Factors Affecting Employee Green Behavior: The Mediating Role of Green Intrinsic Motivation in a Selected Sri Lankan FMCG Company.

Abstract

In recent years, there has been growing attention on environmental consciousness and the sustainability of businesses. Promoting green behaviour has been recognized as an initial step in green human resource management to create a transitional change at the employee level. In so doing, employee motivation to adopt voluntary behaviour central to acting green and socially responsible is also paramount. Despite the increasing attention on greening businesses, existing research is scant to fully understand the factors affecting employee green behaviours and the underlying mechanisms of what influences employee green behaviour at work. This study investigates the factors affecting employee green behaviour while focusing on the mediating role of green intrinsic motivation in a selected fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) manufacturing firm in Sri Lanka. The sample comprised 220 employees working in the chosen firm. The data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLSSEM) with the SmartPLS Version 4.1.0.9 software and SPSS version 25 for preliminary analyses. The results revealed that environmental orientation, environmental knowledge and awareness, environmental attitude and perceived supervisory support positively influence employee green behaviour through green intrinsic motivation. This study contributes to the green human resource management literature by extensively investigating the factors affecting employee green behaviour and the mediating role of green intrinsic motivation. It offers practical implications for the FMCG manufacturing industry by highlighting the ways to increase the green motivation of employees and significant factors that can elevate green behaviours at work. Future studies can extend the model by linking other employee-level outcomes central to improving sustainable business performance.