Do work motivation and work discipline affect employee performance? A case study of the Civil Service Police Unit in Bireuen Regency

Abstract

This study examines the effect of work motivation and work discipline on the performance of employees at the Civil Service Police Unit (Satpol PP) Office of Bireuen Regency, Indonesia. Using a quantitative, explanatory design, data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to all 154 employees of the office, following a saturated (census) sampling procedure. Data were analysed using multiple linear regression in SPSS 26. All instrument items met the validity and reliability criteria. Classical assumption tests confirmed that the regression residuals were normally distributed and free of multicollinearity and heteroscedasticity. The partial (t) test results show that work discipline has a positive and significant effect on employee performance, whereas work motivation shows a negative and significant effect. The simultaneous (F) test indicates that motivation and work discipline jointly have a significant effect on employee performance, together explaining a moderate share of the variance in performance. The unexpected negative sign on motivation is discussed in light of the routinised, rule-bound nature of civil service policing work, where highly motivated but insufficiently disciplined behaviour may translate into inconsistent rather than improved performance outcomes. The findings underline that, in this public-sector setting, disciplined compliance with rules and procedures is a stronger and more reliable performance lever than motivational initiatives alone, and they offer practical implications for human resource policy in local government agencies.