Supply chain workers are often depicted in the literature as passive and obedient, yet occasionally complicit with management or openly rebellious. This research investigates this puzzle by examining when and how workers respond to CSR decoupling—gaps between formal policies and actual practices on the factory floor. Drawing on 38 interviews with workers and stakeholders in Vietnam’s garment industry, the study identifies CSR decoupling practices, worker responses, and their drivers. Using Hirschman’s Exit, Voice, and Loyalty framework and its extensions, the authors develop a dynamic framework explaining how workers respond to decoupled practices, with their decisions often driven by an overriding need for income. This article contributes to three key areas of research. First, it sheds light on the role of workers in both accepting and resisting CSR decoupling, advancing the literature on CSR decoupling in global supply chains, which traditionally focuses on buyers or suppliers. Second, it responds to calls for humanizing the SSCM literature by emphasizing factory-level workers and the value of studying less powerful actors. Third, it extends Hirschman’s model to supply chain contexts, adapting it to reflect their unique dynamics. The findings also bear important insights for policymakers and practitioners, emphasizing the need to promote and protect worker voice while complementing it with state regulatory mechanisms.
