Employee-Perceived Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Employee Pro-Environmental Behavior (PEB): The Moderating Role of CSR Skepticism and CSR Authenticity

Abstract

Despite the substantial attention given to pro-environmental behavior (PEB) by academicians, practitioners, and policymakers, few studies have investigated how employee-perceived corporate social responsibility (CSR) affects employees’ PEB. Moreover, though the concept of PEB has been found to elicit a wide range of positive benefits for employee behaviors and attitudes, it has rarely been applied to the context of the manufacturing sector. Underpinned by the social identity theory (SIT) and the attitude-behavior-context (ABC) theory, the present study investigates the impact of employee-perceived CSR on employees’ PEB through the moderating roles of employee–CSR skepticism and employee–CSR authenticity. The convenience sampling technique was used to select employees from Pakistani manufacturing firms to participate in the study’s survey. Analysis results of data from 235 respondents across 115 manufacturing firms suggest that employee-perceived CSR positively drives employees’ PEB. In addition, the findings offer valuable insights on employee–CSR skepticism and employee–CSR authenticity. Specifically, CSR skepticism weakens the link between perceived CSR and PEB, while CSR authenticity strengthens this link. By providing implications and limitations, the present study discusses that organizations can convey the message of their credible, genuine, and authentic CSR efforts to their employees for social, economic, and environmental wellbeing. The study’s discussions and conclusions are presented.

Relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility, Organizational Trust, and Corporate Reputation for Sustainable Performance

“…The literature on the CSR realm provides multiple studies that have discussed CSR initiatives in manufacturing, service, banking, automobile, etc. [11,12]. However, few studies have explicitly focused on E-CSR and its relations with organizational reputation, particularly from the restaurant industry perspective.…”

The Role of Social Responsibility and Ethics in Employees’ Wellbeing

“…Many studies have attempted to understand the impact of SR and ethical practices on employees’ satisfaction, a constituent of employees’ WB [ 34 , 84 , 85 , 100 , 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 , 105 , 106 , 107 ]. Researching employees’ perceptions and attitudes towards SR, OE, and WB is important [ 34 , 84 , 85 ] because it can lead to seeking opportunities for better implementation of responsible and ethical social practices and initiatives. In addition, employees’ satisfaction provides an insight into the emotional state of work experience and environment [ 108 ], directly contributing to organizational performance [ 73 ].…”

“…Researching employees’ perceptions and attitudes towards SR, OE, and WB is important [ 34 , 84 , 85 ] because it can lead to seeking opportunities for better implementation of responsible and ethical social practices and initiatives. In addition, companies are increasingly recognizing the strategic importance of OE and SR in ensuring employees’ WB and the sustainability of their business [ 69 , 84 , 86 ], as well as employee satisfaction in implementing SR programs and ethical conduct.…”

Unleashing the Role of CSR and Employees’ Pro-Environmental Behavior for Organizational Success: The Role of Connectedness to Nature

“…The work of Zou et al [35] mentions different factors due to which the SME sector suffered in trying to adopt different sustainability initiatives under a CSR umbrella. Latif et al [71], in their recent work, concluded that the CSR engagement of an SME could drive the PB of employees. The reason for such association lies in the logic that a socially responsible organization shows "a caring for others" attitude, which is well acknowledged on the part of employees.…”