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Shaping a Socially Responsible Workforce Through SRHRM Practices: Investigating the Mediating Role of Work Meaningfulness and the Moderating Effect of Servant Leadership

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  • Afra Saif Altuniji
  • Shaker Bani‐Melhem
  • Faridahwati Mohd‐Shamsudin
  • Muhammad Usman

Abstract

Despite the increased emphasis on motivating employees to go beyond their professions and positively impact society, our understanding of the factors that drive these social impact behaviors is still limited. Thus, the objective of this study is to investigate how employee social impact behaviors (ESIB) in service organizations are promoted by socially responsible human resource management (SRHRM) practices. Grounded in self‐determination theory, the study explores whether SRHRM influences ESIB through the mediating role of work meaningfulness (WM) and examines how servant leadership (SL) strengthens this relationship. Data from 268 service sector employees in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were gathered via a structured, cross‐sectional survey. The results support the moderated mediation model. It also demonstrates that SRHRM significantly boosts ESIB, with its effect being more pronounced under high SL behavior. This study provides essential insights into how SL amplifies the effects of SRHRM on ESIB and offers practical recommendations for organizations seeking to develop a socially responsible workforce. Furthermore, it emphasizes the necessity of aligning HRM practices with corporate social responsibility objectives to achieve wider organizational and societal outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Afra Saif Altuniji & Shaker Bani‐Melhem & Faridahwati Mohd‐Shamsudin & Muhammad Usman, 2025. "Shaping a Socially Responsible Workforce Through SRHRM Practices: Investigating the Mediating Role of Work Meaningfulness and the Moderating Effect of Servant Leadership," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 32(3), pages 3891-3904, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:corsem:v:32:y:2025:i:3:p:3891-3904
    DOI: 10.1002/csr.3154
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kenneth De Roeck & Omer Farooq, 2018. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethical Leadership: Investigating Their Interactive Effect on Employees’ Socially Responsible Behaviors," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 151(4), pages 923-939, September.
    2. Hongdan Zhao & Qiongyao Zhou & Peixu He & Cuiling Jiang, 2021. "How and When Does Socially Responsible HRM Affect Employees’ Organizational Citizenship Behaviors Toward the Environment?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 169(2), pages 371-385, March.
    3. Jean-Pascal Gond & Assâad El Akremi & Valérie Swaen & Nishat Babu, 2017. "The psychological microfoundations of corporate social responsibility: A person-centric systematic review," Post-Print halshs-01698534, HAL.
    4. Afra Saif Altuniji & Faridahwati Mohd-Shamsudin & Shaker Bani-Melhem & Mariam Karrani, 2024. "Employee social impact behavior scale: conceptualization, measure development and validation," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 20(10), pages 1935-1952, July.
    5. Afshin Omidi & Cinzia Dal Zotto, 2022. "Socially Responsible Human Resource Management: A Systematic Literature Review and Research Agenda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-20, February.
    6. Junqian He & Hyosun Kim, 2021. "The Effect of Socially Responsible HRM on Organizational Citizenship Behavior for the Environment: A Proactive Motivation Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-21, July.
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