Countering uncertainty: high-commitment work systems, performance, burnout and wellbeing in Malaysia

Abstract

This study examines the effect of high-commitment work systems on firm performance, employee burnout and wellbeing, and the mediating role of organisation support and employee effort in Malaysia. Through a survey of 215 employees working in manufacturing firms, the results show that high-commitment work systems have a significant positive direct impact on firm performance and a significant negative effect on employee burnout, yet no significant positive effect on employee wellbeing. Organisation support partially mediates the effect of high-commitment work systems on burnout. Both employee effort and organisation support fully mediate the effect of high-commitment work systems on wellbeing. The paper contributes to an understanding of how high-commitment work systems increase performance and highlights the centrality of organisation support in the context of low-skill, highly intense production work.