DETERMINANTS BEHIND PUBLIC SERVICE QUALITY: UNPACKING THE ROLE OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IN THE NEXUS OF WORK-LIFE BALANCE AND DIGITAL COMPETENCE IN SAMBOJA DISTRICT
Published:
2026-05-13Downloads
Abstract
The increasing demand for responsive, transparent, and technology-based public services has placed government employees in increasingly complex work conditions, where service quality is shaped not only by systems and digital infrastructure but also by employees' work conditions and psychological attachment to their roles. This study aims to analyze the role of employee engagement in mediating the relationship between work-life balance and digital competence on public service quality in the Samboja District Office. A quantitative approach was employed using a survey method involving district-level government employees as respondents. The data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) to examine both direct and indirect relationships among variables. The findings indicate that work-life balance and digital competence significantly influence employee engagement, which subsequently contributes to the improvement of public service quality. In addition, employee engagement functions as a mediating variable that strengthens the relationship between both independent variables and service quality. These results suggest that improving public service quality cannot rely solely on enhancing technical capabilities and digital skills but must also consider employees' work-life balance and their level of engagement. Practically, this study provides implications for local governments in designing integrated human resource management policies that simultaneously promote employee well-being, digital competence development, and stronger engagement to achieve sustainable improvements in public service quality.
Keywords:
digital competence employee engagement public sector public service quality work-life balanceReferences
Abdirahman, H. I. H., Najeemdeen, I. S., Abidemi, B. T., & Ahmad, R. (2020). The relationship between job demands, job resources and work-life balance among employees. Cogent Business & Management, 7(1), 1720475.
https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2020.1720475
Agostino, D., Arnaboldi, M., & Lema, M. D. (2021). New development: COVID-19 as an accelerator of digital transformation in public service delivery. Public Money & Management, 41(1), 69–72.
Amaliatuz Zahroh, R., & Khasanah, U. (2025). Pengaruh Work Life Balance, Work Engagement, Dan Kepuasan Kerja Terhadap Kinerja Karyawan di Mustikarasa Cafe.
Antonietti, A., & al., et. (2022). Digital Competence and Technology Acceptance. Computers in Human Behavior, 127, 107044.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.107044
Atthohiri, & Wijayati. (2021). Work Life Balance dan Employee Engagement. Jurnal Manajemen Dan Bisnis, 5(2), 45–58.
Bakker, A. B. (2021). Work engagement: A comprehensive review. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior.
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2022). Job Demands–Resources theory: Taking stock and looking forward. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 27(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000276
Chanana, N., & Sangeeta. (2021). Employee engagement practices during COVID-19. Journal of Public Affairs.
Cropanzano, R., & al., et. (2020). The relationship between employee engagement and organizational outcomes: A social exchange perspective. Journal of Management, 46(6), 1231–1255.
Elia, G., & al., et. (2021). Digital skills and competencies for innovation and problem solving in organizations. Management Decision, 59(6), 1235–1250. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-09-2020-1234
Felisha Diensy Audillah, Dita Puruwita, & Annisa Lutfia. (2025). Pengaruh Work Life Balance terhadap Job Satisfaction Melalui Employee Engagement pada Karyawan Gen Z. Jurnal Ilmiah Manajemen Dan Kewirausahaan, 4(3), 441–450. https://doi.org/10.55606/jimak.v4i3.4911
Greenhaus, J. H., & Allen, T. D. (2020). Work–Family Balance: A Review and Extension of the Literature. Routledge.
Haar, J. M. (2020). Outcomes of work-life balance on job satisfaction and engagement. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness.
Haar, J. M., Sune, A., Russo, M., & Ollier-Malaterre, A. (2020). Outcomes of work–life balance on job satisfaction, life satisfaction and mental health: A study across seven cultures. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 118, 103402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2019.103402
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2022). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Sage Publications.
Indraswara, M., & al., et. (2024). The effect of work-life balance on employee engagement through job stress and job satisfaction in public sector employees. Journal of Public Administration Studies, 5(1), 1–12.
Israwati, & al., et. (2024). Pengaruh Kompetensi Digital terhadap Kinerja ASN. Jurnal Administrasi Publik, 8(1), 50–65.
Kahn, W. A. (2020). Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work (revisited). Academy of Management Journal, 63(5), 1629–1650.
Karatepe, O. M. (2020). Employee engagement and service performance. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.
Khin, S., & Ho, T. C. F. (2019). Digital technology, digital capability and organizational performance. International Journal of Innovation Science, 11(2), 177–195.
Koopmans, L., Bernaards, C. M., Hildebrandt, V. H., Schaufeli, W. B., & de Vet, H. C. W. (2020). Improving the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire using Rasch analysis. Journal of Applied Measurement, 21(2), 160–175.
Maulana Pujangga, A., & Andre Sunarjo, R. (n.d.). The Effect Of Employee Engagement, Organizational Culture, Employee Motivation On Job Satisfaction, Job Competence And Employee Performance In Female Plus Community-Based Institutions In Bandung.
Meyer, J. P., & al., et. (2020). Employee engagement and extra-role behavior: The role of organizational commitment. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 41(7), 689–703.
Novitasari Simhanandi, A., & Anas, M. (2025). Digital Competencies and Flexible Work Practices as Performance Determinants Through Textile Center Employee Engagement. In International Journal Of Humanities Education And Social Sciences (IJHESS) E-ISSN (Vol. 5, Number 2). https://ijhess.com/index.php/ijhess/
OECD. (2021). The OECD Digital Government Policy Framework: Six dimensions of a digital government. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
https://www.oecd.org/gov/digital-government-policy-framework.htm
Priambada, & Wulani. (2025). Work-Life Balance dan Career Development terhadap Work Engagement. Jurnal Manajemen Dan Organisasi, 6(1), 1–12.
Punie, Y., Brečko, B. N., & Ferrari, A. (2021). European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators (DigCompEdu). In Publications Office of the European Union. European Commission
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC107466
Raišienė, A. G., Rapuano, V., Varkulevičiūtė, K., & Stachová, K. (2020). Working from home—Who is happy? A survey of Lithuania’s employees during the COVID-19 quarantine period. Sustainability, 12(13), 5332. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12135332
Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2021). Organizational Behavior (18th ed.). Pearson Education.
Saks, A. M. (2021). Caring human resources management and employee engagement. Human Resource Management Review, 31(2), 100835. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2020.100835
Saks, A. M. (2022). Caring human resources management and employee engagement. Human Resource Management Review.
Schaufeli, W. B. (2021). Engaging leadership: How to promote work engagement? Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 754556.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.754556
Simhanandi, & al., et. (2025). Digital competence indicators in public service: Enhancing effectiveness and efficiency. Journal of Digital Public Administration, 7(1), 10–25.
Suhartanto, D. (2021). Digital competence and employee engagement in public sector. Jurnal Manajemen Indonesia.
Tams, S. (2021). Technostress and employee engagement: The role of digital adaptation. Journal of Information Technology.
Tiong, [First Name Unknown], & al., et. (2024). The impact of digital competence on work effectiveness and public service quality. Journal of Digital Governance and Public Administration, 6(2), 45–60
Tiong, P., Sumaryo, P., & Simamora, S. A. P. (2024). The Influence of Digital Competency, Employee Engagement, and Leadership Style on SME Employee Performance in Indonesia: Innovation Capability as A Mediator and Organizational Culture as A Moderator in the Society 5.0 Era. STI Policy and Management Journal, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.14203/stipm.2024.405
Tri Tungga Dewi, C., & Krisnadi, H. (2023). The Effects of Using Digitalization, Work Life Balance and Work Engagement on Employee Performance Through Job Satisfaction at PT Waskita Karya Infrastruktur. 8(2), 1197–1207.
Troisi, O., & al., et. (2023). Digital competence and organizational change: The role of adaptability in dynamic work environments. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 188, 122272.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.122272
Umar, Juharni, & Bahri. (2025). Public service quality indicators at the sub-district level: Community perception study. Journal of Public Service and Governance, 6(1), 1–15.
van Laar, E., van Deursen, A. J. A. M., van Dijk, J. A. G. M., & de Haan, J. (2020). Determinants of 21st-century digital skills: A large-scale survey among working professionals. Computers in Human Behavior, 72, 577–588.
Vial, G. (2021). Understanding digital transformation: A review and a research agenda. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 30(2), 101697. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsis.2021.101697
Wahyudin, A., Fitriati, A., Darmawan, A., & Rachmawati, E. (2025). Pengaruh work life balance dan motivasi kerja terhadap kinerja karyawan dengan kepuasan kerja sebagai variabel intervening. Entrepreneurship Bisnis Manajemen Akuntansi (E-BISMA), 110–131.
https://doi.org/10.37631/ebisma.v6i1.1802
Wibowo, & Kusdiyanto. (2024). Work Flexibility dan Work Life Balance. Jurnal Manajemen Sumber Daya Manusia, 7(1), 20–35.
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Ameliya Bangun, Dirga Lestari, Ariesta Heksarini
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
