The Role of Job Satisfaction in Mediating the Effect of Workload on Employee Performance

This study investigates the mediating role of job satisfaction in the relationship between workload and employee performance. The research focused on employees working in four- and five-star hotels in the Kuta Badung area. Using the Slovin formula, a sample of 155 hotel employees was selected through simple random sampling. The collected data were analyzed using path analysis and the Sobel test to examine the proposed relationships. The findings revealed several key outcomes. First, workload positively and statistically significantly impacted employee performance, suggesting that higher workloads are associated with improved performance. Second, workload also positively influences job satisfaction, indicating that employees may find satisfaction in challenging work environments. Third, job satisfaction was found to positively and significantly affect employee performance, suggesting that satisfied employees tend to perform at higher levels. Finally, the study confirmed that job satisfaction mediates the relationship between workload and employee performance, underscoring its critical role in this dynamic. These findings have important implications for hotel management. They suggest that managers create more effective employee service systems to optimize workload distribution and enhance job satisfaction, ultimately leading to improved performance. However, the study has limitations, primarily due to the small sample size, which may limit the generalizability of the results. Future research could address this by expanding the sample size and geographic scope, providing deeper insights into the relationships between workload, job satisfaction, and employee performance in the hospitality industry.