International Journal of Business and Economics Volume 22, No. 2 September, 2023

Corporate Social Responsibility and Employee Engagement in the Workplace: The Moderating Role of Employee Generation

C. Christopher Lee

Department of Management and Organization, School of Business, Central Connecticut State University, USA

Keshab Acharya

Department of Management and Organization, School of Business, Central Connecticut State University, USA

Youngseon Kim

Department of Marketing, School of Business, Central Connecticut State University, USA

Abstract

This study aims to examine the impact of internal and external corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives on employees’ work engagement. Additionally, it examines the varying effects of this relationship across three employee generations: Generation X, Generation Y, and Generation Z. In order to examine these relationships, a survey was conducted among 546 employees using a self-administered questionnaire. The results indicate that the level of work engagement among employees is contingent upon the specific CSR initiatives undertaken by firms. Among these, environmental CSR exerts the most pronounced effect on work engagement, followed in order by product responsibility, human rights and labor-related CSR, and community engagement. Furthermore, employee generation moderates the relationship between CSR and employee engagement.

Keywords：Work Engagement, Corporate Social Responsibility, Employee Generation

JEL Classifications：M10, M12, M14, M54

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