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Small actions can make a big difference: voluntary employee green behaviour at work and affective commitment to the organization

Journal: British Journal of Management

Date: 2023

Author: Shuang Ren, Guiyao Tang, Shujie Zhang

Abstract:
In the workplace, discretionary pro-environmental actions made by employees are referred to as voluntary employee green behaviour (VEGB). This is increasingly recognised as a contribution to both the environmental and the financial sustainability of the organisation. However, the implications of VEGB beyond its original environmental domain largely remain underspecified, thus constraining the theoretical development of the field and advocacy for organisations in practice. This study thus investigates how VEGB associates with the employee outcome of affective commitment, which especially impacts the psychological relationships that employees develop with their organisations. Drawing on two studies, we found that VEGB was positively associated with affective commitment, as enabled by three mediating mechanisms that enhanced the sense of warm glow and moral credit for employees while protecting them against emotional exhaustion. Moreover, we found that perceived organisational support for the environment served as a boundary condition for VEGB and its mediation by moral credit and emotional exhaustion. Implications for theory and practice are discussed in the paper.

Link: Google Scholar

Background and Context

Understanding VEGB

Voluntary employee green behavior (VEGB) refers to discretionary pro-environmental actions made by employees at work.

Research Gap

Prior research focused primarily on antecedents of VEGB, leaving a gap in understanding its outcomes beyond environmental benefits.

Study Methodology

Two studies were conducted with Chinese manufacturing employees and Australian hospitality workers to examine VEGB's effects.

VEGB Enhances Affective Commitment Through Three Distinct Pathways

Voluntary Employee Green Behavior Warm Glow Moral Credit Reduced Emotional Exhaustion Affective Commitment
  • VEGB creates three distinct psychological pathways that build employee commitment to their organization.
  • Employees experience positive feelings, moral enhancement, and reduced stress from their green behaviors.
  • These three mechanisms collectively strengthen employees' emotional attachment to their organization.

VEGB Boosts Positive Resources While Reducing Emotional Exhaustion

Warm Glow Moral Credit Reduced Exhaustion +33% +43% -38% Resource Impact of VEGB
  • VEGB significantly increases employees' feelings of warm glow (satisfaction from doing good).
  • Moral credit (positive self-perception) experiences the strongest positive boost from green behaviors.
  • VEGB helps protect employees against emotional exhaustion, reducing stress and energy depletion.

Organizational Support Amplifies the Moral Benefits of Green Behaviors

Voluntary Employee Green Behavior Moral Credit Low Support (b=0.38) High Support (b=0.98) Low VEGB High VEGB Low POS-E High POS-E
  • When organizations actively support environmental initiatives, VEGB creates much stronger moral credit.
  • The relationship between green behaviors and moral credit is 2.5x stronger with high environmental support.
  • Organizations can maximize the benefits of employee green behaviors through visible environmental commitment.

Organizational Support Enhances VEGB's Protection Against Exhaustion

Voluntary Employee Green Behavior Emotional Exhaustion Low Support (b=-0.40) High Support (b=-0.87) Low VEGB High VEGB Low POS-E High POS-E
  • VEGB's effectiveness in reducing emotional exhaustion is doubled when organizations support environmental initiatives.
  • Employees experience greater stress reduction from green behaviors in environmentally supportive organizations.
  • Combining personal green actions with organizational support creates the strongest protection against burnout.

Investing in Employee Green Initiatives Creates Multiple Business Benefits

Green Workforce Environmental Sustainability Higher Employee Commitment Lower Stress & Burnout Reduced Turnover
  • Organizations benefit from both environmental improvements and stronger employee commitment through green initiatives.
  • Employees in green workplaces experience less emotional exhaustion, leading to lower burnout rates.
  • Organizational support for environmental initiatives maximizes benefits, providing strong return on investment.

Contribution and Implications

  • Organizations should recognize VEGB as a way to enhance employee commitment, not just environmental sustainability.
  • Small, voluntary green actions by employees can significantly improve their psychological relationship with the organization.
  • Organizations should visibly support environmental initiatives to maximize the benefits of employee green behaviors.
  • Investing in sustainable practices benefits both the environment and employee wellbeing, creating multiple returns.
  • Green initiatives should be framed as opportunities for employees to gain positive emotions and moral satisfaction.

Data Sources

  • The research model visualization is based on Figure 1 from the article.
  • The resource impact visualization is based on the regression results in Table 3.
  • The moderation effect visualizations are based on the findings reported in Tables 3 and 4.
  • The practical implications visualization is based on the discussion section of the article.
  • All data and relationships are drawn from the two studies involving 299 Chinese and 139 Australian employees.