How Green Human Resource Management Impacts Employee Green Behavior: The Role of Age in the Sensemaking Process

ABSTRACT Integrating person‐organization fit (P‐O fit) theory with socioemotional selectivity theory (SST), this study investigates how individual characteristics shape employees' perceptions of green human resource management (GHRM) and promote voluntary green behaviors at work. We focus on the mediating role of GHRM perceptions in the relationship between employees' environmental self‐assets and their voluntary green behavior and examine how this indirect effect varies by employee age. Using survey data from 303 employees in the pharmaceutical sector, we find that environmental self‐assets positively influence GHRM perceptions. These perceptions, in turn, mediate the relationship between environmental self‐assets and voluntary green behavior, but only for older employees. Notably, the moderated mediation effect is strongest for perceptions of ability‐enhancing GHRM practices. These findings suggest that older employees' socioemotional priorities may shape how they interpret and respond to sustainability initiatives at work. By uncovering how age influences the sensemaking process behind GHRM perception and green behavior, this research contributes to a more nuanced understanding of employee‐driven sustainability efforts.