Corporate human rights social responsibility and employee job outcomes in Kenya

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to identify dimensionality and evaluate effect of corporate human rights social responsibility (CHRSR) on employee job outcomes among three leading Kenya's horticultural exporters based in Naivasha, Kenya. Design/methodology/approach - Exploratory and explanatory survey was utilized on a sample of 450 employees selected using a multistage sampling technique. Structured questionnaire was used to extract both nominal and ordinal data, the latter's items were anchored on a five-point Likert scale. Descriptive, principal component analysis (PCA) and multiple regression was used to analyze the data. Findings - PCA of 32 items representing CHRSR yielded ten components while that of employee job outcomes yielded seven components reflecting the multidimensional nature of the constructs. Results showed that the selected firms have largely satisfied both HR and moral expectations. Regression results showed generally significant effect of CHRSR on employee job outcomes such as employee retention, satisfaction, commitment and pride. Research limitations/implications - A business case for CHRSR exists. This implies that compliance with the law, adoption of HR-related corporate social responsibility (CSR) is critical in enhancing employee job outcomes and overall organization performance. Originality/value - The study integrates CSR and HR into CHRSR. It demonstrates its multidimensional nature and utilizes statistical analysis to explore its relationship with employee job outcomes in an African export sector context and argues that CSRHR is more critical in Africa than more regulated contexts.