FAS lecturer wins Best Presenter Award

Adding a feather in her cap, UTAR Faculty of Arts and Social Science’s (FAS) Department of Psychology and Counselling lecturer K. Sanggari won the “Best Presenter Award” at the Melaka International Conference on Social Sciences, Science and Technology (MIC3ST) 2019. The conference was held from 7 to 8 August 2019 at UiTM Cawangan Melaka. Sanggari won the Best Presenter Award and walked away with a certificate of participation.

Organised by UiTM and School of Business and Law of Edith Cowan University, Australia, the conference aimed to provide a platform for discussion among academicians, professionals, practitioners and policymakers in the related field, establish networks among academicians and practitioners and narrow the gap between academia and industry.

The award-winning paper, titled “Impact of Work-Life Balance and Self-Efficacy on Job Satisfaction among Fast Food Industry Workers in Ipoh, Perak” was co-authored with FAS Psychology students Ching Loo Pei and Low Wan Chee, and academics Wirawahida binti Kamarul Zaman and L. Komathi.

Sanggari, who is also the secretary of the Department of Psychology and Counselling explained that work-life balance is one of the vital factors that contribute to job satisfaction. This is especially important in service industries as work demands are increasing day by day. Interested in the field of customer service and employee development, Sanggari mentioned that cultivating self-efficacy among the younger generations in Malaysia is a matter of utmost importance to academicians and employers. Customer service is the leading indicator for measuring customer loyalty and revenue and self-efficacy is needed to a great extent in order to provide the best service.

She added, “Work-life balance should not be taken lightly because it is the major contributor to a healthy work environment. It aids in reducing work stress, burnout, and turnover intention. Besides, self-efficacy could greatly affect workers’ performance as it determines how one feel, think and behave in the workplace.” 

The research aimed at determining the impact of work-life balance and self-efficacy on job satisfaction among employees in the fast food industry in Ipoh, Perak. Perak is popular for its tourism activities and food choices. This state also has quite a number of fast food outlets and it contributes to economic development.

“We found that both work-life balance and self-efficacy could predict job satisfaction among fast food workers in Perak. However, self-efficacy was found to be the strongest predictor. Employers should now shift focus towards improving self-efficacy in the workplace. Confidence enables the workers to face any customer especially those difficult and demanding ones. This stresses the significance of fostering skill development, training and career advancement,” said Sanggari.

This research contributes to new knowledge and perspective in terms of factors that contribute to job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is the major element studied in the field of Industrial and Organisational (IO) Psychology. Continuous research and development are needed to produce skilful human capital to strengthen the workforce.

Sanggari (left) receiving the Best Presenter Award from one of the conference members