THE MEDIATING ROLE OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY IN THE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA

There is persistent challenge of low employee productivity and inefficiencies in local government administration, despite the presence of various Human Resource Management Practices (HRMP). This study examined the mediating role of employee engagement in the relationship between human resources management practices and employee productivity in the local governments of Southwestern Nigeria. The study adopted a survey research design which involve the use of structured questionnaire for data collection. The population comprised 376 senior officers and stakeholders in selected local governments in Ogun, Osun, and Ondo States, and census sampling technique was employed. A total of 329 valid responses were retrieved, representing a response rate of 87.5 per cent. Data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling. The findings revealed that employee engagement significantly mediated the relationship between human resource management practices and employee productivity, with a significant indirect effect (β = 0.284, p = 0.000), alongside strong direct effects of human resource management practices on employee engagement (β = 0.672, p = 0.000) and employee engagement on productivity (β = 0.422, p = 0.000), indicating partial and complementary mediation. The study concludes that human resource management practices significantly enhance employee productivity in local governments, particularly through employee engagement. Thus, the study recommends that local governments should prioritise strengthening employee engagement strategies, as these constructs exhibited the most significant and impactful effects on employee productivity.