Green human resource management practices: a review

A Anton Arulrajah,H H D N P Opatha,N N J Nawaratne

doi:10.4038/sljhrm.v5i1.5624

Abstract

The objective of this review is to explore green human resource management practices of organisations based on the existent literature. In this emerging field, it has been generally observed that the existent literature has to be extended further from the perspective of functions of Human Resource Management (HRM). It reveals that much of the past research focused on a few functions of HRM such as recruitment, training and development, performance evaluation and reward management in integrating environmental management with HRM though HRM has more potential and scope in improving organisation’s environmental performance. Hence, this review incorporates diverse functions of HRM to explore the respective green HRM practices under those functions. The findings of the review have identified and highlighted several green HRM practices under the 12 functions of HRM such as job design, job analysis, human resource planning, recruitment, selection, induction, performance evaluation, training and development, reward management, discipline management, health and safety management and employee relations. The contribution of this paper lies in extending the scope and depth of green HRM in materializing sustainable environmental performance of organisations.

Highlights

Nowadays it seems that a considerable number of organizations practice green human resource management practices in the global context
This paper has its focus on exploring green Human Resource Management (HRM) practices from the light of existing theoretical and empirical research works done by the scholars in this field
Green HRM is referred to “all the activities involved in development, implementation and on-going maintenance of a system that aims at making employees of an organization green

Summary

Introduction

Nowadays it seems that a considerable number of organizations practice green human resource management practices in the global context. They stated that human resources aspects of environmental management are green HRM These scholars broadly specified that distinguished policies in the field of recruitment, performance management and appraisal, training and development, employment relations and pay and reward are considered as powerful tools for aligning employees with an organization‟s environmental strategy. It is the side of HRM that is concerned with transforming normal employees into green employees so as to achieve environmental goals of the organization and to make a significant contribution to environmental sustainability. It refers to the policies, practices and systems that make employees of the organization green for the benefit of the individual, society, natural environment, and the business” (Opatha, 2013; Opatha and Anton Arulrajah, 2014). As far as the above definitions are concerned, the very latest definition provides a comprehensive meaning and understanding about what green HRM is in the context of organisational setting

Objectives

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion