Identifying Green Behavior Segments Among Automotive Workers Using Latent Class Analysis

Environmental degradation and resource depletion from industrial activities have positioned sustainability as a critical strategic priority for organizations globally. While technological innovation and regulatory compliance remain important, organizational environmental performance increasingly depends on the collective actions of employees across all hierarchical levels. Employee green behavior, encompassing both required workplace activities and voluntary initiatives directed toward environmental sustainability, has emerged as a primary driver of organizational environmental outcomes. Green Human Resource Management practices that integrate environmental objectives into recruitment, training, performance appraisal, and reward systems have been identified as key mechanisms for fostering such behaviors. However, existing research predominantly employs variable-centered approaches that examine average effects, potentially obscuring meaningful heterogeneity in how employees engage with sustainability initiatives. This study addresses this gap by applying latent class analysis to identify distinct patterns of employee green behavior among automotive manufacturing workers in Turkey. Drawing on survey data from two hundred seventy-nine employees across three industrial regions, the analysis examined five behavioral dimensions: energy conservation, waste management, sustainable commuting, eco-initiatives, and eco-helping. A four-class solution emerged, consisting of Comprehensive Green Performers (22.2 percent), Traditional Conservers (34.8 percent), Passive Participants (30.5 percent), and non-engagers (12.5 percent). Multinomial logistic regression revealed that organizational factors, particularly environmental training, management support, and green human resource management practices, served as the strongest predictors of class membership, explaining substantial variance and exerting stronger effects than demographic characteristics. Validation analyses demonstrated that class membership was associated with significant differences in environmental attitudes, knowledge, organizational commitment, and job satisfaction. These findings underscore the heterogeneous nature of workplace environmental engagement and highlight the importance of tailoring interventions to distinct employee segments rather than implementing universal programs that assume behavioral homogeneity.