Abstract:

Socially responsible human resource management (SRHRM) represents a critical direction within the field of sustainable human resource management. However, existing empirical findings on the relationship between SRHRM and employee work outcomes remain fragmented and inconsistent, and the sources of these discrepancies are still unclear. To address this gap, the present study employed a meta-analytic approach to provide a comprehensive and quantitative integration of the relationships between SRHRM and three major categories of employee outcomes—attitudes, well-being, and performance—while also identifying boundary conditions that help explain prior inconsistencies.
To this end, this study synthesized effect sizes from 105 empirical articles (k = 109, N = 55,076) to examine the relationships between SRHRM and various work-related outcome variables. The results revealed that SRHRM exhibited robust and differentiated relationships across different variables. Specifically, SRHRM was strongly and positively correlated with organization-targeted attitudes ($\bar{\rho }$ =.51), psychological well-being ($\bar{\rho }$ =.55), and organizational citizenship behavior ($\bar{\rho }$ =.54); moderately and positively correlated with job-targeted attitudes ($\bar{\rho }$ =.31), in-role performance ($\bar{\rho }$ =.42), proactive behavior ($\bar{\rho }$ =.45), and prosocial behavior ($\bar{\rho }$ =.46); weakly and negatively correlated with deviant behavior ($\bar{\rho }$ = –.26); and showed a non-significant correlation with health ($\bar{\rho }$=.05). Beyond these direct correlations, this study applied meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM) to examine whether the strength of SRHRM’s effects varied across distinct theoretical perspectives. MASEM results revealed the differential explanatory power of two dominant perspectives in the SRHRM literature—social exchange theory and social identity theory. Specifically, SRHRM promoted proactive behavior primarily by improving social exchange quality between employees and the organization, while it influenced organizational citizenship behavior primarily by strengthening employees’ organizational identification. These findings highlight the pervasive positive impact of SRHRM on diverse workplace outcomes; they also reveal a potential dark side that may emerge from its practical implementation.
To further explain the heterogeneity in prior research, this study systematically examined three sets of moderators: study design characteristics, level of analysis, and national cultural context. First, methodological design partially moderated the observed relationships. Notably, SRHRM showed stronger correlations with attitudinal and performance variables (e.g., job satisfaction, proactive behavior) in longitudinal studies than in cross-sectional studies, suggesting that SRHRM practices could have a time-lag effect and might be better captured by time-sensitive research designs. Second, the level of analysis emerged as an important boundary condition. The relationship between SRHRM and health was significant only when SRHRM was measured at the organizational or team level, indicating potential gaps in implementation or perception when HR policies are translated into employee experiences. Third, national culture (long-term versus short-term orientation) moderated several relationships. Contrary to conventional expectations, the positive correlations between SRHRM and in-role performance and prosocial behavior were weaker in long-term oriented cultures, revealing a potentially complex fit between HR practices and cultural values.
Based on these findings, this study makes several important theoretical contributions. First, it provides the first meta-analysis of the SRHRM literature, offering robust effect size estimates of the relationships between SRHRM and a range of employee work outcomes, thereby comprehensively evaluating the effects and practical value of SRHRM. Second, by integrating and empirically comparing the mechanisms of social exchange and social identity through MASEM, this study advances a more nuanced theoretical framework for understanding how SRHRM influences employee performance. Third, by identifying important moderators related to methodology, level of analysis, and cultural difference, this study provides empirical explanations for inconsistent findings in prior literature. Fourth, this study responds to the external-oriented bias in corporate social responsibility (CSR) research by demonstrating that CSR policies and practices directed at employees (i.e., SRHRM) significantly influence employees’ attitudes, well-being, and performance, thereby providing empirical support for future research on the micro-foundations of stakeholder theory.
From a practical perspective, this findings suggest that SRHRM should not be viewed merely as a compliance or reputational tool but rather as a strategic investment for fostering positive employee attitudes, psychological flourishing, and valued organizational behaviors. However, the non-significant relationship with health-related well-being also points to a potential dark side in the implementation of SRHRM policies (e.g., role overload, resource depletion), suggesting that practitioners should accompany social responsibility initiatives with more effective organizational support systems and ensure that SRHRM is implemented in a truly sustainable and employee-centered manner.

Key words: socially responsible human resource management, employee work outcomes, national cultural difference, study design characteristics, meta-analysis