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International Journal of Mental Health Promotion
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DOI: 10.32604/ijmhp.2022.019452

ARTICLE

Green Attitudes, Human Values, and Wellbeing among Hospitality Service Employees

Faisal Mahmood1, Maria Saleem1, Antonio Ariza-Montes2 and Heesup Han3,*

1The University of Faisalabad, Faisalabad, 38000, Pakistan
2Social Matters Research Group, Universidad Loyola Andalucía, Córdoba, 14004, Spain
3College of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Sejong University, Seoul, 05006, Korea
*Corresponding Author: Heesup Han. Email: heesup.han@gmail.com
Received: 27 September 2021; Accepted: 07 March 2022

Abstract: This research aims to explore the intricate nature of the association between green attitudes and well-being in the workplace. Based on the basic human value theory, this study attempted to unearth the moderating effects of its two main bipolar segments, namely self-transcendence-self-enhancement and openness to change-conservation. A quantitative approach with a sample of 1,532 hospitality employees from 35 European countries was used. We found that a green attitude contributes to deriving employee well-being. Further, we found empirical support for the influence of human values, in the sense that this relationship is reinforced among the workers who are more altruistic and receptive to changes. Moreover, this research suggests strategies oriented to reduce environmental degradation and achieve sustainable development in the hospitality sector. This article provides ideas to cope with the challenges posed by COVID-19, particularly in the hospitality industry seriously damaged by the pandemic where the future of many jobs is in jeopardy.

Keywords: Green attitude; well-being; human values; hospitality employees; hospitality sector; environmental management

1  Introduction

In recent years, research on human values in organizations has gained prominence due to the influence of these values on individual behaviors and, consequently, on organizational performance [1]. According to Rokeach [2] and Ariza-Montes et al. [3], values are hierarchically organized beliefs that act as guides of human behavior. That is, values are key predictors of behaviors, interests, and attitudes [4]. In a similar vein, Schwartz [5] and Kiatkawsin et al. [6] stated that the fundamental substrate of individual attitudes and behaviors is valued. According to these authors, these values guide and direct each of the actions that people carry out in their day-to-day lives. For instance, why people give priority to certain values over others is what motivates them to act differently under the same situation.

Although values represent certain stable characteristics [7], they are not immovable, as they evolve along with the individuals themselves, as well as due to the individuals’ need to adjust to the changes that occur in society. Jones et al. [8] pointed out those human values have largely been neglected within the literature about ecology conscience. However, concern about the environment and climate change has grown to the point that today, this concern constitutes a decisive aspect of the preoccupations of human beings and has been translated into individual actions that, aimed at protecting nature (Could anybody imagine a Greenpeace member throwing a lithium battery into a river?), could contribute to reinforcing the level of the citizens’ well-being. In this relationship between green attitudes and well-being, there is an underlying set of personal values that are a priori more congruent than others. For example, assuming Schwartz’s [7] theory of human values as a frame of reference, it is likely that people imbued with more collectivistic values develop a greater ecological awareness than those people who are more individualistic.

1.1 Contributions of the Study

While the association between green attitudes and well-being has been studied by other authors, such as Welsch [9] or Binder et al. [10] to our knowledge, none of them has done an in-depth study of the moderating role played by human values in this relationship. This contribution constitutes undoubtedly one of the essential novelties of this research. The present study also has a novelty in the food and beverage service sector. This industry, strongly linked to the tourism sector, has been the subject of numerous criticisms, as some of its linked activities (airline flights, cruises, etc.) produce negative environmental impacts, e.g., energy consumption, carbon emissions, waste of food, multiplication of packaging, overcrowding, gentrification, neighborhood, and local population degradation, and the denaturing of these neighborhoods and local areas. Undoubtedly, the adoption of eco-friendly behaviors constitutes a key factor in alleviating environmental damage and thus contributes to planet protection. As Amrutha et al. [11] highlighted, the promotion of green practices among employees can help to improve sustainable development, which is a fact that is even more important in a criticized activity sector such as tourism and hospitality. Deepening the knowledge of an industry is so important for the GDP and employment creation in many European countries, this research aims to analyze the relationship between green attitudes and well-being. Additionally, using the theory of basic human values of Schwartz [7] as a research framework, we investigate the moderating effects of personal values (i.e., self-transcendence-self-enhancement and openness to change-conservation) on the green attitude-well-being relationship. On the one hand, confronting the importance of benevolence and universalism values against that of achievement and power values, we examine the influence of the self-transcendence dimension vs. that of the self-enhancement dimension. On the other hand, we explore the dimension that opposes openness to change (stimulation and self-direction values) against the dimension favoring conservatism (tradition, security, etc.). Some researchers have previously investigated the predictive capacity of human values on well-being, but as far as we know, no research has conducted an in-depth investigation of the moderating impact of values on the green attitude-well-being relationship, and even less research has been conducted in the context of the hospitality industry.

The remainder of this paper is structured as follows. Section 2 synthesizes the main literature and presents the research hypotheses. Section 3 explains the methods used for data collection, sample selection, and measurements and presents the statistical methodology. Section 4 displays the results of the empirical study. Section 5 discusses and interprets these results and describes the major theoretical and practical implications. Finally, Section 6 closes the article by introducing some limitations/suggestions for future studies.

2  Literature Review

2.1 Employees’ Green Attitudes and Well-Being

In today’s globalized world, climate change and environmental degradation affect our economic growth, lifestyles, and health [12–14]. The social well-being of our society is affected by our ability to alleviate CO2 emissions and environmental decay [12]. The tourism and hospitality sector has become a mainstream segment in recent years and serves as an essential source of economic growth and employment [15]. For instance, this industry has become the prevailing industry in various economies and has played a central role in worldwide economic development by contributing approximately 10% to the global GDP [16,17]. Similarly, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) in 2020 noticed that the tourism and hospitality sector is a key contributor to the UK economy, accounting for 11% of total employment and 9% of the real GDP. Similarly, according to Young [18], the hospitality industry considerably contributes to GDP and employment rates (one out of thirteen) in the European economy.

Moreover, various international associations, such as UNWTO and WTTC have focused on the fact that these sectors may have the capacity to provoke economic transformation. It has also been noted that the overall economic growth of a country is also influenced by these sectors [19]. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused unusual problems in the global corporate world, and the worst economic decline is anticipated since the Great Depression [20]. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the entire business world, due to the policy of social distance, tight regulations, and limits on mobility, the hospitality sector has been among the worst-affected business lines (it suffered a 60%–80% decrease in international travel at the start of 2020) [21]. It is also estimated by the WTTC that approximately 75 million jobs worldwide are at instant risk in this sector.

In addition to examining the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the existing literature also notes the close link of the hospitality sector with the environment. Due to efforts that could encourage energy effectiveness, some isolated research highlights the positive effect of this sector on the environment. Despite this, studies underlining the negative effects of this industry on the environment are much more frequent [22]. Likewise, this sector is substantially connected with other sectors, such as transportation, airlines, and cruise lines, that have the potential to damage the environment and that are essentially considered the main energy consumers and carbon emission producers [23–25]. Also, food wastage is a major concern, as food waste not only pollutes the environment but also damages cleanliness and public health [26]. The hospitality sector produces a substantial quantity of food waste, of which 28% is contributed by hotels and 56% by restaurants [27]. In the UK, in the foodservice and hospitality sector, food wastage is expected to reach 920,000 tonnes per year (75% of which is preventable) [28].

Thus, environmental management seems to be a key aspect of the hospitality sector [29], as all the above-discussed concerns may contribute to environmental degradation [30]. Global warming upsets the economy, society, public policy, and daily life, and to alleviate environmental damage, the individuals’ adoption of eco-friendly behaviors must be encouraged [31]. The adoption of eco-friendly behaviors is essential to enable this sector to contribute to ecological protection, and the promotion of green practices may also improve ecologically sustainable development [32]. At present, green restaurants and airlines and encouraging pro-environmental behaviors and decisions have become the mainstream considerations of the hospitality sector [4].

Various organizations in the field of restaurant management have taken action to minimize environmental deterioration and have paid immense attention to the attitudes and behaviors of customers towards green practices [33]. To examine the role of employees in protecting the environment, research has been conducted that concentrates on the employees’ green attitudes and behavior [31,34,35]. Moreover, several attempts have been made to investigate the workplace behaviors of employees. For example, a positive link has been found between work engagement and well-being [36], and pro-environmental attitudes have been shown to have a positive effect on employee green behavior [37]. However, the literature remains limited on the green attitudes and behaviors of employees in the hospitality sector. Accordingly, the present research investigates the relationship between the employees’ green attitudes and well-being in this sector, focusing on a relationship that has not been thus far tested.

Employee green or pro-environmental attitudes considered as essential aspects to predict environmental behaviors have gained much attention from researchers [37–39]. Under this perspective, employee green or pro-environmental attitudes are referred to as representing “an individual’s concern or inclination for the natural environment” [40], and are positively linked with the employees environmentally responsible behaviors [41,42]. The present research underpins the theory of planned behavior [43] to establish the effect of green attitudes on well-being, as this theory suggests that attitudes impact behaviors. For instance, according to this theory, an individual worried about the environment is very likely to care for it [37–41]. Employee well-being is significantly linked with organizational longevity [44], and is also considered the key to organizational success and efficiency [45].

Well-being is categorized in the existing literature as eudemonic and hedonic [46]. Eudemonics focuses on what is morally right and virtuous, and further, in this view, well-being is considered to represent a person’s full functioning [47]. This type of well-being can be seen as psychological well-being [48]. The hedonic vision is associated with pleasing emotions and feelings [46]. The hedonic perspective is usually considered by studies as a focus on subjective well-being [49], because the use of this approach involves the assessment of life satisfaction and the balance of positive and negative feelings [50]. The existing literature considers both the eudemonic and hedonic perspectives of well-being in the workplace. For instance, Ariza-Montes [36] employed the eudemonic vision to investigate work engagement and flourishing in work activities among religious workers. In contrast, from the hedonic perspective of well-being (life satisfaction), Hakanen et al. [51] examined the direct effect of work dedication by considering an occupational group, and Kim et al. [52] noted the positive effect of outdoor activities on the mental wellbeing of older adults in Korea. In a similar vein, the present research concentrates on the hedonic view of well-being, as this research examines the effect of green attitudes on well-being, i.e., happiness and satisfaction with life among employees working in the hospitality sector. Specifically, this study investigates whether having a green attitude affects employee well-being. Accordingly, the following is hypothesized:

Hypothesis 1: Employees’ green attitudes are positively linked with their well-being.

2.2 Moderation of Human Values

In addition to the direct effect of employee green attitude on well-being, this research seeks to examine the moderation of human values. To the best of our knowledge, no study has been carried out in the hospitality sector. Human values have gained considerable importance in the social sciences since their inception. Values have contributed not only to sociology but also to anthropology, psychology, and other subjects. Values are utilized to explicate the motivational foundations of attitudes and behaviors, to explain change over a period, and to describe and distinguish individuals and societies [53,54]. Human values are the basic foundation of what is desirable and good. Schwartz’s [54] theory recommends the presence of ten distinctive and common motivational values that act jointly according to the order of priorities. These values include benevolence, universalism, power, achievement, hedonism, self-direction, stimulation, security, conformity, and tradition [54]. This pattern of values describes every person and differentiates a person from others [36].

These ten values are clustered into four upper-level concepts: self-transcendence (universalism and benevolence), self-enhancement (achievement and power), openness to change (stimulation, hedonism, and self-direction), and conservation (security, tradition, conformity) [7]. These four constructs are bundled into two broader bipolar dimensions: self-transcendence-self-enhancement and openness to change-conservation [54]. On the one hand, self-transcendence refers to an apprehensiveness regarding others’ well-being, and self-enhancement is associated with the self-interest of individuals. On the other hand, openness to change encourages independent thinking, creativity, novelty, and self-indulgence, while in contrast, conservation values cause individuals to maintain and protect what they previously own [54,55].

Specifically, individuals holding high self-transcendence tend to be honest, responsible, and loyal and are concerned about the welfare of all individuals and nature. These individuals also recognize that failure to save the biosphere may cause damage to the resources upon which life is contingent [56]. Conversely, individuals with high self-enhancement prioritize their personal goals to survive, dominate and attain social appreciation (i.e., authority, social recognition, success, ambition) [2]. Therefore, the employee green attitude and well-being relationship become more intense under the self-transcendence-self-enhancement dimension. When employees are concerned about the natural environment and their self-transcendence outweighs the need for self-enhancement, their well-being is further enhanced.

On the other hand, the individuals disposed toward openness to change are inclined to be creative, have independent thoughts, enjoy challenges in life, and live an exciting life [57]. In addition, an individual desiring pleasure, satisfaction, and the enjoyment of life place a high value on the openness to change. In contrast, individuals with high conservation values tend to secure themselves, practice self-discipline, accept customs, and believe in fate. Thus, when the employees’ desire for openness to change overcomes their wish for conservation, the relationship between the employees’ green attitudes and well-being is strengthened. When employees with green attitudes and values residing in the openness to change-conservation dimension take on the grand challenge of preventing environmental decay in the hospitality industry, this action may not only enhance their well-being (i.e., life satisfaction, pleasure) but also prosper the hospitality industry by supporting eco-friendly management practices. Therefore, the following hypotheses are proposed:

Hypothesis 2: Human values moderate the relationship between employees’ green attitudes and their well-being such that the bipolar dimension of self-transcendent vs. self-enhancement strengthens the positive impact of green attitudes on well-being.

Hypothesis 3: Human values moderate the relationship between employees’ green attitudes and their well-being such that the bipolar dimension of openness to change vs. conservation strengthens the positive impact of green attitudes on well-being.

Fig. 1 represents the theoretical framework of this research.

Figure 1: Theoretical framework

3  Research Methods

3.1 Data Collection and Sample

Data were collected from the European Social Survey. In 35 European countries, the survey was administered to all persons aged 15 and over residing within private households. The main aim of this study was to analyze the social change in Europe in aspects such as trust, politics, social values, social exclusion, discrimination, religion, national identity, life course, justice, or fairness. We extracted a subsample of 1,532 employees who, based on the National Standard Industrial Classification-NACE (hospitality industry), worked in “Food and beverage service activities”. A total of 62.8% of the sample were women, and men were younger on average (38.7 years) than women (44.6 years). Regarding levels of education, 11.3% of the respondents attended primary school, 79.6% attended secondary school, and 9.1% completed university education.

3.2 Measurements

First, green attitudes were evaluated through the items incorporated into the latest edition of the European Social Survey. In this survey round, an ad hoc module was designed to evaluate public attitudes towards climate change. This module adopted the Value Belief Norm (VBN) model of Stern [58] as the main framework, covering themes, such as (1) beliefs on climate change, (2) concerns about climate change and energy security, (3) personal norms, efficacy and trust, and (4) energy preferences. VBN model is employed and validated by the existing research, i.e., Chen [59] and Lind et al. [60]. Example items on the scale are the following: How worried are you about climate change? Do you think the world’s climate is changing? And to what extent do you feel a personal responsibility to try to reduce climate change? Cronbach’s alpha for this scale was 0.66.

Well-being was measured according to the methodology used in the European Social Survey. We calculated an index integrated by two questions: Taking all things together, how happy would you say you are? And All things considered, how satisfied are you with your life as a whole nowadays? These questions were answered on a Likert scale ranging from 0 (extremely unhappy/dissatisfied) to 10 (extremely happy/satisfied). This scale showed a Cronbach Alpha value of 0.80. Finally, human values were evaluated with the Portrait Value Questionnaire, a 21-item scale incorporated in the European Social Survey and used to measure the theory of Schwartz [7]. This questionnaire measures the 10 fundamental values proposed by Schwartz [7]. The response options ranged from 6 (absolutely different to me) to 1 (very similar to me). Examples of each item are the following: benevolence (important to be loyal to friends and devoted to close people); universalism (important to care for nature and environment); achievement (important to be successful and that people recognize achievements); power (important to be rich, have money and expensive things); conformity (important to do what one is told and follow rules); security (important that government is strong and ensures safety); tradition (important to follow traditions and customs); hedonism (important to seek fun and things that give pleasure); self-direction (important to make one’s own decisions and be free); and stimulation (important to seek adventures and have an exciting life). This research obtained an alpha coefficient of 0.83.

3.3 Control Variables

The control variables for the present research includes employees’ age, gender, education, and level of education training as the existing literature noted these variables may influence outcome variable [61,62].

3.4 Data Analysis Methods

The present study employed a contemporary procedure to examine the association between independent and dependent variables, as well as contingency effects. For instance, a preliminary data analysis was conducted to test for missing values, accuracy, normality, and outliers. After establishing the initial fit for further analysis, confirmatory factor analysis was performed by utilizing AMOS to test for the model fitness and to construct reliability and validity. To assess the model fitness, we employed frequently used indices including the following: the root mean square error approximation (RMSEA), the Chi-square value, the standardized root mean square residual (SRMR), the comparative fit index (CFI), and the Tucker–Lewis index (TLI). To indicate the model’s fitness, the desired range for these fitness indicators must be less than 0.08 for RMSEA and SRMR, less than 2 for chi-square, and greater than 0.90 for TLI and CFI. We found the following values: RMSEA = 0.056; SRMR = 0.032; X2/dƒ = 1.872; CFI = 0.971; and TLI = 0.932. Therefore, these values confirmed the model’s fitness. The construct validity and reliability were tested through the average variance extracted, maximum shared variance, Cronbach’s alpha value, and composite reliability. Finally, we employed structural equation modeling to test for the direct and moderation effects.

4  Results

Table 1 reports the reliability and validity of all the underlying constructs. The reliability of all the constructs was established, as Cronbach’s alpha values were in the satisfactory range. For example, Cronbach’s alpha was 0.66 for green attitude, which was estimated by 9 items, 0.80 for well-being (2 items), 0.76 for openness to change (6 items), 0.72 for conservation (6 items), 0.75 for self-transcendence (5 items), and 0.72 for self-enhancement (4 items). Likewise, the composite reliability also verified the reliability of all the study constructs: the composite reliability for green attitude = 0.70; well-being = 0.76; openness to change = 0.81; conservation = 0.79; self-transcendence = 0.83; and self-enhancement = 0.77. Both convergent and discriminant validity were confirmed as the AVE value was above the threshold level of 0.50 and the MSV value for all the study variables was below the AVE. Thus, it was established that our data are suitable for further analysis.

Table 2 documents the descriptive and inferential statistics for the study variables. The central tendency of the variables was estimated by the mean values and standard deviation for the dispersion. The mean values were not too low or high, except for well-being, which was 7.15; these values show that the respondents were high in well-being. Moreover, the standard deviation was also normal and did not signify much dispersion in the dataset.

The correlation values were also in the supposed direction for all the variables. For instance, there was a statistically significant positive correlation of green attitude with well-being (0.13, p < 0.05), and a significant and positive effect of green attitude with openness to change (0.07, p < 0.05) and with self-transcendence (0.11, p < 0.05) was also noticed. However, the correlation of green attitude with conservation (0.04, p > 0.05) and self-enhancement (0.01, p > 0.05) remained positive and statistically insignificant. Additionally, well-being was positively and statistically related to openness to change (0.15, p < 0.05) and self-transcendence (0.13, p < 0.05). We also found a positive and significant correlation between openness to change and self-transcendence (0.41, p < 0.01).

Our hypothesized results based on structural equation modeling are presented in Table 3. It was found that a green attitude had a statistically significant positive effect on well-being (0.18, p < 0.01). Therefore, ceteris paribus, when there is a one-unit increase in employee green attitude, well-being increases by 0.18 units. This result supports the positive association of employee green attitude and well-being in Hypothesis 1. Accordingly, the results support Hypothesis 1. This research also stated in Hypothesis 2 that human values (self-transcendence-self-enhancement) moderate the direct effect of green attitudes on well-being such that the relationship will be intense. Accordingly, it was found that the relationship of green attitude and well-being is significantly strengthened by human values (self-transcendence-self-enhancement) (0.23, p < 0.01). As previously discussed, the direct effect was (0.18, p < 0.01) and was strengthened by (self-transcendence-self-enhancement). Therefore, this result supports Hypothesis 2. In a similar vein, we also found that the effect of green attitude on well-being is further enhanced by human values (openness to change-conservation) as well (0.21, p < 0.01), as previously, it was (0.18, p < 0.01) without the contingency effect. Hence, this result supports Hypothesis 3, which specifies that human values moderate the relationship of the employees’ green attitudes and well-being such that the openness to change-conservation strengthens the positive impact of green attitudes on well-being.

In addition, using the contingencies of two broader human value dimensions (self-transcendence-self-enhancement and openness to change-conservation), we also tested the conditional effect of green attitude on well-being. The conditional effect was contingent on the high and low values of the moderator, and the results are discussed in Table 4. The results show that the effect of green attitude on well-being is decreased more when the moderator is low (self-transcendence-self-enhancement) (0.03, ns) than when it is high (0.23, p < 0.01). Similarly, the relationship between green attitudes and well-being is contingent on the level of openness to change conservation. For example, the effect was strengthened more when the moderator was at a high level (0.21, p < 0.01) than when it was at a low level (0.02, ns). Thus, the effect of green attitude on well-being is enhanced more when the boundary conditions of (self-transcendence-self-enhancement) and (openness to change-conservation) were high than when they were low.

To better understand the contingency effects of self-transcendence-self-enhancement and openness to change-conservation on the direct effect of green attitude and well-being, we plotted the moderation effects in Fig. 2. This shows that both moderators have significantly strengthened the green attitude and well-being relationship. However, Fig. 2 reveals that this relationship is strengthened more by the contingency of self-transcendence-self-enhancement than that of openness to change-conservation.

Figure 2: Moderation of human values (Self-transcendence-Self-enhancement) and (Openness to Change-Conservation)

5  Discussion and Conclusion

Given the increase in ecological awareness among the general population, a key factor for the sustainability and long-term survival of the hospitality sector is taking care of its environmental policies. In this sense, firms must promote green practices aimed at ensuring that employees adopt eco-friendly behaviors that contribute to alleviating environmental damage [63]. Specifically, the present research examined the relationship between green attitudes and well-being in the hospitality sector.

5.1 General Findings

The results indicate that green attitudes contribute to the employees’ well-being. In addition, by considering Schwartz’s [7] two broader bipolar dimensions of human values (self-transcendence-self-enhancement and openness to change-conservation), we examined the contingency effects of human values on the direct effect of green attitude on well-being. The results show that the relationship between green attitudes and well-being is strengthened when (self-transcendence-self-enhancement) and (openness to change-conservation) are higher than when it is lower. Our findings are not only consistent with the existing research but also open new avenues for future research to verify the results of this research.

For instance, for a long time, organizational behavior researchers have concentrated on the direct and indirect links of attitudes to behaviors. In a similar vein, we found a direct effect of green attitudes on well-being. This finding is consistent with the theory of planned behavior [43], which states that attitudes affect behaviors. Thus, our research extends the theory of planned behavior in the area of employee well-being and validates that green attitudes can directly influence employee well-being. The results are also consistent with the existing research that investigated the well-being concept in the workplace. For example, the direct positive effect of a fairness perception in the workplace on well-being was noted by Abid et al. [61] and Lv et al. [64]. Likewise, using a sample of nuns working in the social sector, Ariza-Montes et al. [36] noticed the positive influence of work engagement on flourishing in the workplace as a major dimension of well-being and noticed the mental wellbeing of the students can be improved by reducing stress.

A novelty of this research is that it investigates the green attitudes-well-being relationship in the particular context of the hospitality sector, an industry intensely connected to the tourism sector. This sector has often been denounced for its negative impacts on the environment, but at the same time, it is a sector that is essential for growth and employment in many countries, including both the world’s great economic powers and other developing countries. Accordingly, it was found that green attitudes positively influence employee well-being. For employees working in this sector, green attitudes will improve their well-being and may ultimately help their organizations minimize their role in environmental deterioration and food wastage. The existing literature has focused on the attitudes and behaviors of customers in the hospitality sector to reduce environmental decay, but the role of employees has been mostly ignored [31,34,35]. Thus, it is suggested that future studies verify the results of our research.

Human values can be used to explain the motivational foundations of attitudes and behaviors and to describe and distinguish individuals and societies. Human values are the basic foundation of what is desirable and good [54]. Therefore, these values play a crucial role by advocating what people consider important in their lives as well as what is not important for them. Focusing on the work environment, González-Rodríguez et al. [65] pointed out the importance of values in the daily behavior of workers. Similarly, Rasouli et al. [66] underlined the interactive effect between the values of employees and those of organizations. Although values decide every person’s way of acting in their personal lives and workplace, there is little research that has concentrated on the role of values in guiding individuals’ attitudes and behaviors in the workplace, and this deficiency is even more severe in the hospitality sector [55].

Hence, following Schwartz’s [7] theory of human values, we investigated the contingency effect of human values on the direct effect of green attitude on the well-being of employees. Our findings supported the hypothesized relationship for both orthogonal axes (self-transcendence-self-enhancement and openness to change-conservation) of Schwartz’s [7] theory. We found that self-transcendence-self-enhancement and openness to change-conservation strengthened the direct effect of green attitudes on the well-being of employees. The relationship is strengthened more when the level of these values is higher than when it is lower. Our results support the basic human values theory of Schwartz [7], as our findings provide the basis to comprehend the effect of differences in human values on organizations. Our results are consistent with the existing research that found a positive effect of certain human values on the attitudes and behaviors of employees. For example, human values determine employee attitudes and behaviors [55,67,68]. Regarding the main object of this research, we found that workers with collectivist values (benevolence and universalism) and who are focused on openness to change (stimulation and self-direction) are more likely to develop green attitudes, which in turn can lead to greater well-being. Accordingly, we call for more research to verify this study’s findings in the underlying sector in particular. This research offers several theoretical and practical insights.

5.2 Theoretical Implications

Theoretically, this study contributes and advances the four knowledge domains: green attitude, well-being [69–71], theory of planned behavior, and human values. For instance, our research proposed and tested a green attitude and employee well-being model based on the theory of planned behavior [43], and enhanced the theoretical literature on the consequences of green attitudes and the antecedents of employee well-being. This study enriches the literature in the hospitality sector, in which customers’ attitudes and behaviors have been mostly considered rather than the employees’ attitudes and behaviors [31]. We also extend the current line of research on the theory of planned behavior [37,72,73], and verify the underlying idea of this theory, as our results show that attitude drives behavior.

Finally, this study supports Schwartz’s [7] theory of human values and extends the application of Schwartz’s [7] basic human values model to the hospitality sector. Moreover, this study’s findings on the moderation of human values in the direct effect of green attitude on employee well-being in this industry further deepen the existing literature that has tested the contingency of human values [55,74,75], and these findings also enhance the significance of the present research. Both orthogonal axes (self-transcendence-self-enhancement and openness to change-conservation) of Schwartz’s [7] theory were proved to strengthen the green attitude-well-being relationship in this study.

5.3 Practical Implications

Concerning the practical implications, the key idea of the present research can be incorporated into organizational planning to reduce environmental degradation and to enable sustainable development in the hospitality sector. On the one hand, green attitudes may be encouraged by the organizations in this sector to minimize the sector’s impact on environmental decay and waste of food, which are negative sector impacts that are well acknowledged. Furthermore, the encouragement of green attitudes could foster better work opportunities for the sustainable development of this sector, therefore minimizing the employment threats and challenges. On the other hand, having a green attitude will improve well-being, as employees will be satisfied by engaging in activities to save the natural environment and by fulfilling their moral obligation.

The organizations in this sector must consider the central role of human values in further strengthening the link between green attitudes and employee well-being. To minimize environmental deterioration, organizations must understand the basic human values model of Schwartz [7], as noted in this research. Organizations must appreciate the worth of self-transcendent individuals, as their concern for the welfare of all individuals and nature may be greater than their concern for self-enhancement. Likewise, organizations must also value individuals who prefer openness to change (individuals wish for one self’s pleasure, satisfaction, and enjoying life) over conservation.

In summary, this research offers numerous insights by which organizations in the hospitality sector can strategically concentrate on their environmental management policies and come up with responses to the challenges posed by COVID-19. In addition, the framework developed and tested in this research may help employees deal with highly competitive work environments, especially in the hospitality industry.

6  Limitations and Future Research

Despite its numerous contributions, in this research, various limitations need to be highlighted, and that provide some opportunities for future studies. The first limitation is the use of self-perception questionnaires, as this type of questionnaire could produce a bias problem. Second, green attitudes, well-being, and human values are variables that could be influenced by social desirability. Another limitation of the study is the inability to determine a causal link between the research variables, due to the transversal character of the data analyzed. Moreover, we are not certain about the generalizability of the results to all work settings, as the data was collected only from the hospitality sector. Thus, we recommend that future research collect data from other sectors and verify or refute our results. To highlight the importance of the human values model of Schwartz [7], future research must also consider the cultural contexts by collecting data from distinctive cultures or countries. Our research investigated the effect of green attitudes on well-being. Thus, future research may examine the outcomes of employee well-being at the organization level. To extend the work presented in this research, we also encourage future studies to consider multi-level aspects, for example, organization and leader-specific factors. In addition, another topic that should be addressed is how to cope with the challenges posed by COVID-19 to the entire world and especially to the sector in which employees are threatened with the extensive risk of losing their jobs. Thus, in this situation, employees can improve their well-being (life satisfaction and happiness) through their green attitudes.

Authorship: Study conception and design: Ariza-Montes, A.; Mahmood, F.; analysis and interpretation of results: Saleem, M.; Han, H.; draft manuscript preparation: Ariza-Montes, A.; Mahmood, F. All authors reviewed the results and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Funding Statement: The authors received no specific funding for this study.

Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to report regarding the present study.

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