Employee commitment to energy management : a qualitative interview study about employee commitment to energy management in industrial companies and public real estates

Abstract

Energy management is increasingly important to organisations that consume significant amounts of energy mainly due to the needs to comply with changing legislation and for saving financial resources. Even though energy management has received academic attention, it has not been studied in the perspective of employee commitment. Employee commitment may create various benefits to an organisation and its employees. Hence, this study aims at creating a better understanding of why employees commit to energy management and how it may be enhanced. This qualitative study was conducted using theme interviews as a data collection method. 14 employees, working among energy management, in eleven organisations in the fields of industrial companies (5) and public real estates (6) were interviewed. The data was analysed using thematic analysis. The findings of the study revealed that employees might have various different motives towards energy management. Besides motives, there are many opportunities and challenges related to energy management that may influence employee commitment to energy management. In addition, the results suggest that human resource management practices can have a significant influence on enhancing employee commitment to energy management. Because of the novelty of the subject, this study provides a basis for future research on employee commitment to energy management. It also presents suggestions for energy management practitioners in regard with enhancing employee commitment to energy management.