Exploring the Vital Factors Influenced by Outcomes of EmployeeEngagement: A Qualitative Study among CEO in Malaysia’s SMEs

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are significant both to the individual in providing employment and raising standard of living, as well as to the nation in contributing to national GDP and total export. However, SMEs in Malaysia have not been given adequate attention by researchers in addressing problems related to employee engagement. As a result, this study aims to explore the vital factors of organizationallevel outcomes of employee engagement in Malaysia’s SMEs. Six organizational-level outcomes of employee engagement were identified, namely employee retention, profitability, absenteeism, customer satisfaction, productivity, and customer loyalty. This qualitative study will be using the snowball sampling technique in the selection of participants. The participants of this study will consist of chief operating officers (CEO). A series of interviews will be conducted using converging interview technique and data analysis will utilize content analysis technique. The expected benefits of this study to policy-makers, top managers of SMEs, human resource managers of SMEs, and future researchers were highlighted.