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Voluntary vs. Compulsory: Examining the Consequences of Two Forms of Employee Green Behaviors

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Abstract

Environmental sustainability has become an increasingly urgent concern for organizations. While research explores various methods for promoting employee green behaviors (EGBs), the impact of these behaviors on employees themselves remains under-investigated. This study reveals that the interpersonal impacts of voluntary and compulsory EGBs differ significantly, despite their seemingly equivalent function. Drawing upon self-determination theory and utilizing three-wave data from 231 employees, we propose and test a process model that delineates how these two EGB forms exert contrasting effects on job engagement, burnout, and fatigue through affective organizational commitment and perceptions of environmental policies hindering productivity. Our findings offer a deeper understanding of the motivational underpinnings and downstream outcomes of EGBs. They also highlight the potential for negative consequences when organizations fail to distinguish between EGBs arising from voluntary endorsement and those driven by external compliance. As organizations strive to embed sustainability within their operations, they must prioritize fostering voluntary EGBs, aligning efforts with employees' personal values, rather than resorting to coercive measures.

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Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Funding

This research was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 72172114) and Key Project of Beijing Social Science Fund (Grant No. 21KDA004).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Marxism, Wuhan Qingchuan University, Yuping Raod, Wuhan, China

    Heyuzi Shi & Yixiang Zhang

  2. School of Political Science and Public Administration, Wuhan University, Luoyu Road Wuhan, Hubei, China

    Lina Shangguan

  3. Management and Leadership Programs, College of Business, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, USA

    Longzhu Dong

  4. School of Management, Wuhan University of Technology, 122 Luoshi Road 1037#, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, China

    Mingze Li

  5. School of Marxism, Beijing Institute of Technology, Gongchen Road, Beijing, China

    Heyuzi Shi

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  1. Heyuzi Shi
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  2. Lina Shangguan
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Correspondence to Mingze Li.

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Shi, H., Shangguan, L., Dong, L. et al. Voluntary vs. Compulsory: Examining the Consequences of Two Forms of Employee Green Behaviors. Curr Psychol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-05885-x

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