What makes hybrid companies attractive to potential employees? Insights from a cross-country analysis

Abstract

While hybrid companies (HCs)—businesses that pursue both economic and social goals—are gaining prominence, little is known about what makes them attractive to potential employees. This study addresses this gap by examining how institutional factors and employees’ perceptions, beliefs and attitudes shape HC attractiveness. Drawing on social identity and value-belief-norm theories, we conducted a survey of 1,211 respondents in three countries that currently have legislation supporting HCs—France, Italy and Spain. The results show that environmental concern generates a positive attitude towards HCs, significantly driving the attractiveness of these companies to prospective employees. This relationship is significantly mediated by employees’ belief in the societal impact of HCs, which is enhanced by their previous ­experiences of authentic corporate social responsibility. Cross-country differences suggest that individuals’ perceptions of and attractiveness to HCs are influenced not only by individual factors but also by the maturity of their country’s legislative support for HCs. The findings contribute to the human resource management literature by offering a multilevel understanding of what drives HC attractiveness, including the central role of perceived corporate social responsibility authenticity. This paper also presents practical implications for human resource managers and discusses limitations and avenues for future research.