Amid rising concerns about the global climate crisis, researchers at Princeton University have made a significant discovery regarding the impact of company culture on sustainable behaviors among employees. Their research also revealed a link between eco-friendly actions and increased employee satisfaction.
In a study published in Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology, the Princeton team conducted a nationwide survey to investigate the factors influencing employees’ adoption of sustainable practices and their integration of environmental considerations into their daily decision-making processes.
The findings emphasized the crucial yet often overlooked role of social and organizational factors in shaping sustainable behaviors. While personal factors, such as individual concerns about climate change and sustainable practices in personal lives, were found to be important predictors of eco-friendly behaviors at work, the study also revealed that employees were more likely to act sustainably if they felt supported by their company and coworkers, regardless of their personal beliefs and behaviors.
Jordana Composto, a graduate student in psychology and the study’s first author, stated, “We found that organizational signals matter hugely. They matter on top of individual attitudes and what people do in different contexts outside of work. If we only focus on changing individual attitudes and behaviors, then we totally miss the important role that organizational context plays in amplifying or dampening pro-environmental decisions.”
The results underscored the significance of perception in promoting green behaviors among employees. For instance, if individuals believe that their company or coworkers would disapprove of their efforts to incorporate sustainability into their job tasks, they may avoid taking pro-environmental actions, even if they personally support them. Conversely, if employees perceive that their company values sustainability, they are more likely to integrate environmental considerations into their daily tasks, even if they have lower personal concerns about climate change.
Elke Weber, the Gerhard R. Andlinger Professor in Energy and the Environment and professor of psychology and public affairs at Princeton who led the research team, noted that the study revealed a potential “virtuous cycle” between sustainable behaviors and job satisfaction. This suggests that employees who engage in sustainable actions at work also experience higher levels of satisfaction. According to Weber, this positive relationship between sustainable behaviors and job satisfaction should grab the attention of employers, as creating an environment where employees can express their values could lead to happier and more engaged workers.
The findings align with the theme of the Andlinger Center’s 2022 E-ffiliates Retreat, which emphasized the use of behavioral science insights to drive meaningful climate action within organizations. The study emphasizes that organizational change is crucial in addressing the climate crisis and that climate action needs to be reinforced at the organizational level, rather than solely relying on individual attitude and behavior changes.
The researchers also highlighted that their study coincides with a shift in how many Americans perceive their jobs and the role of companies in society. Work is increasingly seen as more than just a means of income, with individuals expecting their jobs to provide a sense of purpose and companies being viewed as having moral and social obligations as members of society.
To understand individual beliefs within the larger social and organizational framework, the researchers stressed the importance of interdisciplinary approaches. They argued that such approaches are essential for understanding how decision-makers within companies can either facilitate or impede overall organizational change.
The study researchers cautioned that their current work is correlational, but they intend to follow up with experimental studies to uncover the underlying causes of the observed relationships between sustainable behaviors and various predictors among employees.
In addition to Composto and Weber, Sara Constantino, assistant professor in psychology and public policy and urban affairs at Northeastern University and a visiting research scholar at Princeton’s Center for Policy Research on Energy and the Environment, also contributed to the study.
More information:
Jordana W. Composto et al, Predictors and consequences of pro-environmental behavior at work, Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.cresp.2023.100107
Citation:
Company culture shapes willingness of workers to act sustainably, research shows (2023, June 20)
retrieved 20 June 2023
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