Does ESG Affect Mental Health of Employees? Focusing on the Moderating Effects of Job Crafting and Relationship Conflict

Ga-Rog Han and Jae-Eun Lee ()
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Ga-Rog Han: K-Humanities Innovation Center, Andong National University, Andong 36729, Republic of Korea
Jae-Eun Lee: Department of International Trade, Sunchon National University, Suncheon 57922, Republic of Korea

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 14, 1-15

Abstract: This study examines the dark side of ESG, which has emerged as a new paradigm in that the concept is broad and must respond to stakeholder pressure. This study aims to conceptualize Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) stress, or the stress experienced by employees due to ESG, and empirically analyze its impact on mental health. We also examined the moderating effects of job crafting and relationship conflict using the job demand-resource model. Based on a survey of 228 ESG managers with at least five years of work experience, the results of the regression analysis are as follows. First, ESG stress (ESG complexity and ESG uncertainty) was found to cause depression, a negative mental health outcome. Second, job creation was found to moderate depression caused by ESG stress (ESG complexity and ESG uncertainty). Third, relationship conflict was found to reinforce depression caused by ESG stress (ESG complexity and ESG uncertainty). This study is significant because it identifies the relationship between ESG stress and mental health, as ESG has become a requirement for corporate sustainability. Additionally, this study is expected to extend ESG research by examining the moderating effects of job crafting and relationship con-flict from the JD-R on ESG stress and mental health.

Keywords: ESG stress; mental health; job crafting; job demand–resource model; relationship conflict (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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