Making Sense of Green Practices: A Qualitative Study of Employees Understanding and Voluntary Green Behaviour

Abstract

This study explores employees’ understanding of green sustainable practices and policies within organizations and examines how such understanding influences their voluntary green behavior. Drawing on the growing importance of corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability, the research adopts a qualitative approach to capture in-depth insights into employee perceptions. Data were collected through 20 semi-structured interviews with early-career professionals across diverse industries, and analysed using the Gioia methodology. The findings reveal significant gaps in awareness and communication of green policies within organizations, with many employees either unaware of such policies or conflating them with corporate social responsibility initiatives. The study further identifies that existing incentive mechanisms, particularly non-monetary recognition, are largely ineffective in motivating green behavior. Instead, employees emphasize the importance of intrinsic motivation and prefer green behavior to remain voluntary rather than policy-driven. Additionally, time constraints, prioritization of key performance-related tasks, and lack of organizational support emerge as critical barriers to the adoption of green practices. The results also highlight ambiguity in distinguishing between task-related and voluntary green behavior, along with contextual variations such as differences between work-from-home and office environments. This research contributes to the sustainability and organizational behavior literature by providing nuanced insights into the micro-level dynamics shaping employee green behavior. It underscores the importance of clear policy communication, alignment between organizational practices and employee perceptions, and the role of supportive environments in fostering sustainable workplace behavior.