Purpose: Considering the importance of employee performance in the changes in state higher education institutions, this study aims to conceptualize the mediating role of employee engagement and empowerment in predicting employee performance. Design/methodology/approach: The study uses a quantitative survey method to collect data from staff members employed in higher education institutions and applies a partial least squares structural equation modeling to analyze the data. In addition, the study performs a systematic bibliometric analysis of contemporary literature on the factors influencing employee performance. Findings: The study's results confirm employee engagement and empowerment's critical role in improving employee performance. Unexpectedly, the study also has found no supporting evidence of the relationship between work environment and employee performance. Further, the proposed model explains 51.6% of the variance in employee productivity. Originality/value: Among the theoretical implications of this study are the importance of introducing new and theoretically sound mediators to explain how the relationship between a higher education institution's employee engagement and empowerment and its employees' performance unfolds.