Understanding Employee Green Behavior in the Workplace: An AMO-Based Study of Office Employees in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Abstract

Employee green behavior (EGB) has become increasingly important for translating organizational sustainability commitments into everyday workplace practices. Drawing primarily on the Ability–Motivation–Opportunity (AMO) framework, this study examines how individual and organizational factors shape EGB among office employees in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Specifically, the study investigates the effects of Green Human Resource Management (GHRM), Green Organizational Culture (GOC), Green Leadership (GL), Environmental Concern (EC), and Environmental Knowledge (EK) on EGB. Data were collected from 251 office employees and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results support all five hypothesized relationships. Environmental Knowledge emerged as the strongest predictor of EGB (β = 0.317), followed by Green Human Resource Management (β = 0.309), Environmental Concern (β = 0.221), Green Organizational Culture (β = 0.191), and Green Leadership (β = 0.092). Together, these factors explained 60.4% of the variance in EGB (R² = 0.604). The findings highlight that green workplace behavior is shaped not only by organizational systems and environmental signals but also by employees’ environmental capabilities and motivation. By integrating individual- and organizational-level antecedents within an AMO-based framework, the study extends understanding of EGB in an emerging-economy urban workplace context. Practically, the findings suggest that organizations should combine environmental education with green HR practices, supportive organizational norms, and environmentally oriented leadership to encourage sustainable behavior among office employees.