How Corporate Social Responsibility Fatigue Affects Employee Engagement
Keywords:
CSR fatigue, employee engagement, authenticity, purpose overload, corporate activismAbstract
This study examines how corporate social responsibility fatigue affects employee engagement through a quantitative investigation of 100 employees in organizations with extensive CSR programs assessed for CSR fatigue and engagement. Grounded in Stakeholder Theory (Freeman, 1984) and Engagement Theory (Kahn, 1990), the research investigates underlying mechanisms and organizational implications. 48% reported CSR fatigue, defined as emotional exhaustion from continuous corporate purpose messaging. CSR fatigue was highest when: programs lacked authenticity (r=0.54), increased workload (r=0.48), or overshadowed core job purpose (r=0.44). Fatigued employees showed 28% lower engagement than non-fatigued. CSR programs perceived as genuinely embedded increased engagement by 34%; performative programs decreased it by 22%. Regression: perceived authenticity (Beta=0.38), program-workload balance (Beta=-0.28), employee voice in CSR (Beta=0.24) explained 42% of variance in CSR-related engagement. The findings provide theoretical and practical contributions to management science and organizational practice.
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