords: Employee engagement, organizational citizenship behaviour, organizational support, job satisfaction, public sector, Nigeria

This study examined the impact of employee engagement on organizational performance in selected eateries in Benin City, Edo State, focusing on four key engagement dimensions: Career Development Opportunities (CDO), Reward and Recognition (RR), Employee Wellbeing (EWB), and Communication (COM). A total of 199 employee’s data were collected from 133 respondent using a structured questionnaires and analyzed using both descriptive statistics (frequency, mean, and percentage) and inferential statistics (regression analysis). The findings revealed significant positive relationships between CDO (β = .246, p = .004), RR (β = .318, p = .002), and COM (β = .723, p < .001) with organizational performance, highlighting the importance of career growth, recognition, and effective communication in enhancing performance. However, EWB showed a non-significant relationship (β = .050, p = .561), suggesting that existing wellbeing initiatives may not directly influence performance in this context. Based on these findings, the study recommends that eateries should strengthen career development programs, implement comprehensive reward and recognition systems, reassess employee wellbeing initiatives to ensure relevance, and prioritize clear and consistent communication to optimize employee engagement and drive organizational success.