Drivers of Employee Engagement and Job Performance in Nepal’s Pharmaceutical Industry: The Mediating Role of Work-Life Balance

This study investigates the relationship between employee engagement drivers (cognitive, emotional, and behavioral), work-life balance, and job performance among pharmaceutical representatives in Nepal.Using a cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 384 pharmaceutical representatives and analyzed using PLS-SEM.Results indicate that emotional and behavioral engagement significantly predict job performance, while cognitive engagement does not.Work-life balance partially mediates the relationship between emotional and behavioral engagement and job performance, and fully mediates the relationship between cognitive engagement and job performance.These findings contribute to employee engagement theory by highlighting the differential impacts of engagement drivers and the crucial mediating role of work-life balance in the Nepalese pharmaceutical industry context.Practical implications for enhancing employee performance in this sector are discussed.