Big Five Personality Traits and Employee Engagement among Bank Employees in the First District of Cotabato: A Descriptive-Correlational Study

In a fast-paced and competitive banking industry, understanding what drives employee engagement has become paramount for organizational success. This study examined the relationship between Big Five personality traits and employee engagement among banking professionals among bank employees in the First District of Cotabato. Using a descriptive-correlational design, data were collected from 109 respondents through a purposive sampling technique. Standardized questionnaires adapted from established instruments were utilized to measure personality traits and employee engagement. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient were employed for data analysis. Findings revealed that respondents demonstrated high levels of extraversion (M=4.01), agreeableness (M=4.20), conscientiousness (M=4.30, and openness (M=4.10), while neuroticism was low (M=2.28), indicating emotional stability. Employee engagement was also high in terms of job engagement (M=3.89) and organizational engagement (M=4.21). Furthermore, results showed a significant moderate positive relationship between Big Five personality traits and employee engagement (r = 0.560, p < 0.01). The findings suggest that employees with more favorable personality traits tend to exhibit higher levels of engagement in the workplace. The study highlights the importance of integrating personality assessment into human resource practices to enhance employee motivation, performance, and organizational outcomes in the banking sector.