Internal ESG greenwashing and employee well-being: the roles of procedural justice, trust and belonging in Greece and the United Kingdom

Abstract

Purpose This study examines how employees’ perceptions of internal environmental, social and governance ESG greenwashing, procedural justice, trait cynicism and ESG importance relate to organizational trust, belonging and employee work well-being in Greece and the United Kingdom. Design/methodology/approach Cross-sectional survey data from 837 employees were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling, bootstrapping, specific indirect-effect analysis and multi-group comparison. Findings Belonging showed the strongest direct association with employee work well-being in the pooled model. Perceived internal ESG greenwashing and procedural justice were also related to well-being, while indirect relationships through trust and belonging differed between the pooled and country-specific models. The multi-group analysis indicated that selected relationships involving greenwashing, trust, belonging and procedural justice varied between Greece and the United Kingdom. Research limitations/implications The cross-sectional, self-report design does not establish causal ordering. Future research should employ longitudinal, experimental and organization-embedded designs and extend the comparison to additional institutional contexts. Practical implications Organizations should align internal ESG communication with observable practice, apply fair and transparent ESG decision procedures, and support the relational conditions associated with organizational trust and belonging. Originality/value The study reframes internal ESG communication as an employee-facing governance issue rather than solely an external reporting practice. It integrates perceived greenwashing and procedural justice with two distinct relational mechanisms, organizational trust and belonging, and examines their associations with employee work well-being across two institutionally differentiated European contexts.