Work Motivation and Work Discipline as Predictors of Employee Performance: The Intervening Role of Job Satisfaction at PT Taspen (Persero) KCU Semarang
Abstract
Employee performance is a critical concern for organizations because it directly affects the achievement of organizational goals. At PT Taspen (Persero) KCU Semarang, employee performance may be influenced by work motivation and work discipline, while job satisfaction may play an important role in strengthening these relationships. This study aims to examine the effects of work motivation and work discipline on employee performance and to determine whether job satisfaction mediates these relationships. A quantitative approach was employed using a saturated sampling technique involving 60 employees of PT Taspen (Persero) KCU Semarang. Data were collected through questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive and quantitative methods, including instrument testing, classical assumption testing, multiple regression analysis, coefficient of determination, hypothesis testing, and the Sobel test using SPSS version 26. The results show that work motivation and work discipline have positive and significant effects on job satisfaction, and that work motivation, work discipline, and job satisfaction each have positive and significant effects on employee performance, with job satisfaction emerging as the strongest direct predictor of performance among the three variables. Job satisfaction further mediates the effects of work motivation and work discipline on employee performance, although this mediation is partial rather than full, as both predictors retain significant direct effects on performance independent of the satisfaction pathway. The findings indicate that improving employee performance requires organizations to strengthen work motivation and discipline while placing particular emphasis on employee job satisfaction, given its dominant role in translating motivational and disciplinary conditions into measurable performance outcomes. These results provide practical implications for human resource management, particularly in developing strategies that prioritize satisfaction-enhancing initiatives alongside motivational and disciplinary programs to strengthen employee performance in state-owned pension fund institutions.
Keywords: Work motivation; Work discipline; Employee performance; Job satisfaction; PT Taspen
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