Abstract
Employee activism, in which employees collectively press an organisation on societal issues, is a growing phenomenon. Many employees have been motivated by the climate crisis to demand more sustainable business practices and insist that employers tackle the issue. Ignoring such activism can have negative reputational effects. This paper examines two employee initiatives that tackled climate change in a global professional service firm and sheds light on how organisations can influence employee-driven undertakings and integrate them with more sustainable business models. Reflecting on best practices, but also on lessons learned from the cases, the article also suggests how organisations can help employee activists stay motivated and pursue their passion sustainably.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 288-294 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | European Management Journal |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 12 May 2024 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 30 Jun 2024 |
Funding
While The Firm had taken a laissez-faire attitude toward the previous phases, which were managed entirely by employee activists, growth in societal awareness through global demonstrations (e.g., Fridays for Future, Extinction Rebellion) and ever closer and more devastating climate catastrophes forced it to rethink previous policy and attempt to further incorporate Initiative 1 into core business practices. The founder of Initiative 1 recalls a remark by the main senior sponsor to The Firm's UK leader: \u201CI'm surrounded by young people Shoreditch and all they're talking about is climate change. I think this is going to be the next thing we need to pay attention to.\u201D As a result, Initiative 1 received more support from the leadership. In 2022, The Firm employed one person fulltime to coordinate Initiative 1 activities.We would like to thank the Andrea von Braun foundation (Germany) for funding this research. We would like to extend our appreciation to the dedicated participants of this study. Their commitment to sharing their valuable time, personal experiences, and expertise has significantly enriched the findings presented in this paper.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Andrea von Braun Stiftung |
Keywords
- Climate change
- Employee activism
- Employee initiative
- Professional service firms
- Sustainable business
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Strategy and Management
