Greening university practices: empowering eco-conscious behavior, transforming sustainable culture, and shaping greener institutional awareness through strategic green HRM initiatives

Abstract

Green human resource management practices are widely accepted and are essential for encouraging sustainable behavior in organizations. We aimed to ascertain the relationship between employees' eco-friendly behavior and Green HRM practices by employing environmental awareness as a mediator. we analyzed and tested the suggested model Employing the PLS-SEM method through SmartPLS 4. The current study employed a quantitative research approach to collect data from 346 actual respondents. From six major public universities in Afghanistan, these participants were selected randomly. Based on the investigation, it was shown that green recruitment and selection, green training and development, green performance management, and green reward and compensation possessed a positive impact on employees' eco-friendly behavior. Additionally, environmental awareness promotes eco-friendly conduct among the staff. The research provides updated outcomes showing that, through the partially moderating impacts of environmental awareness, green HRM practices in Afghanistan's public universities both directly and indirectly influence employees' eco-friendly behavior. The current study is noteworthy since it provides fresh insights into green HRM. Additionally, by examining these relationships and assessing the mediation effects, this work adds to the amount of literature already accessible on environmentally friendly behaviors. Furthermore, current research makes a practical contribution to public universities by suggesting guidelines on how to increase academicians' awareness of green HRM practices, enhance eco-friendly behavior at work, and develop environmentally friendly behavior.