Environmentally responsible behaviour in the workplace: An internal social marketing approach

Abstract

Abstract The role of social marketing in encouraging environmentally responsible consumer behaviour is recognised. However, organisations account for a greater negative environmental impact. This study aims to identify how social marketers and organisations can reduce that impact by harnessing a valuable resource, that of employees' environmentally responsible organisational citizenship behaviours (EROCBs). Findings from focus group interviews with employees of five large UK organisations show that individual personal factors such as environmental concern, values, beliefs, norms, and habits formed from domestic behaviour are fundamental to EROCBs. An important role for internal social marketing (ISM) is highlighted in identifying environmentally concerned employees, or ‘internal customers’, creating incentives and removing barriers to pro-environmental behaviour. The need to increase employees' self-efficacy with respect to EROCBs is emphasised.