Abstract
Leveraging sustainability has become a competitive advantage over an organization’s competitors. However, organizations usually build an overworked climate to reach double-edged spirals—from reaching sustainability missions to minimizing costs. Prior studies shows there are inconsistencies regarding the effects of overwork climates in terms of being beneficial or detrimental. In this study, we assert that they generally reduce sustainable innovative work behavior. Consistent with the conservation of resources (COR) theory, we further examine the indirect effect of happiness at work in this relationship. Employing a three-wave multi-sources survey of 290 employees (matched with 12 supervisors) from private and governmental organizations in eastern Indonesia, we obtained support for our proposed direct and indirect negative relationships between an overwork climate and employee sustainable innovative work behaviour, mediated by happiness at work. This association is particularly pronounced when employees possess elevated negative reciprocity beliefs, and this detrimental link diminished when employees convey positive reciprocity beliefs. This study provides theoretical and practical implications for positive psychology, job stress, and sustainable innovation scholarships.