Workplace eco-anxiety: a scoping review of what we know and how to mitigate the consequences

PurposeEco-anxiety can affect individuals’ environmental engagement conditions. People spend approximately 35 h or more per week in a workplace environment. It is worth considering whether workplace initiatives exist to deal with eco-anxiety. Little research has been carried out on workplace-related...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Prisca Ayassamy, Virginie Francoeur, Pascal Paillé
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2024-11-01
Series:Frontiers in Sustainability
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2024.1371737/full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:PurposeEco-anxiety can affect individuals’ environmental engagement conditions. People spend approximately 35 h or more per week in a workplace environment. It is worth considering whether workplace initiatives exist to deal with eco-anxiety. Little research has been carried out on workplace-related eco-anxiety and no studies have been conducted on how to respond to this health issue within the workplace specifically. To address this issue, we explored eco-anxiety in a workplace context in the literature and developed a model of change to better respond to employees’ eco-anxiety.MethodologyFirst, a scoping review was conducted to investigate workplace eco-anxiety. Second, an analysis was performed in which Lewin’s theory of change was used to propose changes in the workplace designed to better respond to eco-anxiety.FindingsLewin’s three stages can guide action to reduce eco-anxiety in the workplace. Step 1 (unfreeze) involves becoming aware of the eco-anxiety problem within the organization, step two (change) consists of finding alternatives in the built environment such as green spaces and pro-environmental behavior through circular economy practices, and step 3 (refreeze) involves stabilizing this change.OriginalityOur study is among the few to explore eco-anxiety in the workplace specifically and, to our knowledge the first, to propose an intervention model for management and employees. Lewin’s three stages can guide action to reduce eco-anxiety in the workplace.
ISSN:2673-4524