Study shows 'green' companies likely to have happier employees

A new study suggests employees are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs if they are working for a company that is perceived to be 'green.'

Cassandra Walsh and Adam Sulkowski, professors at the Charlton College of Business at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, wanted to know whether employee morale is typically affected when a company is perceived as taking steps to be more environmentally benign, or whether the company's financial performance has a greater effect on employee happiness.

To test their hypotheses, the team analyzed data on employee satisfaction and perceived environmental responsibility from 113 companies and thousands of employees using regression analysis. The same test was repeated using the employee satisfaction data and company financial performance metrics.

"The results of the analysis indicate a significant positive relationship between employee satisfaction and level of perceived environmental performance," the team said.

But the financial performance of companies fails to correlate with employee happiness.