Corporate social responsibility participation and emotional exhaustion: a countervailing-paths test

Purpose Based on the job demands-resources model, we test two countervailing paths (work meaningfulness and workload) between corporate social responsibility (CSR) participation and employees’ emotional exhaustion, while CSR-specific relative autonomy plays a moderating role in it. Design/methodology/approach We conducted a three-wave survey to collect data from 427 employees in enterprises in China. Findings We find support for the potential benefits and costs of CSR participation to employees. CSR-specific relative autonomy is an important boundary condition. Employees with high CSR-specific relative autonomy tend to feel work meaningfulness and reduce their emotional exhaustion, whereas employees with low CSR-specific relative autonomy tend to feel workload and increase their emotional exhaustion. Practical implications We suggest that companies encourage employees to participate in CSR activities, especially employees with high levels of CSR-specific relative autonomy, so as to improve their work meaningfulness, reduce their workload and avoid negative consequences. Originality/value Previous research has often focused on the positive effects of CSR participation for organizations while neglecting potential negative effects. Addressing this gap, our findings reveal both the risks and benefits of CSR participation and analyze the underlying mechanisms from a balanced perspective.