This study examines how total rewards and work engagement contribute to work happiness among academicians in selected public higher learning institutions in Sarawak. As academic work becomes increasingly demanding, understanding the factors that foster happiness is vital for sustaining high performance, job satisfaction, and overall well-being. The study is motivated by the increasing demands on academicians and the need to better understand what sustains their happiness at work. Data were collected from 158 academicians and analysed using Pearson correlation, multiple linear regression, and Hayes PROCESS mediation analysis. Results show that both total rewards and work engagement significantly predict work happiness, with total rewards exerting the stronger influence. Together they explain 72.6% of the variance in work happiness. Mediation analysis further indicates that work engagement partially mediates the relationship between total rewards and work happiness, suggesting that rewards enhance happiness both directly and indirectly by increasing engagement. These findings highlight the need for higher education institutions to develop comprehensive reward systems monetary, material, and non-monetary while simultaneously fostering work engagement. Such strategies can strengthen academic staff well-being, improve retention and productivity, and ultimately support the quality and competitiveness of higher education. Future research should explore additional organizational and psychological factors, such as leadership effectiveness and workplace culture, to broaden understanding of the mechanisms that sustain workplace happiness. It contributes by offering evidence from the Malaysian higher education context and by highlighting the role of engagement in translating rewards into happiness.
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