Abstract

This literature review aims to examine the relationship between Green Human Resource Management (G-HRM) practices and various outcomes, including employee green attitudes, employee green satisfaction, client green satisfaction, employee green behavior, and organizational green performance. We reviewed existing literature on G-HRM practices and their impact on the selected outcomes. The review process involved the identification of articles through a systematic search in Scopus and Web of Science databases from January 2013 to December 2023. The search retrieved 2142 citations; of them, a total of 17 articles were deemed eligible for this review. The reviewed literature provides good evidence supporting a positive predictive relationship between G-HRM practices and employee green attitudes, employee green satisfaction, client green satisfaction, employee green behavior, and organizational green performance. However, there is a notable gap in studies exploring the influence of G-HRM practices on employee and client satisfaction. Overall, G-HRM practices emerge as a crucial tool for fostering environmentally conscious attitudes and behaviors among employees, ultimately contributing to enhanced employee satisfaction and improved organizational ecological performance. Future research should pay attention to the mechanisms underlying these relationships and explore potential moderating factors to enrich our understanding of the interrelated dynamics between G-HRM practices and sustainable outcomes.

Introduction

The growing concern for environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility has prompted organizations to adopt alternative avenues to meet these responsibilities (Martin et al. 2014). As emphasized by the United Nations General 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), organizations need to operationalize and integrate sustainability in their strategy, plans, and actions. Therefore, they can address the current and forthcoming stakeholder needs and ensure a better and sustainable future for all, balancing economic, social, and environmental development (Fonseca et al. 2020). Moreover, academic research (Leal Filho et al. 2023) highlights the need for stronger action to avoid major challenges such as climate catastrophe. One way to foster sustainable practices can be the application of Green Human Resource Management (G-HRM) (Pham et al. 2020). G-HRM, as a general term, refers to the integration of environmentally friendly practices into HRM strategies and policies (Ren and Hussain 2022). It is increasingly recognized as a means to enhance an organization’s environmental performance and overall effectiveness (Munawar et al. 2022).

The adoption of G-HRM policies represents a proactive approach by agencies to enhance their environmental and overall performance. By integrating G-HRM practices into HRM strategies, organizations aim to foster positive attitudes, behaviors, and overall performance (Farrukh et al. 2022). Previous studies of the impact of G-HRM policies on employee and organizational performance in terms of green attitudes, satisfaction, behaviors, environmental performance, and client satisfaction provided promising results. The body of literature examining the impact of G-HRM practices on organizational and employee performance underscores the pivotal role that environmentally conscious human resource practices play in shaping both individual and organizational outcomes (Faisal 2023). Scholars such as Ren et al. (2018) assert that G-HRM practices significantly influence employee attitudes and behaviors toward environmental sustainability, fostering a sense of ecological responsibility among employees (Ren et al. 2018). Additionally, research by Albloush et al. (2022) suggests a significant relationship exists between G-HRM and organizational performance, as well as between G-HRM and human capital development, demonstrating that integrating sustainability into human resource strategies can enhance an organization’s environmental standing (Albloush et al. 2022). These findings align with insights from other works, such as those by (Baykal et al. 2023) and (Shafaei et al. 2020), which highlight the positive impact of G-HRM on employee job satisfaction and commitment to green initiatives. However, the literature also reveals nuanced outcomes, as observed in the research by (Aggarwal and Agarwala 2023), which identifies the mediating role of organizational culture in the effectiveness of G-HRM practices.

Conclusions

In conclusion, the reviewed literature provides good evidence supporting the positive predictive relationship between G-HRM practices and employee green attitudes, employee green satisfaction, client green satisfaction, employee green behavior, and organizational green performance. However, limited studies have examined the influence of G-HRM practices on employee and client satisfaction, and there is a need to include these outcomes in future studies. As organizations prioritize sustainability, G-HRM practices emerge as a critical tool for fostering environmentally conscious attitudes and behaviors, thereby contributing to both employee satisfaction and organizational ecological performance. Future research should focus more on the mechanisms underlying these relationships and explore potential moderating factors to further enhance our understanding of the dynamics between G-HRM practices and sustainable outcomes.

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the role of green transformational leadership and human resource management in organizational performance with the mediating effect of green innovation. The study also proposes the moderating role of commitment to management change. The study used a quantitative research method with a random sampling technique and surveyed 235 managers from the Cement industry across Pakistan. The statistical techniques used to assess the study’s hypotheses were partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and SPSS. The findings show that green transformational leadership and HRM positively impact organizational performance, with green innovation partially mediating effect. Furthermore, affective commitment to management change strongly moderates the relationship between green innovation and organizational performance. In addition, the proposed relationship is based on the resource-based view (RBV) theory. Therefore, Managers and executives should adopt green principles and practices and build an environmentally friendly culture that encourages employees to engage in green behaviors and activities to improve organizational performance. To successfully implement green practices in a developing country like Pakistan, the Cement sector must understand how the cement industry improves its performance and whether employees demonstrate green innovation.

Introduction

In recent decades, scholars have recognized the significance of Green HRM and green leadership in shaping the operational practices in modern firms [1]. In this regard, and for the efficient and effective management of operations, technology advancements, and rising stakeholder pressure have motivated firms to discover and implement cost-effective and long-term methods to improve organizational performance [2,3]. Enhancing performance has emerged as a primary problem for businesses, requiring the effective utilization of organizational resources and adopting environmentally sustainable practices in Green HRM and eco-friendly activities [4]. The significant rise in globalization and social responsibilities demands justifications for adopting optimal Green HRM practices and integrating data analytics to enhance decision-making [5,6]. To ensure the sustainability and advancement of green business activities, dominant policies encompassing Green HRM, innovation, leadership, environmental quality, and social well-being are essential. Businesses can mitigate their adverse environmental and societal impacts by implementing GHRM, green leadership, and innovative practices [7]. Green HRM comprises three crucial components: motivating employees to enhance their engagement, providing them with green opportunities, and assisting in developing their green skills, which are essential abilities [8]. The underlined components of Green HRM address staff recruitment, selection, development, and training with an environmentally conscious focus; the potential for adopting green practices encompasses employee involvement and green leadership [9].

Discussion

Our empirical work has examined the interactions among variables such as green transformational leadership, HRM, innovation, affective commitment to management change, and organizational performance of the cement industry in Pakistan using theoretical insights from RBV theory. Our study has thoroughly explained all three hypotheses and their sub-hypotheses, showing that the performance of an organization can be improved through green transformational leadership and HRM. This improvement is achieved through the mediating role of green innovation and the moderating role of affective commitment to management change. There is a strong and positive association between all three hypotheses.

Our study found that green transformational leadership influences firm performance by establishing a clear environmental vision, motivating individuals to adopt green practices, increasing employee commitment to achieving environmental goals, and encouraging staff to create and disseminate new green practices; these results are similar to past findings [41]. The results demonstrate that transformational leaders who foster their employees’ green practices to motivate them have excellent potential to execute green prospects effectively.

Abstract

Human Resource Management (HRM) helps develop an ecofriendly culture by molding employee behavior. However, numerous elements also play critical roles. The intent of this article was to inspect the influence of green HRM on workers’ in-role and extra role ecofriendly behavior using the mediating effect of proecological climate and green empowerment. The regulating effect of environmental knowledge on workers’ extra role behavior was also planned to investigate. To inspect the data, this study employed a two-stage approach of structural equation modeling (SEM). Purposive sampling was applied to collect data for the study, which included an empirically verified questionnaire. The discoveries from the study revealed that environmental knowledge doesn’t strengthen the affiliation between GHRM and employees’ extra role ecofriendly behavior. Besides, proecological climate and green engagement have an important role to shape employees’ ecofriendly activities. The results of the study can assist the industry-wide decision-making process. It will also open new ground to study other sectors.

Introduction

Convergence on the environmental issues connected to global warming, ecological pollution, an increase of CO2, technological affluence so on and so forth pushed back the business organization to reform the environmental performance in a greener way to condense the adverse impact on the environment. Environmental injustice, climate change, ethical quandaries concerning the environment, social responsibility, the marginalization of environmental issues, the emergence of powerful interest groups, radicalism, & anti-capitalist protests have all stumped up the environmental awareness toward society [1]. Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) is a concept of this effort to promote HR practices that contribute to the business, society, and the environment to a greater extent. GHRM is defined by different authors in various literature. It symbolizes the HRM policies & practices by incorporating environment-friendly HR inauguration for sustainable use of resources with efficiencies. It also focuses on waste reduction, promotion of job-related attitude, balanced work/life, the introduction of vehicle sharing program, e-filing, telecommuting, simulated conferences, online training, recycling, energy-efficient office space, and so on to promote green behavior or ecofriendly behavior not only for employees but also for the society [2]. Functions of HRM, for instance, recruitment & selection, performance management, training & development, and compensation management are next to the vision, mission, and strategy of the firm for achieving competitive advantage [3]. GHRM efforts have been noted in a variety of academic works such as “green recruitment & selection, green training, green performance management, green pay & reward, green involvement, green leadership, green induction” [[4], [5], [6]].

Conclusions and recommendations

Our investigation attempted to explain the consequences of GHRM activities including the regulating and interceding effects of some relevant factors like EK, GE, and PEC. Based on the responses that we have collected from the staff employed in the service sector in Bangladesh we can summarize that GHRM activities help employees to develop green concerns and behave in an environmentally friendly way. Though EK doesn’t have any impact on the employee’s behavior, we believe that this finding created a new dimension to explore more factors that might have a significant influence on their behavior. In addition, a workplace having an ecofriendly atmosphere encourages employees to assimilate their behavior in a green manner. Moreover, regulating effect of EK with the association between GHRM and ERGB was not significant enough.

Abstract

Purpose

     The study reviews the recent conceptualizations and theorizing of green human resource management (GHRM) and explores GHRM’s interconnections with the sustainability literature. The research findings have implications affecting GHRM measurement and design of future studies in the sparsely investigated human resource management (HRM)-environment-sustainability-responsibility spectrum.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a narrative style based on a review of quantitative field evidence from 38 recent empirical papers to provide an analytical framework on how the GHRM research agenda has broadened to include aspects of corporate sustainability (CS) and corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Findings

The study finds support from the literature on the impact of environment-related HR initiatives on building long-term capabilities and enhancing firm-specific social outcomes. Further, the study finds that different perspectives used in the conceptualization of GHRM reveal GHRM’s differential impact on organization and environmental sustainability underlying GHRM’s growing recognition as an important tool for organizations to demonstrate their commitment to being a responsible stakeholder of the socio-economic system.

Originality/value

GHRM scholars would find the review useful as the review provides a detailed explanation of how GHRM problems are defined and measured. The understanding of the process of conceptualization has been identified as a research gap in previous reviews; thus, one of the aims of this paper is to aid further knowledge development by understanding how research has progressed previously. The other benefit of the review is that management practitioners would find the insights useful to align HRM initiatives with organization CS/CSR objectives.

Introduction

     Environmental responsibility has gained significant attention over the past few decades in response to the increase in incidents of environmental harm caused by adverse organizational actions (Paulet et al., 2021). There is growing pressure on businesses to demonstrate transparency on their impact on the environment prompting many to adopt sophisticated environmental management systems (Jabbour and Santos, 2008) or pursue other green strategies to minimize any environmental risks that may arise from their operations. However, there is still a lack of consensus on environmental performance being considered a legitimate indicator of organizational performance (Jackson et al., 2011). Despite concerns, larger companies around the world feel the need to share strong signals about their commitment to act socially responsible on account of rising regulatory and legal requirements, shareholder and customer pressures, UN initiatives, etc. requiring greater disclosures on their governance and decision making (Paulet et al., 2021, p. 161; Ehnert et al., 2016). Organizations are making gradual progress with the emergence of clean technologies; however, the “soft and human” side of organizations remains the main challenge while implementing environment-sustainability initiatives (Jabbour and Renwick, 2018, p. 623).

Conclusion

     Based on this review, it can be concluded that while the focus so far has been on theory application, theory development will likely occur as more data emerges from the field. Therefore, it can be inferred that conceptualizing different relations would play an important role in generating more insights about the phenomenon unfolding in the field offering researchers an opportunity to discover newer explanations. Thus, this research paper offers scholars not only a comprehensive list of existing theories and variables but also explanations of their applications.

     Additionally, the review provides a categorical basis by identifying different conceptualization perspectives to enable future researchers to develop or adopt more comprehensible measures for GHRM assessment (Pham et al., 2020a; Umrani et al., 2020).

     The necessity to update GHRM conceptualization on an ongoing basis has also been recognized as an academic need (Ren et al., 2018). The evidence shows the broadening of the GHRM school of thought from the function and behavioral perspectives to include perceptions and capabilities (Jackson and Seo, 2010; Kramar, 2014). An advantage of this Green human resource management 875 review is that it describes how in-depth GHRM theorizing has been done in recent research. Previously, this was only briefly covered, and it was acknowledged that more scholarly effort would be required to understand the same (Ren et al., 2018). Previous reviews as listed earlier in the methodology section also identified themes and trends of GHRM research, leaving the process of theorizing an unexplored area. Future studies can explore the different configurations of how GHRM has been implemented to conceptualize multiple pathways for achieving organizations’ environmental and sustainability goals.

Abstract

     Despite the growing attention which green human resource management (GHRM) has been gaining, the field is still remarkably young, and conceptual clarity is yet to be attained. A bibliometric review of GHRM from 2010 to 2020 was conducted on the Web of Science and analyzed using the VOSviewer software package, version 1.6.16 developed by Van Eck and Waltman (Leiden, The Netherlands). The results show the exponential growth of this topic, although there seems to be no consensus regarding its definition, conceptualization and measurement. Concerning its conceptual development, GHRM seems to currently fit the second stage of development (evaluation and augmentation) of Reichers and Schneider’s three-stage model of the evolution of constructs. Future research seems to point in the direction of establishing the barriers separating GHRM from other human resource management topics, defining green practices and determining the antecedents and consequences of GHRM.

Introduction

     The economic growth of the last two centuries has represented prosperity and longevity for humanity. However, the impact of various industrial practices, reflected in pollution and the accumulation of waste and residues, is increasingly evident (IPCC 2018; Jackson et al. 2011). Climate change represents a new set of challenges, altering competitive and regulatory spheres, indirectly through global policy efforts to curb carbon emissions, and directly as a means of combating the unravelling consequences of extreme weather events (IPCC 2018). By invoking unprecedented changes in socio-economic systems, climate change makes it urgent for society to prepare and adapt in the face of new contingencies (Winn et al. 2011). With increasing regulatory and public pressure, more and more business entities are proactively implementing practices and strategic changes, such as investing in low-CO2 technologies and renewable energy, in order to transition to environmental sustainability (González-Benito and González-Benito 2006; IPCC 2018).

     The multidisciplinarity required to reduce organizational environmental footprints challenges the vision that this theme is restricted to environmental sciences, causing new fields of study to emerge in the areas of social research and management (Shrivastava and Berger 2010). In this sense, several related topics have been increasingly emphasized: corporate social responsibility (CSR), environmental management (EM), business ethics, socially responsible consumption and sustainability strategies, among others (Schuler et al. 2017; Shrivastava and Berger 2010).

Conclusions and Future Directions

     The bibliometric analysis of the literature produced between 2010 and 2020 highlights the importance of GHRM today as an expanding field, particularly from the second half of the decade. The purpose of GHRM is to actively participate in the creation of greener societal paths and respond to environmental and ecological issues from the organizational context. This HRM specialty refers to one of the most important challenges faced by humanity

     By mapping the existing literature streams—implementation of GHRM as a strand of EM, consequences at the organizational level and consequences at the employee level— tracing their contributions and development in the last decade, and identifying the construct development stage, this paper has met its objectives. In short, the results obtained suggest that the implementation of green practices in organizations will be reflected in lower levels of environmental pollution and contamination. Despite the emphasis on the repercussions of GHRM at work, it goes beyond the labor sphere, since green environmental values are transferable from context to context, i.e., green behaviors applied at work are reflected in personal life and vice versa. The fact that the evolution of the construct has been going beyond a concept focused only on EM demonstrates the consideration of employees endowed with unique strategic value and their decisive role in organizational sustainability. The resource-based view (Barney 1991) is a theoretical contribution that points in this direction (Yusliza et al. 2017).

The slow and inefficient environmental performance of universities is drawing the attention of scholars towards behavioural change in employees rather than just relying on technological upgrades. Drawing upon the Ability-Motivation-Opportunity (AMO) theory, the purpose of this study is first to examine the influence of Green Human Resource Management (HRM) practices (green competence building practices, green motivation enhancing practices, and green employee involvement practices) on the organisational citizenship behaviour towards the environment (OCBE) of academic staff and, in turn, its impact on the environmental performance. Second, the mediating impact of OCBE between each of Green HRM practices and environmental performance is assessed. The data were collected from September until November 2017 on two campuses of a renowned public research university in Malaysia. Using quantitative research design, a structured questionnaire was used among the academic staff of the university. Convenience sampling was used to select the respondents from both campuses, and the Partial Least Squares (PLS) modelling technique was used to analyse the data, which comprised 122 respondents. Overall findings showed that three sets of Green HRM practices based on the Ability-Motivation-Opportunity framework had a significant impact on OCBE. Furthermore, OCBE had a significant relationship with environmental performance. For the mediation analysis, the results showed that OCBE exhibited by academic staff acted as a means through which the Green HRM practices of a university can positively influence the environmental performance of a university campus. The originality of this study rests in shedding light on Green HRM practices in the higher education sector and highlighting the critical role of academic staff’s environmentally friendly behaviour for improving the environmental performance of a university.

Introduction

Globally, researchers and environmental policymakers have agreed upon the fact that the reasons for environmental deterioration like resource deficits, increasing pollution and the loss of biodiversity are deep-rooted into human behaviour (Mtutu & Thondhlana, 2016; Renwick et al., 2013). In response to this, many organisations are inclined towards ensuring that their daily operations are less harmful to the environment through the implementation of environmental management systems (EMS) or green initiatives (Fawehinmi et al., in press). Hence, an emerging need exists for understanding and shaping employee behaviour to minimize the negative environmental impacts of their activities in organisations. In response to these concerns, the role of Green Human Resource Management (HRM) in influencing green employee behaviour in the workplace has emerged as a topic of study (Dumont et al., 2016). Green HRM is the inclusion of environment consciousness within the whole HRM process of hiring, training, rewarding and developing a green workforce that understands and values environment-friendly values, practices, and initiatives. Besides, contemporary researchers supporting the role of human resources in environmental performance have concentrated on environment-friendly employee behaviour as a crucial factor in successfully implementing environmental policies at the workplace (Kim et al., 2017).

This article identifies current progressions and research gaps in Green Human Resource Management literature and investigates the future of green practices in meeting the social sustainability requirements of an organisation. Considering the growing awareness on greening and sustainability, a systematic review of the domain specific literature was carried out using the Scopus and Google Scholar databases which resulted in a set of 174 scientific articles between 1995 and 2019. NVivo Plus software version 12 was used for quantitative processing as well as qualitative analysis of data. Content coding and cluster analysis were performed, the results of which exhibited three clusters namely, green human resource management practices, employee green behaviour at workplace and organisational sustainability. Further manual analysis revealed social sustainability to be the least explored area than economic and environmental pillars of sustainability. From this, the authors conceptually explored a theoretical model suggesting the mediational role of ‘employee green behaviour at workplace’ in the relationship between ‘green human resource management practices’ and ‘social sustainability’ of organisations using grounded theory approach. Therefore, prioritising social equity, health, wellness and well-being, this work examines the state-of-the-art in green human resource management research to unravel the enormous potential of core green practices envisioning social sustainability, which has not been established till date. Based on the content coding, clustering, and further analysis, propositions, future paths and implications are also presented.

Introduction

Green human resource management (GHRM) practices contribute to the sustainability requirements of social equity, health, wellness and well-being of organisation and its employees in addition to the achievement of economic stability and environmental balance. Previous studies have explored the effects of GHRM on employee behaviour (Pham et al., 2019), environmental performance (Kim et al., 2019), and financial performance (O’Donohue & Torugsa, 2016) of organisations. However, the state-of-the-art of GHRM shows lack of studies relating to social sustainability dimension of organisations. This study, therefore, tries to explain the conceptual relationship between GHRM practices and social sustainability of organisations. Additionally, the work attempts to bridge GHRM and Sustainability literature by proposing the mediating role of employee green behaviour at work place using Ability, Motivation, Opportunity (AMO) theory and Social Identity theory. Growing awareness of sustainability and corporate social responsibility has led to the mounting importance of human resources in most of the organisations, along with the financial, legal and other aspects of cleaner production in business. While finance is widely accepted as ‘the lifeblood of business’ (Renwick et al., 2008), human resource is gaining position as ‘the soul of business’, especially in the environmental context (Jabbour & Santos, 2008a).

1- Introduction

2- Literature review

3- Methodology

4- Results

5- Discussion

References

Abstract

This research was a pioneering study that examined the relationship between green intellectual capital and green human resource management. A quantitative research approach using a mail survey was employed to get insights from 112 large manufacturing firms in Malaysia. Partial Least Squares Regression Analysis was employed to examine the proposed relationship. The results indicated that green human capital and green relational capital influenced green human resource management. Surprisingly, green structural capital was not significantly related to green human resource management. As revealed by searches of ISI Web of Knowledge and Scopus, no similar work has tested a similar framework based on evidence from all over the world.

Introduction

The notion of being green has gained attention from both scholars and industry practitioners over the past few decades. In academic circles, research has grown steadily from a general deliberation on green business into “greening” the functional areas within an organization that include green purchasing (Zhang, Li, Cao & Huang, 2018), green supply chain management (Kazancoglu, Kazancoglu, & Sanak, 2018; Zaid, Jaaron, & Bon, 2018), green innovation (Li, Zhao, Zhang, Chen, & Cao, 2018), green finance (Ng, 2018), green management (Mustapha, Abdul Manan, & Wan Alwi, 2018), green information technologies (Przychodzen, Gomez-Bezares, & Przychodzen, 2018), and green human resource management (HRM) (Renwick, Redman, & Maguire, 2013; Zaid et al., 2018). Businesses operate in a highly competitive global economy in which they must not only be efficient and deliver value, but also must be responsible, and this includes responsibility towards the environment. The intensification of environmental concerns around the globe has led companies to adopt environmental practices at an increasing rate; and such adoptions can benefit companies becoming “green and competitive”(Carmona-Moreno, Cespedes-Lorente, & Martinez-del-Rio, 2012; El-Kassar & Singh, 2018; Jabbour, Freitas, Soubihia, Gunasekaran, & Jabbour, 2015). In the pursuit of this green agenda, scholars (e.g., Renwick et al., 2013) have argued that human resource management (HRM) plays an important role. Hence, embedding green practices within HRM functions could enhance the likelihood of a firm’s sustainability. In an emerging economy such as Malaysia, the need for a highly efficient workforce with a focus on environmental sustainability is paramount. Emerging economies have become the most important economies in recent years because of the high demand for resources, including human resources, which are being used to boost their gross domestic products (GDP). Researchers have reached a consensus that emerging markets are a main destination for organizations from varying industries around the world (Gaur, Kumar, & Singh, 2014; Popli, Akbar, Kumar, & Gaur, 2016, 2017; Singh, Pattnaik, Gaur, & Ketencioglu, 2017; Singh, 2018a). This is because of the large pool of talents and resources available in these regions. Thus, it is necessary to know more about green HRM in Malaysia because, according to Renwick et al. (2013), the green HRM literature is largely Western However, given the importance of the development of Asian economies, this is an important gap for future studies to reduce.

1- Introduction

2- Review method

3- Findings

4- Summary of review and discussion

5- Conclusions, unique contributions, recommendations and further research directions

References

Abstract

Purpose – Green or environmental human resource management (HRM) has in recent years attracted much attention from academia and practitioners all over the world. However, a thorough analysis of green or environmental HRM has not been made so far. To address this gap, the present study provides a systematic and comprehensive literature review. The purpose of this paper is threefold: to review Green HRM literature of various scopes, approaches and contexts; to identify different focus areas in the Green HRM literature; and to propose areas for future research.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper follows a systematic literature review approach. The selected journal articles are categorized on the basis of five focus areas in the Green HRM derived from the extant literature.
Findings – Research has grown significantly over the past 12 years that has focused on Green HRM. A total of 70 articles were reviewed and most of these articles employed quantitative method and were carried out in developing countries. Based on the five focus areas identified in this literature review, the performance outcome of Green HRM at both the organizational level and individual level received the greatest attention from the researchers.
Research limitations/implications – This paper is limited to a review of academic articles obtainable from online databases, containing the words “Green human resource management”, “Green HRM”, “Green human resource”, “Environmental HRM”, “Green training” and “Environmental training” in the title. Additionally, only papers from high quality, peer-reviewed journals were evaluated. Other academic sources such as books and conference papers were not included in this study.
Originality/value – The paper presents a structural overview of 70 peer-reviewed articles published in leading academic journals from 2007 until early 2019. This review provides an increased understanding of the existing state of current research, trends and future research directions in the Green HRM discipline.

Introduction

Countries around the world, be they developed or developing (e.g. Australia, the USA, China, Brazil), have faced a multitude of impacts from the huge demand for a more sustainability-oriented and environmentally friendly agenda; hence, the call has been made for an urgent change and the adoption of green practices. Businesses operate in a highly competitive global economy in which they must not only be efficient and deliver value, but also must be responsible, and this includes responsibility towards the environment. The intensification of environmental concerns around the globe has led companies to adopt environmental practices at an increasing rate; and such adoptions can benefit companies in becoming “green and competitive” ( Jabbour et al., 2012). In the pursuit of this green agenda, scholars (e.g. de Souza Freitas et al., 2012; Jackson et al., 2011; Renwick et al., 2016) have argued that human resource management (HRM) plays an important role. Hence, embedding green practices in HRM functions could possibly enhance the likelihood of a firm’s sustainability. The interest in Green HRM has increased in the last decade, with the recognition as one possible green management practice strategy of a company that can reduce its environmental “footprint” and make the business more sustainable. Since 2016, the importance of Green HRM research increased noticeably among scholars (Dumont et al., 2016; Guerci, Longoni and Luzzini, 2016; Guerci, Montanari, Scapolan and Epifanio, 2016; Jabbour and Renwick, 2018; Yong et al., 2019; Yusliza et al., 2017). As a result, the study of Green HRM has increased exponentially. Growing awareness of green issues has driven HR to embrace Green HR practices with a specific focus on a paperless approach, a reduction of the carbon footprint and waste management (Ahmad, 2015). HR plays an integral role in initiating environmentally friendly activities, involving individuals as a part of green initiatives and also initiating changes in existing processes (Mishra et al., 2014). Green HRM can be seen as a planned and continuous change for an organization (Sawang and Kivits, 2014).

1- Introduction

2- Literature review

3- Methodology

4- Results

5- Discussion and implications

6- Limitations and future research

References

Abstract

The subject of human resource management in hotels’ environmentally friendly management remains relatively underexplored. This study examines how to improve employees’ eco-friendly behavior and hotels’ environmental performance through green human resource management. The findings show that green human resource management enhances employees’ organizational commitment, their eco-friendly behavior, and hotels’ environmental performance. This study suggests that hotel top management and HR managers should establish green human resource management policies.

Introduction

The preservation of the natural environment (hereafter, “environment”) has been an important issue for the last few decades. Nearly every industry has embraced environmental protection practices. Most manufacturing companies have aimed to eliminate waste created during the production and disposal of their products and, therefore, have improved corporate performance (Melnyk et al., 2003). In terms of service industries such as hotels, their green efforts include reducing waste, conserving energy and water in their operations, and educating customers and employees (Bohdanowicz et al., 2011; Rahman et al., 2012). For example, to protect the environment, Hilton established operational goals and policies and eco-friendly programs and developed reporting tools to monitor its progress. As a result, Hilton Worldwide reduced its overall water consumption by 14.1% and energy usage by 14.5% from the period of 2009–2014. Marriott International, another large hotel chain, has promoted preservation initiatives to help conserve the environment. Most of previous environmental management research has examined hotel firms’ environmental management practices (e.g., energy saving and water preservation) (Hsiao et al., 2014; Molina-Azorín et al., 2015). For example, Hsiao et al. (2014) established environmental management attributes for the hotel industry to use to audit green hotels. In addition, studies have approached environmental research in the hotel industry from two distinct aspects: the consumer and the employee. However, most of the studies have concentrated mainly on green marketing, the consumer perspective (Kim and Choi, 2013). For instance, Manaktola and Jauhari (2007) explored consumer attitudes and behaviors concerning hotels’ environmentally friendly practices.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of perceived green human resource management (GHRM) on job pursuit intention ( JPI) of prospective employees. In addition, an attempt was made to unfurl the underlying psychological mechanisms and illuminate the boundary conditions of the aforementioned relationship by proposing organizational prestige (OP) as mediator and environmental orientation (EO) and gender as moderators. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 172 undergraduate engineering students of a reputed engineering institute in India constituted the sample for this scenario-based study. Direct, mediation, moderation and moderated mediation hypotheses were tested using hierarchical linear regression analysis and bootstrapping procedures in SPSS. Findings – GHRM was found to relate significantly with JPI of prospective applicants and OP mediated the above linkage. EO was found to significantly moderate the association of GHRM with JPI. However, gender failed to add to the understanding of the above relationship. Practical implications – By providing evidence on the psychological processes which the applicants engage in during employer selection, organizations will be able to form appropriate strategies for attracting talent to their organizations. Originality/value – The study addresses the call for research to integrate the diverse disciplines of environmental management and human resource management and provides additional insights into human aspect of environmental sustainability. It advances the sustainable HRM literature by providing comprehensive understanding of how and when GHRM influences prospective employee outcomes.

Introduction

People are the key to success of any organization. In this highly competitive business landscape, recruiting and retaining talent can provide distinct competitive advantage to the organizations. Although a developing country like India has an advantage of having a large fraction of young people in the population, most of them lack employability skills and too few are fit for hiring (Anand, 2011). Workplace dynamics are greatly affected by the changing demographics of the workforce. With more and more millennials entering the workforce, organizations are forced to re-think their talent attraction and retention strategies. The millennials expect much more than salary and material rewards from their employer. They aspire to work for an organization that aligns with their values and personal brands. They like to feel good about their employment choices by associating themselves with the employers who inspire them. Thus, it becomes imperative for the organizations to understand the expectations of millennials when it comes to employer selection. In this regard, it has been found that socially responsible firms are preferred over others by the job aspirants (Albinger and Freeman, 2000). A number of studies have established the benefits of corporate social performance for attracting quality candidates to apply for vacancies (Story et al., 2016; Rupp et al., 2013; Greening and Turban, 2000). However, environment as an important component of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has received little attention in the recruitment literature. Additionally, there exists a great deal of inconsistency in the findings of available studies where some highlighted the positive outcomes of an organization’s environmental involvement for prospective employees (Behrend et al., 2009; Gully et al., 2013), while others failed to find any significant association (Lis, 2012; Turban and Greening, 1997). Against this backdrop, the present study focuses on the environmental aspect of corporate social performance by examining the impact of perceived green human resource management (GHRM) on job pursuit intentions ( JPIs) of prospective employees. GHRM reflects the HRM aspect of environmental management and is defined as the use of HRM practices to achieve organizational green goals ( Jackson and Seo, 2010). It refers to the use of HRM policies to encourage the sustainable use of business resources and promote the cause of environmentalism. GHRM through the human resource management processes of recruitment, selection, training, performance and reward management aims to create a green workforce that understands, appreciates and practices green initiatives that help in the achievement of green goals of the organization (Mathapati, 2013). It aims at enhancing employee commitment to strive for environmental sustainability and reduce their carbon footprints (Masri and Jaroon, 2017). GHRM practices may include taking into account environmental values of candidates in the recruitment and selection process, providing environmental awareness and management trainings, involving and encouraging employee participation in environmental management, and considering green performance and behaviors while appraising and rewarding employees (Shen et al., 2018; Tang et al., 2018). Organizational green activities and initiatives form an important aspect of CSR. GHRM is linked to the concept of CSR, but is different from it in the sense that it is mainly an organizational tool to implement CSR directed toward environment (Shen et al., 2018).

Drawing on the resource-based view (RBV) theory, in this work an original theoretical framework is articulated, relating megatrends in the field of human resources – considered here as a unique source of companies’ competitiveness – such as Electronic HRM, green employee empowerment, and HR Business Partner Role when adopting Green HRM practices. The framework is then tested based on empirical evidence from Malaysian companies. Countries around the world, be they developed or developing, have faced a multitude of impacts from the huge demand for a more sustainability oriented and environmental friendly agenda, hence the call for an urgent change to adopt green practices. HRM is considered as having great potential for the incorporation of sustainability (Jabbour & Santos, 2008). A myriad of concerns for the environment have been embedded in broader Human Resource Development (HRD) models and frameworks (Scully-Russ, 2015; Jackson, Schuler, & Jiang, 2014) and recently the term Green Human Resource Management (HRM) has emerged to specifically relate the HRM with environmental concerns (Jabbour, Santos, & Nagano, 2010; Jabbour & Jabbour, 2016; Renwick, Redman & Maguire, 2013). Pursuing organizational sustainability requires attention to human and behavioral aspects (Graves, Sarkis & Zhu, 2013; Jackson et al., 2014; Kim, Kim, Han, Jackson, & Ployhart, 2016; Walker, Seuring, Sarkis, & Klassen, 2014). RBV theory provides the conceptual assumptions for the Green HRM field of research. RBV suggests that human resources can be considered key to sustain companies’ competitive advantage (Barney, 1991). RBV has been applied to better understand how critical human aspects are when adopting new organizational practices (Wright, McMahan, & McWilliams, 1994). RBV has been a theoretical pillar to understand the expansion of Green HRM within firms (Jabbour, Mauricio, & Jabbour, 2017).