The effect of employee's mindfulness on voluntary pro-environment behaviour at the workplace: the mediating role of connectedness to nature

Abstract

Purpose

Limited research efforts have been undertaken despite the pivotal role of employees' voluntary behaviours in the success of organizations' environmental sustainability programs. In this context, the present study examined the association between employee's mindfulness (EM) and voluntary pro-environmental behaviour (VPEB) at the workplace, and also the mediating effect of connectedness to nature (CNS) on this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

Grounded in the re-perceiving theory, a model was developed with EM as an independent variable, CNS as the mediator and employees VPEB at the workplace as the dependent variable. Based on the online responses from 421 employees working in manufacturing as well as services sectors in India, analysis was undertaken by utilizing confirmatory factor analysis, Pearson correlation and the PROCESS macro of Hayes (2017).

Findings

EM was noted to be positively influencing employee's VPEB at the workplace, and the mediation analysis indicated that CNS partially intervenes in this relationship.

Practical implications

Corporate leaders striving to achieve the organization's environmental sustainability goals could strive to build a pro-environment culture at the workplace by developing employees' mindfulness and sense of CNS. As the findings have depicted, this would positively influence employee's VPEB at the workplace which in turn will help organizations in achieving their environmental sustainability goals.

Originality/value

This study is the first to examine how EM through CNS motivates employees to engage in VPEB, especially in the organizations' context. Moreover, the re-perceiving theory of mindfulness was also extended in the organizations' environmental sustainability context.

Citation

Kumar, S., Panda, T.K. and Pandey, K.K. (2022), "The effect of employee's mindfulness on voluntary pro-environment behaviour at the workplace: the mediating role of connectedness to nature", Benchmarking: An International Journal, Vol. 29 No. 10, pp. 3356-3378. https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-05-2021-0237