The effects of employee training on the relationship between environmental attitude and firms' performance in sustainable development

TLDR

The impact of employee training on firms' sustainable development performance remains uncertain. This study examines whether employee training directly improves sustainable development performance and moderates the relationship between environmental attitude and performance. The authors tested these hypotheses using data from manufacturing firms in South and North China. Results indicate that employee training strengthens the positive link between environmental attitude and sustainable development performance and also directly boosts performance.

Abstract

Should employee training influence firms' performance in sustainable development? Based on research, we predict both direct and moderating effects of employee training on the performance. Assuming the institutional demands in modern societies for environmental protection, we hypothesize that employee training consistent with the demands should have a direct and positive effect on firms' performance in sustainable development. In addition, we also hypothesize that employee training should moderate positively the relationship between a firm's environmental attitude and its performance in sustainable development. Testing our hypotheses among manufacturing firms in both South and North China, we obtain empirical evidence supporting the relationship between a firm's environment attitude and its performance in sustainable development. Moreover, our data show that this relationship can be better understood by taking into account such human resource management practice as employee training. With better employee training, a firm's correct environmental attitude should be more likely to help improve its performance in sustainable development. Moreover, our data also suggest that employee training may also have a positive direct effect on firms' performance in sustainable development.