<p>Existing research has mainly explored the impact of greenwashing on companies and external stakeholders, largely ignoring the impact on employees in organizations. Drawing upon social cognitive theory, we explore the impact of greenwashing on employee green behavior, considering both positive and negative effects. Results from a questionnaire survey and experimental study revealed that individuals with higher empathy with nature show a stronger positive indirect effect of greenwashing on their green behavior via moral reflectiveness, while those with lower empathy with nature experience a more pronounced negative indirect effect through moral disengagement. Our findings provide important insights into the double-edged psychological mechanism of greenwashing on employee green behavior and provide reliable evidence to encourage companies to implement greenwashing activities cautiously.</p>