Making sustainable voices heard at the workplace

Purpose This study aims to investigate employee motivation, enabling environmental factors and barriers to exercising green voice behavior (GVB) in Oil and Gas companies in Pakistan using the theoretical lens of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and value–belief–norm (VBN) theory. Design/methodology/approach Thirty-five in-depth, semistructured interviews were conducted with middle-level employees of the three Oil and Gas exploration companies to explore the antecedents behind GVB of professionals. Findings Qualitative data show various antecedents of GVB (i.e. biospheric values, ecological worldview, awareness of adverse environmental consequences of irresponsible behavior, previous negative experiences with the environment, ascribed responsibility, personal norms, proenvironmental attitude, leaders’ related subjective norms, colleagues-related subjective norms, organizational-related subjective norms and perceived behavioral controls) and several contextual factors (employee’s previous eroded relationship with the management, inaction of management on green voice, organizational limited green capacity in terms of technical, financial or intellectual resources) as significant determinants to influence the exercise of GVB in the workplace. Out of the interviewees’ responses, a two-phase decision-making model has been developed showing the individual’s decision to engage in a proenvironmental voice. Originality/value This research integrates TPB and VBN theory to explain the GVB of industry professionals in Pakistan’s Oil and Gas sector. The study uniquely highlights how personal, organizational and environmental factors influence proenvironmental behavior.