THE ROLE OF GENDER AS A MODERATOR LINKING CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY PERCEPTION TO EMPLOYEES ENGAGEMENT: A STUDY IN THE SERVICES SECTOR OF THAILAND

Abstract

Although there is an empirical evidence to support that corporate social responsibility (CSR) has significant impact on the behavior of employees, not much empirical research has been done, particularly in Thailand. The aim of this research is therefore to bridge the gap by examining the relationship between employee perceptions of CSR and employee engagement in the Thai context. Furthermore, the current study also considers the important role of gender difference with regards to perceptions of CSR and employee engagement. Employees working in various sectors in Thailand (i.e., banking, telecommunications and healthcare sector) were selected for data collection. The process of data collection was done in 2 phases. A total of 500 questionnaires were distributed to the participants out of which 379 questionnaires were obtained for final data analysis. For the examination of hypotheses, partial least squares structural equation modelling was used. The findings have shown that perceptions of corporate social responsibility have a positive and significant influence on employee engagement. Additionally, the role of gender as moderator in the relationship between corporate social responsibility and employee engagement was also examined. Findings indicated that the relationship between corporate social responsibility and male is stronger than female. This research examines corporate social responsibility importance in the development of positive attitudinal outcomes for employees and recommends that corporate social responsibility should be incorporated as much as possible into businesses.