Abstract
Digitalization has expanded the role of human resource management beyond routine administration and toward the strategic development of employee capability and work outcomes. This review synthesizes research on the ways Digital Human Resource Management (Digital HRM), Digital Leadership, and Work–Life Balance (WLB) relate to employee performance in organizational settings. A PRISMA-informed systematic review procedure was used to plan the review, search and screen records, assess full texts, extract study characteristics, and conduct a thematic synthesis. The review considered studies published from 2020 to 2026 that examined employee performance together with at least one of the three focal constructs. Across the reviewed evidence, Digital HRM was associated with performance through digitally enabled HR services, data-informed practices, learning opportunities, and the development of digital competence. Digital Leadership contributed by creating direction for digital change, strengthening digital culture and self-efficacy, and supporting motivation and innovation. WLB supported more sustainable performance by preserving well-being, engagement, commitment, and employees’ capacity to coordinate work with non-work responsibilities. Taken together, the findings indicate that employee performance is most likely to benefit when technology-enabled HR practices, digitally capable leadership, and employee-supportive work arrangements are implemented as mutually reinforcing elements of a human-centered HR strategy.
