This study examines the effects of perceived organizational support and leadership on employee performance in South Sumatra’s culinary industry by investigating the mediating role of employee engagement.

Data were collected through a structured questionnaire from 350 employees working in small and medium-sized culinary enterprises in South Sumatra, Indonesia. The data were analyzed using Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS), and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to assess the direct and indirect relationships among perceived organizational support, leadership, employee engagement, and employee performance.

The results indicate that perceived organizational support and leadership positively and significantly influence employee engagement and employee performance. Employee engagement also has a significant positive effect on employee performance and mediates the relationships between perceived organizational support, leadership, and employee performance. Employees who perceive stronger organizational support and effective leadership demonstrate higher engagement, leading to improved performance.

The findings provide insights for managers and policymakers to strengthen organizational support and leadership practices in order to enhance employee engagement and build sustainable organizational competitiveness in the culinary industry.

This study extends the literature by simultaneously examining perceived organizational support and leadership, with employee engagement mediating the relationship, in the context of South Sumatra’s culinary industry, a setting that has received limited attention in human resource management research. The findings provide empirical evidence that organizational and leadership factors can translate into improved employee performance through employee engagement.