Greening the workforce: a moderated-mediation praxis of socially responsible human resource management and employee green performance

Purpose This study examines how socially responsible human resource management (SRHRM) promotes employees' green behavior in the Vietnamese aviation industry. Drawing on social exchange and social learning theories, we propose that leaders' eco-helping (LEH) behavior mediates this relationship, while ethical leadership (ELS) moderates its strength across airlines and ground service companies. Design/methodology/approach We employ a time-lagged, two-study survey design across airlines and ground service companies. Study 1 includes 389 airline employees, and Study 2 includes 306 employees from ground service firms. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Findings SRHRM positively influences green behavior, both voluntary and in-role, across the two work settings, with LEH serving as a mediator. However, the moderating role of ELS is context dependent: it strengthens the direct effects of SRHRM in airlines, whereas in ground service settings it amplifies both the direct effects and the mediated effect through LEH, particularly for voluntary green behavior. Practical implications Airline organizations should integrate sustainability into their human resource management systems and tailor leadership development programs to different operating contexts to enhance environmentally friendly employee behavior. Originality/value Drawing on social exchange and social learning perspectives, this study advances SRHRM research by demonstrating that its effects on both voluntary and in-role green behavior are robust across distinct aviation sub-sectors, while revealing that the underlying leadership mechanisms–through LEH behavior and ELS–are inherently context dependent.