Work Experience and Discipline as Predictors of Employee Performance: Empirical Evidence from Local Education Bureaucracies

This study examines the relationships of work experience and work discipline with employee performance at the Solok City Education Office, Indonesia. A quantitative survey design was used with primary data collected through questionnaires. The population comprised 96 employees, all of whom were included through total sampling. Work experience, work discipline, and employee performance were measured using a five-point Likert scale. Instrument quality was evaluated through item-total correlation and Cronbach's alpha, while the hypotheses were tested using multiple linear regression, t-tests, the F-test, and the coefficient of determination with SPSS 25. All questionnaire items met the study's validity criterion, and the three constructs were internally consistent, with Cronbach's alpha values of 0.757 for work experience, 0.807 for work discipline, and 0.843 for employee performance. The regression equation was Y = 5.796 + 0.432X1 + 0.458X2. Work experience was positively and significantly associated with employee performance (B = 0.432; t = 3.259; p = 0.002), and work discipline was also positively and significantly associated with performance (B = 0.458; t = 3.675; p < 0.001). Jointly, the two predictors significantly explained employee performance, F(2, 93) = 51.183, p < 0.001, with R² = 0.524. These findings suggest that job-related experience and consistent work discipline are complementary factors associated with stronger employee performance in a local public education organization.