Organisational sustainability policies and employee green behaviour: The mediating role of work climate perceptions

Organisations are increasingly introducing sustainability policies to encourage environmentally friendly behaviours. Employees' green work climate perceptions (i.e., how they perceive their organisations' and co-workers' orientations towards environmental sustainability) may constitute psychological mechanisms that link such policies with behaviour. We present findings of a study on relationships among the perceived presence of organisational sustainability policies, green work climate perceptions and employee reports of their green behaviour (EGB). We hypothesised that green work climate perceptions mediate the positive relationship between employees' perceptions of the presence of a sustainability policy and EGB. Results based on data from 168 employees supported our hypotheses. Green work climate perceptions of the organisation and of co-workers differentially mediated the effects of the perceived presence of a sustainability policy on task-related and proactive EGB. These findings extend research on the efficacy of sustainability policies by shedding new light on the psychological mechanisms that link them with EGB.

On the importance of pro-environmental organizational climate for employee green behavior

In their call to action, Ones and Dilchert(2012) discuss several possible individual and some contextual determinants of employee green behavior that await examination by industrial and organizational I–O) psychologists. Although these authors briefly mentioned organizational climate, specifically ethical climate, as a potentially relevant predictor of green behaviors, they mostly emphasized the role of individual difference characteristics and traditional job performance determinants such as knowledge, skills, abilities, and other person factors (KSAOs).

Portrait of Leopold Alsberg; Employee of Mendelssohn Bank, Berlin Portraits Men

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Portrait of Max Benjamin; Employee of Mendelssohn Bank, Berlin Portraits Men

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Portrait of Max Arndt; Employee of Mendelssohn Bank, Berlin Portraits Men

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Portrait of Carl Gompertz; Employee of Mendelssohn Bank, Berlin Portraits Men

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Portrait of Karl Abenhausen; Employee of Mendelssohn Bank, Berlin Portraits Men

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Portrait of Karl Gammann; Employee of Mendelssohn Bank, Berlin Portraits Men

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Portrait of Julius Wallch; Employee of Mendelssohn Bank, Berlin Portraits Men

"1.12.1884 Julius Wallach geb. 30.5.1859. pens. 31.12.1927"

Portrait of Carl Degelow; Employee of Mendelssohn Bank, Berlin Portraits Men

"22.5.1884 Carl Degelow get. 30.1.1860. gest. 24.10.1927"

Portrait of Alfred Timme; Employee of Mendelssohn Bank, Berlin Portraits Men

"25.98.1884. Alfred Timme geb. 9.12.1860. pens. 31.12.1927"

Portrait of Josef Weismann; Employee of Mendelssohn Bank, Berlin Portraits Men

"1.1.1888. Josef Weismann geb. 20.10.1857. pens. 31.12.1927"

Portrait of Franz Trolldenier; Employee of Mendelssohn Bank, Berlin Portraits Men

"11.4.1889 Franz Trolldenier geb. 5.12.1866"

Portrait of Georg Heinrich; Employee of Mendelssohn Bank, Berlin Portraits Men

"15.4.1889 Georg Heinrich geb. 12.5.1863. pens. 31.12.1927"

Portrait of Friedrich Brandes; Employee of Mendelssohn Bank, Berlin Portraits Men

"25.7.1891 Friedrich Brandes geb. 11.4.1867 pens. 31.12.1927"