Proceedings of 6th Annual American Business Research Conference
9 - 10 June 2014, Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel, New York, USA, ISBN: 978-1-922069-52-8
Environmental Awareness in the Workplace: A Study of Employees’
Environmental Knowledge, Perception and Behaviour from an
Individual and Organizational Perspective
Asaad Salim Elomami
This paper attempts to assess employees’ environmental awareness at a personal and organisational level as
well as their perception of their organisations’ environmental policies in order to propose a theoretical model on
environmental awareness. The research focuses on employees’ knowledge, perception and behaviour toward
the environment. The respondents (composed of 43% males and 53% females) are employed in a variety of
industries in the Libyan oil companies located in Benghazi city. The objectives of the study are: (1) to
demonstrate how employees’ environmental awareness and behaviour differs according to their socio
demographic characteristics (i.e. gender, age, parental status, education level, income); (2) to investigate
organizations’ environmental awareness and actions, as well as factors influencing organisations’ environmental
decisions; (3) to evaluate the environmental actions of organisations, and to determine if organisations’
environmental policies influence employees’ environmental knowledge and behaviour; (4) to identify ways of
how to improve and promote environmental awareness in the workplace; and (5) to make recommendations for
the improvement of environmental awareness and behaviour and hence environmental management in
organisations. A quantitative research approach is adopted by the study and data was collected through the use
of questionnaires. The analysis of 93 questionnaires (response rate was 31%) revealed that no association
exists between people’s gender, age, earnings (employment), and parental status and environmental
awareness. However, a correlation exists between employees’ education level and their environmental
knowledge and behaviour. Furthermore, tests revealed that an association exists between employees’ parental
status and their perception of their organisations’ environmental actions. There was also an association between
people aged 35 or under and those aged over 35 years old and their environmental knowledge and perception
of environmental issues. It is hoped that the research will contributes to knowledge by developing a theoretical
model representing the development process of environmental awareness and behaviour. Such model enables
employees to acquire sufficient environmental knowledge so that they can engage into pro-environmental
initiatives and organisations to fully embrace environmental management policies and practices.
Field of Research: Human Resources Management
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Mr, Asaad Salim Elomami, Dundee Business School, University of Abertay Dundee /DD1 1HG, +44(0)7587983803,
1004374@live.abertay.ac.uk