Recent literature on human resources management posits that job autonomy can significantly impact employees' proactive behavior. Previous studies indicate that the connection between job autonomy and employees’ proactive actions contributes to enhanced promotions for employees. However, the previous literature often overlooks the crucial mediating variable of proactive behavior. This oversight is particularly relevant to a government agency in Malaysia facing issues related to public complaints, stemming from officers' indifferent behavior. This situation underscores the need to evaluate the indirect impact of autonomy on promotions through proactive behavior. The findings will offer theoretical, methodological, and practical implications, providing recommendations to practitioners for understanding and strategically improving job autonomy effectiveness in alignment with organizational strategies in era of globalization.