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Understanding the boosters of employees’ voluntary pro-environmental behavior: a time-lagged investigation

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Abstract

This research investigated the influence of situational aspects and internal psychological conditions on the employees’ decisions to perform voluntary pro-environmental behavior (VPEB). The current research employs a framework that combines the TPB, NAM, and CADM models. We also identified the moderating relation between employees’ behavioral intention and voluntary pro-environmental behavior. Data were collected using a time-lagged approach in three waves from 640 respondents. Employees’ perceptions of CSR significantly influence the intention to perform VPEB. Employees’ habits enhance the relationship between employees’ behavioral intention and VPEB. The research contributes to the extant literature by shedding light on the factors influencing the employees’ VPEB. It also has practical implications for public organizations to enhance CSR initiatives and to promote the norms related to desired pro-environmental behaviors.

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Abbreviations

AVE:

Average variance extracted

CR:

Composite reliabilities

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center of Hubei Micro & Small Enterprises Development, School of Economics and Management, Hubei Engineering University, 432100, Xiaogan, People’s Republic of China

    Khalid Mehmood

  2. College of Business, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi, UAE

    Fauzia Jabeen

  3. Faculty of Management Sciences, National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Hina Rehman

  4. AFPGMI, National University of Medical Sciences, 46000, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

    Yaser Iftikhar

  5. Department of Industrial Economics and Project Management, South Ural State University, Chelyabinsk, Russia

    Naseer Abbas Khan

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Appendix

Appendix

Appendix A: Scale items and variables’ reliabilities

Constructs

α

CR

AVE

Attitude (T1) Wesselink et al. (2017)

0.87

0.88

0.59

“I’m in favor of behaving pro-environmentally in the workplace”

      

“I think it’s a good idea when an employer supports pro-environmental behavior in the workplace”

      

“A pro-environmental attitude in the workplace is important to me”

      

“I think too much attention is paid to pro-environmental behavior in the workplace”

      

“I think it is good when colleagues show pro-environmental behavior”

      

Perceived behavioral control (T1) Wesselink et al. (2017)

0.72

0.71

0.81

“If I wanted to, I could easily behave pro-environmentally in the workplace”

      

“Whether I perform pro-environmentally is entirely up to me”

      

Personal moral norms (T1) Steg and de Groot (2010)

0.91

0.92

0.77

“I feel guilty if I do not act pro-environmentally at work”

      

“I feel morally obliged to act pro-environmentally at work”

      

“I feel proud when I act pro-environmentally at work”

      

“I would violate my principles if I would not act pro-environmentally at work”

      

Employees perceptions of CSR (T1) Rupp et al. (2018)

0.89

0.91

0.67

“Our business supports employees’ education”

      

“Flexible company policies enable employees to better coordinate work and personal life”

      

“A program is in place to reduce the amount of energy and materials wasted in our business”

      

“Our business gives adequate contributions to charities”

      

“We encourage partnerships with local businesses and schools”

      

Environmental OCB (T1) Raineri and Paillé (2016)

0.89

0.91

0.57

“I suggest new practices that could improve the environmental performance of my company”

      

“I encourage my colleagues to adopt more environmentally conscious behaviors”

      

“I stay informed of my company’s environmental efforts”

      

“I make suggestions about ways to protect the environment more effectively”

      

“I volunteer for projects or activities that address environmental issues in my company”

      

“I spontaneously give my time to help my colleagues take the environment into account”

      

“I undertake environmental actions that contribute positively to my company’s image”

      

Intention to perform voluntary pro-environmental behavior (T1) Yuriev et al. (2020)

0.87

0.89

0.70

“I will try to behave more pro-environmentally in the coming months”

      

“I will voluntary put efforts to minimize resources consumption in the coming months (e.g., energy, plastic, water etc.)”

      

“I will voluntary recycle as much as I could recycle my wastes in the coming months (e.g., plastic waste, paper and packaging materials, etc.)”

      

Habit (T2) Verplanken and Orbel (2003)

0.93

0.92

0.61

Voluntary pro-environmental behavior is something…

      

“…I do frequently”

      

“…I do automatically”

      

“…I do without having to consciously remember”

      

“…that makes me feel weird if I do not do it”

      

“…I do without thinking”

      

“…would require effort not to do it”

      

“…that belongs to my (daily, weekly, monthly) routine”

      

“…I start doing before I realize I’m doing it”

      

“…I would find hard not to do”

      

“…I have no need to think about doing”

      

“…that’s typically ‘me’

      

“…I have been doing for a long time”

      

Voluntary Pro-environmental Behavior (T3) Wesselink et al. (2017)

0.88

0.87

0.54

“I recycle as much as possible”

      

“I use scrap paper rather than new paper for notes”

      

“If I would live close to work, I would go to work by bicycle (or walking) rather than by car”

      

“I turn off the lights when I am the last to leave the office”

      

“I turn off the lights in empty rooms when I pass them”

      

“I turn off all my electronic devices at the end of the day”

      

“If it would be offered in our canteen, I would choose organic food and beverages”

      

“I use a new paper/plastic cup for each cup of coffee/tea”

      

“I take care to turn off or down the heating outside office hours”

      

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Mehmood, K., Jabeen, F., Rehman, H. et al. Understanding the boosters of employees’ voluntary pro-environmental behavior: a time-lagged investigation. Environ Dev Sustain 26, 9847–9869 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-023-03121-3

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