Two-wave data from 306 employee–supervisor dyads in Thai firms reveal a dual effect of green HRM. It supports green behaviour by strengthening self-efficacy, but can also suppress it through role overload. Prevention focus intensified the overload pathway, while promotion focus did not amplify efficacy-based gains as expected.
Key findings
- Green HRM generated both self-efficacy resources and workload costs. • Role overload exposed a work-intensification pathway within green transitions. • Regulatory focus shaped how employees responded to added demands and resources.
Why this matters globally
The study warns that environmental targets can transfer transition costs to employees when time, training, resources, and voice are inadequate. Green HRM should therefore be designed as workload governance, not merely as a motivational programme.
Thai researcher contribution
Wei Chen, Haoheng Tian, and Chenxi Bao are affiliated with Rattana Bundit University, and the study draws on Thai firms, positioning Thailand as an empirical setting for examining fairness in green transitions.
Limitations to consider
Despite its two-wave dyadic design, the study remains observational and vulnerable to omitted variables. Several measures are perceptual, and findings from Thailand may not generalise to different employment systems.