Linking Perceived Corporate Social Responsibility and Employee Well-Being—A Eudaimonia Perspective

Abstract

In recent decades, there has been a shift at the organizational and individual level from merely pursuing financial goals to bearing corporate social responsibility (CSR) and towards finding meaning in one’s work. In light of this, there is a need for a comprehensive understanding of the influence of CSR on employees’ eudaimonic well-being. Firstly, a conceptualization of job-related eudaimonic well-being was proposed. The data provided evidence that job-related eudaimonic well-being comprises aspects such as job self-efficacy, meaningful work, job autonomy, job-related aspiration, job involvement, and positive relationships with others. Second, based on the literature and qualitative data, this study examined and shed light on the relationship between employee perceptions of CSR and eudaimonic well-being in the work context. A theoretical framework was established to illustrate this relationship. I find that companies’ CSR commitment to stakeholders as perceived by employees positively affects employees’ eudaimonic well-being at work. Specifically, employees perceive internal CSR practices to positively influence work meaningfulness, job autonomy, job involvement, and job aspiration. Additionally, the results show that employees seem to experience closer job involvement when they perceive their business as engaging in CSR for customers, community stakeholders, and the environment. The influence of perceived CSR on the eudaimonic well-being of employees can be affected by boundary conditions, namely leadership’s role and companies’ motives for engaging in CSR. I propose avenues for future research and offer practical guidelines for managers.