Do green motives matter? The influence of corporate environmental responsibility motives on employees’ green behaviour / ¿Importan los motivos verdes? La influencia de los motivos de responsabilidad medioambiental corporativa en el comportamiento ecológico de los empleados

This paper explores the impact of corporate environmental responsibility (CER) motives on employees’ green behaviour within organizations. We conducted two studies to examine whether and how the underlying reasons for a company’s adoption of CER policies influence employees’ environmental actions at work. In the first study, we used an experimental design with 292 university students to investigate the effects of financial versus environmental motives on perceived CER and subsequent employee green behaviour. In the second study, we extended this analysis to a real-world context by surveying organizational employees. Our results reveal that CER motives significantly shape employees’ perceptions of CER and their environmental self-identity, which in turn affects their in-role (job-related tasks) and extra-role (voluntary actions) environmental behaviours at work. Specifically, we found that when CER is perceived to be adopted for environmental reasons, it enhanced employee green behaviour, whereas financial motives for CER adoption diminished this influence. This study contributes theoretically by integrating CER motives, perceived CER and environmental self-identity to explain both extra-role and in-role employee green behaviours. Practically, it highlights how organizations frame and communicate their motives, which is crucial for fostering sustainable workplace practices.