Does Doing Good Always Bring Good? Employees' Attribution Matters in Their Reactions to Proactive Corporate Social Responsibility

ABSTRACT Given the profound influence of organizations on societal well‐being and their role in environmental stewardship, there is a growing trend for organizations to proactively integrate corporate social responsibility (CSR) into human resource management (HRM) practices to align with societal expectations and sustainable development goals. However, the consequences of proactive CSR from an employee perspective are not well understood. Drawing on attribution theory, this study investigates whether employees' different attributions of perceived proactive CSR have a positive or negative impact on their attitudes and subsequent behaviors in a Chinese context. The findings of a time‐lagged field survey involving 430 employees and 131 leaders reveal that when employees attribute perceived proactive CSR to substantive motives, their organizational identifications are more likely to increase, leading to their taking charge. Conversely, when employees attribute perceived proactive CSR to symbolic motives, they are more likely to experience an increase in organizational stigma, resulting in job withdrawal.