The impact of “green‐collar workers” on organizations

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a better understanding of the presence of “green‐collar workers” in organizations, including whether their perception of the organization with regard to environmental activities would affect their willingness to recommend the employer to others. It also aims to analyse generational differences with regard to this phenomenon.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a survey developed from other research on green‐collar workers. It was distributed electronically and the data analysed using primarily χ2 and analysis of variance (ANOVA).FindingsThere were differences in knowledge levels regarding environmental topics such as the Kyoto treaty and the Green‐Collar Jobs Act. Significant correlations were also found among the variables of generation, willingness to recommend employer, and importance of school/workplace being environmentally friendly.Research limitations/implicationsThe use of an online survey was a limitation due to the need for technology access to respond. Despite this limitation, subjects included sufficient members of all four generations to perform the analyzes.Practical implicationsOrganizations that are trying to “go green” may well benefit from improved employee relations as a result. Employees who are interested in environmental issues will more likely recommend their companies to others when they feel the organization reflects their interest.Originality/valueOther studies have not included gender or generational aspects of the issue of environmentalism in their work. This empirical study also investigates the relationship between organizations’ environmental activities, employee perceptions of the organization, and their willingness to recommend their company to others.

Multiple pathways linking environmental knowledge and awareness to employees’ green behavior

“…Previous studies show conflicting results regarding employees’ involvement in pro-environmental programs (Chan et al , 2014). For instance, some studies indicate that employees would appreciate working for environmentally friendly companies (Harvey et al , 2010) owing to enhanced job satisfaction (Rondinelli and Vastag, 2000; Chan and Hawkins, 2010). On the other hand, introducing environmental programs can cause resistance from employees because of their unwillingness to change from routine operations (Chan et al , 2014).…”

Linking Green Human Resource Management Practices to Environmental Performance in Hotel Industry

“…A study on how the attitudes and behaviour of employees in achieving effective environmental performance is an important aspect of the hotel industry (Chan, Hon, Chan, & Okumus, 2014). Employees' involvement in the environmental performance programmes is very important, and as mentioned by Harvey et al (2010), employees are more attracted to working with the organization that has concern towards environmental issues. This also enhances their job satisfaction (Chan & Hawkins, 2010).…”

Beyond the circular economy theory: Implementation methodology for industrial SMEs

“…In the case of SMEs, managers are usually the company owners, so they can make strategic decisions about adopting the CE in the firm (Rizos, Behrens, van der Gaast, Hofman, Ioannou, Kafyeke et al, 2016). Thus, if the corporate strategy aims to build an environmentally conscious company, this may motivate employees to develop environmental awareness (Harvey, Bosco & Emanuele, 2010;Rizos et al, 2016).…”