4799 - Green HRM and Well-being: the moderating role of organizational size

Session: 4795 - BETWEEN STABILITY AND CHANGE: PSYCHOSOCIAL DYNAMICS AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON HEALTH
AUTHORS:
Mariani Marco Giovanni (Department of Psychology, University of Bologna ~ Bologna ~ Italy) , Lo Piccolo Elena (Department of Psychology, University of Bologna ~ Bologna ~ Italy) , Petruzziello Gerardo
Abstract text:
Background. As organizations increasingly incorporate sustainability into their strategies, human resource management (HRM) practices are expected to align with these goals and foster a pro-environmental workforce. By embedding "green" approaches in recruitment, training, and performance management, HRM can influence employees' motivation and attitudes towards environmental responsibility (Cherian & Jacob, 2012; Del Brio et al., 2008). Beyond organizational performance, such practices may also affect employee well-being, potentially reducing the risk of burnout.
Aims. This study explores whether Green HRM practices impact employees' levels of emotional exhaustion. Specifically, we examine the mediating role of work engagement in the relationship between Green HRM and burnout, and test whether organizational size moderates these associations.
Methods. Data were collected through a survey of 409 Italian employees. Respondents completed scales assessing Green HRM (Dumont et al., 2017), work engagement (Schaufeli et al., 2019), and emotional exhaustion as a core dimension of burnout (Maslach et al., 1986). Hypotheses were tested using the PROCESS macro for SPSS.
Results. Findings indicate that Green HRM is negatively associated with emotional exhaustion, and this relationship is partially mediated by work engagement. In other words, sustainability-oriented HR practices appear to enhance engagement, which in turn reduces burnout. The moderating effect of organizational size further reveals that the beneficial impact of Green HRM on burnout is stronger in medium and large organizations compared to small firms.
Limits. The study's cross-sectional design prevents causal conclusions, and additional psychological mediators (e.g., green climate, environmental commitment) were not considered. Longitudinal designs are needed to clarify the directionality of effects.
Innovative aspects. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate how Green HRM practices may protect against burnout through work engagement, also highlighting the moderating role of organizational size.