The effect of employee engagement and job satisfaction on job performance: the role of perceived organizational support

Purpose The Nigerian banking industry continues to lag in global competitiveness, often due to poor job performance. While these issues are well documented, prior studies have largely overlooked the role of organizational support in addressing them. This study bridges the gap by introducing perceived organizational support (POS) as a mediating variable. Design/methodology/approach This study employs a descriptive survey research design. 12,035 employees made up the study’s population, and samples were chosen using purposive sampling, which was solely dependent on the researcher’s expertise and the reliability of the respondents. The sample size of 373 was calculated using an online calculator with a 95% confidence level. The respondents' information was gathered via a questionnaire. Finally, the study employed a frequency table to analyze the profile of the respondents, while partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the formulated hypotheses. Findings The results reveal that job performance is significantly influenced by employee engagement and job satisfaction, with POS mediating these relationships in the Nigerian banking sector. These findings reveal the importance of supportive organizational environments in enhancing employee job performance, offering valuable insights for theory and practice in human resource management. Originality/value This study addresses a significant gap in the literature by introducing POS as a mediating variable and identifies key predictors of job performance to tackle the issue of poor job performance in the Nigerian banking sector.