[Home ] [Archive]   [ فارسی ]  
:: Main :: About :: Current Issue :: Archive :: Search :: Submit :: Contact ::
Main Menu
Home::
Journal Information::
Articles archive::
For Authors::
Publication Ethics::
Editorial policy::
Contact us::
Site Facilities::
Reviewe::
::
Citation Impact
..
Search in website

Advanced Search
..
Receive site information
Enter your Email in the following box to receive the site news and information.
..
COPE Membership

AWT IMAGE

..
Creative Commons Licence
..
Open access
..
:: ::
Back to the articles list Back to browse issues page
Exploring the Barriers and Facilitators of Employees' Pro-Environmental Behaviors in the Workplace: A Qualitative Study
Mohaddeseh Sayadi , Khadijeh Hajimiri , Mehran Mohammadian Fazli , Mina Hashemiparast *
Abstract:   (80 Views)

Background and Objectives: In the present era, with increasing climate change and the role of irresponsible human behavior in environmental crises, the importance of environmental protection is paramount. Meanwhile, one of the important contexts for the emergence of pro-environmental behaviors is workplace; hence, this study aims to explore the obstacles and facilitators of employees' pro-environmental behaviors in the workplace.

Materials and Methods: This is a qualitative study with conventional content analysis using Graneheim & Lundman approach in Zanjan, 2024. The participants were 20 administrative staff members of the vice-chancellors of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences purposefully selected considering maximum variation. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews until data saturation, and were concurrently analyzed. MAXQDA 2020 software was used to manage the textual data. 

Results: During the inductive process of data analysis, the lack of supportive organizational infrastructure, lack of a sense of organizational belonging, moral-social disengagement towards the environment, extreme individualism, and lack of collective identity were identified as barriers to pro-environmental behaviors, and individual driving factors, policymaking, and promotion of organizational culture were identified as facilitators of behavior.

Conclusion: Strengthening and promoting environmentally friendly behaviors in the workplace is a multidimensional approach that requires creating physical infrastructure, binding organizational laws and policies, and enhancing employees' internal motivation to create the basis for sustainable behavioral changes.

Open Access Policy: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
 
Keywords: Environment, Behavior, Employee, Workplace, Qualitative Research
     
Type of Study: Research | Subject: Health Behavior
Received: 2025/04/25 | Accepted: 2025/08/16
References
1. Nesmith AA, Schmitz CL, Machado-Escudero Y, Billiot S, Forbes RA, Powers MC, et al. Human health and well-being in times of global environmental crisis. The intersection of environmental justice, climate change, community, and the ecology of life. 2021:57-66. [DOI:10.1007/978-3-030-55951-9_5]
2. Jasem NI, Gunasekaran SS, Al-Sharafi MA, Ibrahim M, Hassan A, Mahmoud MA, et al. Exploring a nexus among green behavior and environmental sustainability: A systematic literature review and avenues for future research. Resources, Conservation & Recycling Advances. 2025:200249. [DOI:10.1016/j.rcradv.2025.200249]
3. Change IPOC. Climate change 2007: the physical science basis. Agenda. 2007;6(07):333.
4. Macovei O-I. Determinants of consumers' pro-environmental behavior-toward an integrated model. Journal of Danubian Studies and Research. 2015;5(2).
5. Zacher H, Rudolph CW, Katz IM. Employee green behavior as the core of environmentally sustainable organizations. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior. 2023;10(1):465-94. [DOI:10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-120920-050421]
6. Chatterjee A. Literature Review on the "Correlates of the Pro-environmental Behaviour. 2021.
7. Yuan B, Li J. Understanding the impact of environmentally specific servant leadership on employees' pro-environmental behaviors in the workplace: Based on the proactive motivation model. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022;20(1):567. [DOI:10.3390/ijerph20010567] [PMID] []
8. Hussain N, Zakuan N, Yaacob TZ, Che HI, Hashim MZBH. Employee Green Behavior at Workplace: A Review and Bibliometric Analysis. 2023. [DOI:10.6007/IJARBSS/v13-i3/16847]
9. Chen T, Wu Z. How to facilitate employees' green behavior? The joint role of green human resource management practice and green transformational leadership. Frontiers in psychology. 2022;13:906869. [DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.906869] [PMID] []
10. Yuan B, Li J. Understanding the Impact of Environmentally Specific Servant Leadership on Employees’ Pro-Environmental Behaviors in the Workplace: Based on the Proactive Motivation Model. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023;20(1):567. [DOI:10.3390/ijerph20010567] [PMID] []
11. Guiyao T, Ren S, Wang M, Li Y, Zhang S. Employee green behaviour: A review and recommendations for future research. International Journal of Management Reviews. 2023;25(2):297-317. [DOI:10.1111/ijmr.12328]
12. Al-Sawy MMR. Greening the Workplace: The Power of a Positive Climate and Leader Influence on Employee Behaviour. 2023;45(3):3-45.
13. Farhadi Nejad M, Alikarami S, Abdi M. Examining the impact of green transformational leadership on green behaviors considering the mediating role of environmental attitudes. Transformation Management Journal. 2019;11(2):29-52.
14. Ones D, Dilchert S. Employee green behaviors. Managing HR for environmental sustainability. 2012:85-116.
15. Omarova L, Jo S-J. Employee pro-environmental behavior: The impact of environmental transformational leadership and GHRM. Sustainability. 2022;14(4):2046. [DOI:10.3390/su14042046]
16. Ly B, Ly R. Saving energy in the workplace: Evidence from Cambodia. International Journal of Sustainable Engineering. 2022;15(1):153-60. [DOI:10.1080/19397038.2022.2097457]
17. Babaei Y, Fani M. The Effect of Green Human Resource Management on Environmental Citizenship Behavior and Environmentally-Friendly Behaviors of Hotel Staff. Tourism Management. 2022;16(56):211-49.
18. Aspers P, Corte U. What is qualitative in qualitative research. Qualitative sociology. 2019;42:139-60. [DOI:10.1007/s11133-019-9413-7] [PMID] []
19. Graneheim UH, Lundman B. Qualitative content analysis in nursing research: concepts, procedures and measures to achieve trustworthiness. Nurse education today. 2004;24(2):105-12. [DOI:10.1016/j.nedt.2003.10.001] [PMID]
20. Tong A, Sainsbury P, Craig J. Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ): a 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups. International Journal for Quality in Health Care. 2007;19(6):349-57. [DOI:10.1093/intqhc/mzm042] [PMID]
21. Juma Michilena IJ, Ruiz Molina ME, Gil-Saura I. Main motivations and barriers to pro-environmental behaviour: a study from the employee's perspective. Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal. 2024;15(4):913-33. [DOI:10.1108/SAMPJ-08-2023-0538]
22. Wang S, Li J, Zhao D. Institutional pressures and environmental management practices: The moderating effects of environmental commitment and resource availability. Business Strategy and the Environment. 2018;27(1):52-69. [DOI:10.1002/bse.1983]
23. Akbaba M, Kara E, Özel G, Yakut E, Avcı M, Çetinel MH. Green Organisational Identity and Employees' Green Behaviour: The Mediating Role of Environmental Commitment in Tourism Enterprises. Sustainability. 2025;17(7):2837. [DOI:10.3390/su17072837]
24. Tang H, Loi R, Lai SW, editors. Employees go green: the roles of perceived CSR and intrinsic motivation. Evidence-based HRM: a Global Forum for Empirical Scholarship; 2024: Emerald Publishing Limited. [DOI:10.1108/EBHRM-11-2022-0287]
25. Grilli G, Curtis J. Encouraging pro-environmental behaviours: A review of methods and approaches. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 2021;135:110039. [DOI:10.1016/j.rser.2020.110039]
26. Lavuri R, Roubaud D, Grebinevych O. Sustainable consumption behaviour: Mediating role of pro-environment self-identity, attitude, and moderation role of environmental protection emotion. Journal of Environmental Management. 2023;347:119106. [DOI:10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119106] [PMID]
27. Colombo SL, Chiarella SG, Lefrançois C, Fradin J, Simione L, Raffone A. Probing pro-environmental behaviour: A systematic review on its relationship with executive functions and self-regulation processes. Journal of Environmental Psychology. 2023;92:102153. [DOI:10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102153]
28. Lotfian S, Nasri Fakhredavood S. ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY IN IRAN. POLITICAL QUARTERLY. 2018;48(1):97-121.
Send email to the article author

Add your comments about this article
Your username or Email:

CAPTCHA

Ethics code: IR.ZUMS.REC.1403.014


XML   Persian Abstract   Print



Rights and permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Back to the articles list Back to browse issues page
فصلنامه آموزش بهداشت و ارتقاء سلامت ایران Iranian Journal of Health Education and Health Promotion
Persian site map - English site map - Created in 0.07 seconds with 44 queries by YEKTAWEB 4714