Employee proactive behavior, as an important driver of organizational innovation and development, and its relationship with SHRM perceptions deserve in-depth exploration. This study uses a multilevel linear model to investigate the influence mechanism of strategic human resource management (SHRM) perceptions on employee proactive behavior. Using Enterprise X as the research object, the study collected data through a questionnaire survey, which included 100 employees and their immediate supervisors, and constructed a bi-level research model that included SHRM perceptions and employees’ proactive behaviors. The study used a maturity scale to measure the eight dimensions of SHRM perceptions and employee-initiated behaviors, and the relationship between the two was revealed through descriptive statistics and regression analysis. The results of the study show that all dimensions of SHRM perception have a positive impact on employee proactive behavior, among which employee engagement perception has the most significant impact on proactive behavior, with a regression coefficient of 0.313 (p<0.001); employee development opportunities and performance management perception are the next most significant, with regression coefficients of 0.282 (p<0.001); and the regression coefficients for strategic consistency, and change management perceptions are 0.231 (p<0.001). The research model explained 43.5% of the variance in employee-initiated behavior, which was 13.9 percentage points higher than the control variable model. The findings of the study confirm the significant positive relationship between SHRM perceptions and employee proactive behaviors, and that companies can promote the generation of employee proactive behaviors by enhancing employee engagement, creating development opportunities, improving performance management, and enhancing strategic alignment, thereby enhancing organizational innovation and long-term performance.
