The influence of perceived gender equality, perceived family support, and occupational stress on employee performance in it company Malaysia

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of perceived gender equality, perceived family support, and occupational stress on employee performance within INSCALE Malaysia, a global technology services provider. Grounded in institutional theory, the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, and social support theory, the research explores how psychosocial and organizational perceptions affect workforce outcomes. Using a quantitative research design, data were collected from the employees through structured questionnaires employing a simple random sampling technique. The study identifies significant correlations between perceived gender equality and employee performance, highlighting how gender-based disparities in career advancement and task delegation impact morale and output. Similarly, perceived family support emerged as a critical buffer against stress, promoting work-life integration and performance. Conversely, occupational stress arising from workload pressure and ambiguity negatively influenced cognitive and emotional well-being, impairing productivity. The findings offer theoretical contributions to human resource and organizational behavior literature by contextualizing Western performance models within Malaysia’s collectivist and multicultural work environment. Practically, the research underscores the need for inclusive HR policies, family-supportive initiatives, and stress-mitigation strategies tailored to Malaysia’s sociocultural realities. The study offers a performancecentric, perception-driven framework for enhancing productivity in knowledge-sector organizations operating in diverse setting