Exploring CSR’s influence on employees’ attitudes and behaviours in higher education

Purpose - Despite the recognised importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in higher education institutions (HEIs), research concerning CSR’s influence on employees’ attitudes and behaviours is still understudied. Grounded in the theory of social identity, this study aims to explore CSR’s impact on employees’ work engagement, job satisfaction and organisational identification in an HEI context. Design/methodology/approach - Data were collected in a northern Portugal public HEI through a self-administered questionnaire distributed to both teaching and supporting staff. A structural equation modelling (SEM) approach was applied to data collected from 171 employees, using the partial least squares-SEM approach. Findings - Overall, the findings show that CSR is strongly associated with work engagement, job satisfaction, identification with the organisation and perceived organisational support, confirming the hypothesised influence of HEI’s CSR development efforts on study-related attitudes. Practical implications - Findings reinforce the need for HEIs to integrate CSR and human resource strategies and to pay special attention to CSR communication strategies. Social implications - Findings reinforce the need for HEI to develop adequate CSR strategies because these have a significant influence on employees’ satisfaction at work, and thus on employees’ well-being in general. Originality/value - This study contributes to attenuate the lack of literature on CSR’s impacts on employee behaviours.