Sustainable Human Resource Management Practices Research Articles

Quality of Life and Quality of Work Life as Determinants of Employee Productivity: Self-reports of Tea Harvesters in Sri Lanka

Tea industry plays a prominent and strategic role in Sri Lanka due to its significant impact on national output, employment and socio-economic status. Therefore, the overall worker productivity in tea industry plays an integral role in terms of national income and foreign exchange earnings. Today, the tea industry in Sri Lanka has been facing the burning issue of declining worker productivity which is the lowest among the tea producing countries in the world. In order to increase the level of worker productivity, simply applying conventional Human Resource Management (HRM) practices are not adequate and a sustainable HRM model is a vital requirement as a strategy for dealing with this crisis and sustains the tea industry in the competitive global marketplace. This research was aimed at proposing human care practices (HCPs) and knowledge management practices (KMPs) as sustainable Human Resource Management Practices (SHRMPs) for enhancing the worker productivity through quality of work-life (QWLs) and quality of life (QLs). The study is specifically focusing on the tea industry, since tea is the key contributor for overall performances of the plantation industry. Un-structured, one-on-one interviews used as the qualitative research technique for this study and 100 randomly selected tea harvesters who are working in well performing tea estates in Sri Lanka reported a list of HCPs and KMPs that enhance QWL and QL and in turn that enhance the worker productivity. The responses of tea harvesters were grouped into pre-defined structure according to comparative importance and validated with the findings of previous research studies. The findings were well supported by the premises of psychological contract and social exchange theories. The study also provides some implications for policy decisions and future research directions on identified HCPs and KMPs as sustainable HR practices which has direct relationship on the worker productivity.
 Keywords: Sustainable human care practices, Knowledge management practices, Quality of life, Quality of work life, Productivity

Quality of Life and Quality of Work Life as Determinants of Employee Productivity: Self-reports of Tea Harvesters in Sri Lanka

Tea industry plays a prominent and strategic role in Sri Lanka due to its significant impact on national output, employment and socio-economic status. Therefore, the overall worker productivity in tea industry plays an integral role in terms of national income and foreign exchange earnings. Today, the tea industry in Sri Lanka has been facing the burning issue of declining worker productivity which is the lowest among the tea producing countries in the world. In order to increase the level of worker productivity, simply applying conventional Human Resource Management (HRM) practices is not adequate and a sustainable HRM model is a vital requirement as a strategy for dealing with this crisis and sustains the tea industry in the competitive global marketplace. This research was aimed at proposing human care practices (HCPs) and knowledge management practices (KMPs) as sustainable Human Resource Management Practices (SHRMPs) for enhancing the worker productivity through quality of work-life (QWLs) and quality of life (QLs). The study is specifically focusing on the tea industry, since tea is the key contributor for overall performances of the plantation industry. Un-structured and one-on-one interviews were used as the qualitative research technique for this study. 100 randomly selected tea harvesters who are working in well performing tea estates in Sri Lanka reported a list of HCPs and KMPs that enhance QWL and QL, which in return enhance the worker productivity. The responses of tea harvesters were grouped into pre-defined structure according to comparative importance and then were validated with the findings of previous research studies. The findings were well supported by the premises of psychological contract and social exchange theories. The study also provides some implications for policy decisions and future research directions on identified HCPs and KMPs as sustainable HR practices, which has a direct relationship on the worker productivity.

Exploring Sustainable Human Resource Practices and Framework in Star-Rated Hotels

Extensive attention has been paid to environmental issues when evaluating the sustainability of organisations, and little attention has been paid to sustainable human capital practices. The literature shows contradictions and gaps among theoretical propositions, empirical findings, and the realities of human resource management (HRM). Theoretical approaches and empirical studies state that effective HRM is essential, yet in actual practice and employment conditions, the importance of effective HRM is not reflected. Thus, this paper aims to determine the critical emerging issues that affect human resource practices and management in the current employment context, as well as proposes a sustainable human resource framework for the hotel industry. Data were collected via in-depth focus group interviews with 40 respondents from operational, supervisorial, and managerial positions in the Malaysia hotel industry. The proposed model of sustainable human resource practices can yield a wide selection of tangible and intangible benefits. The findings benefit the hotel organisations by identifying the needs of their employees, a more in-depth point of view, and their thoughts about their organisations. This paper provides a new perspective of sustainable HRM practices by applying resource-based view theory on managing people as the “resource”, specifically in the hotel industry.

Core features for the design of remuneration systems for sustainable human resource management during the Covid-19 pandemic: Polish companies’ experiences

Fulfilling the objectives of sustainable development aimed at combining economic, social and ecological objectives is supported by the concept of Sustainable Human Resource Management (SHRM). SHRM practices enable the maintenance, renewal and restoration of human resources. The article fills a research gap on the characteristics of remuneration systems in SHRM. The purpose of this study is to reveal the remuneration practices that allow organisations to implement sustainable human resource management's characteristics in the COVID-19 crisis. The research uses qualitative data from Polish organisations collected through semi-structured interviews with 15 managers responsible for human resource management (HRM). It shows a diversity of remuneration practices during the COVID-19 crisis such as focusing the remuneration systems on the long-term goals of the organisation and combining social goals with business pragmatism.

The relationship between employee well-being and organizational trust in the context of sustainable human resource management

As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to grow, new challenges in the organizational and business environment emerge, causing the human resource management (HRM) to develop a flexible yet strategic and sustainable response in the face of instability and uncertainty. HRM practices that focus on employees’ emotional, psychological, and cognitive states are becoming crucial. The aim of this paper is to disclose the relationship between employee well-being and organizational trust in the context of sustainable HRM. The literature analysis revealed that sustainable HRM practices focused on meeting the needs of employees are particularly significant as they positively influence employee well-being. Furthermore, ensuring employee well-being based on sustainable HRM principles leads to increased organizational trust. The results of the analysis proved direct and indirect relationships between employee well-being and organizational trust; however, further research is needed to distinguish the relationship between sustainable human resource management practices and employee well-being, with a mediating role and moderating role of organizational trust.

Sustainable HRM Practices in Corporate Reporting

Shaped by the current turbulent era of macroeconomic forces, inclusive of the technological challenges of Industry 4.0, and ubiquitous uncertainties, the business environment and its stakeholders hold high expectations for sustainable organizational practices, including harmonized and comprehensible sustainability reporting. Increasingly, responsible behavior towards internal stakeholders comes from within organizations, valuing employees as a key asset and introducing sustainable human resource management (S-HRM) practices to motivate their workforce. Reporting on these S-HRM practices and sustainability is in the highest interests of managers and investors alike. Focusing on the involved parties, employees most particularly, the paper contributes to the stakeholder theory. The literature review, previous S-HRM studies’ interpretation and their critical assessment, the GRI standards’ comparative analysis, and Lawshe’s content validity approach have been applied as the methodological framework. With the purpose to extend the scientific literature on S-HRM and its reporting, the authors aim to close the gap between purely theoretical S-HRM treaties and more practically oriented studies on reporting. The findings on the key areas of S-HRM practices give rise to the S-HRM Practices Model, the main goal of this study. This comprehensible model may serve as a harmonized instrument for sustainable HRM reporting analysis and auditing for academia and practitioners alike.

When and How Does Sustainable HRM Improve Customer Orientation of Frontline Employees? Satisfaction, Empowerment, and Communication

This study investigated the relationship between sustainable human resource management (HRM) practices, employee satisfaction, and customer orientation of frontline employees (FLEs) in the hotel industry from the perspective of internal marketing. Specifically, the study focused on three facets of sustainable HRM practices (i.e., training, reward, and benefit) as well as organizational empowerment and communication as FLE-supportive contexts. Although some studies have examined the relationship between HRM practices and customer orientation, they overlooked the importance of service context in facilitating FLE customer orientation. Thus, this study developed a comprehensive framework based on social exchange theory and self-determination theory. The results show that all three facets of the sustainable HRM practices were positively related to FLEs’ satisfaction. FLEs’ satisfaction was also positively related to their customer orientation. Furthermore, both organizational empowerment and communication moderated the relationship between FLEs’ satisfaction and customer orientation, which showed a positive relationship only when FLEs perceived high organizational empowerment or communication. The research findings provide beneficial theoretical and practical implications.

“Everything Will Be Fine”: A Study on the Relationship between Employees’ Perception of Sustainable HRM Practices and Positive Organizational Behavior during COVID19

Sustainable human resource management practices represent one of the main organizational strategy to survive and to prosper within the fast-moving current scenario. According to this view, sustainability is strictly linked to the consideration of the unique and distinctive value that each human resource means for organizations. The recent COVID19 pandemic is having a serious impact on organizations and on their employees, it is profoundly changing the working modalities, mainly introducing smart working practices that were showed to have significant consequences on workers’ wellbeing. This study aims to investigate employees’ perception of sustainable HRM in the frame of the COVID19 emergency, exploring if and to what extent perceptions of involvement and organizational support together with individual coping strategies associated with organizational change could influence positive organizational behaviors, namely organizational engagement and extra-role behavior. The research involved 549 participants who completed a self-report online questionnaire encompassing psycho-social measures of the abovementioned variables. Results confirmed the important role played by sustainable HRM practices both for the capitalization of human resources and of organizational performance in a time of great uncertainty and global crisis. Implications for theory and HRM practice development were also discussed.

Examining the effects of workplace well-being and high-performance work systems on health harm: a Sustainable HRM perspective

PurposeThis paper aims to provide an empirical investigation into the mediating role of high-performance work systems (HPWS) on health harm (HH). The study also examines the negative moderated role of workplace well-being (WW) and its indirect effect on work intensification (WI) and HH. The paper highlights the implications of the HH on individuals, organizations, families and societies and recognizes the need for sustainable human resource management (HRM) practices that drive employee well-being, thereby reducing the HH. More importantly, the study extends the understanding of sustainable goals through sustainable HRM.Design/methodology/approachData was collected using four established scales. The data collected from 324 executives were analyzed using the SPSS 25.0 Version and AMOS 21.0.FindingsThe study results confirmed that WW practices reduce the adverse effects arising out of HPWS and WI. The results proved that WI is positively related to HH, and that WW moderates the relationship between HPWS and HH such that HPWS is more positively associated with HH when the WW is low compared to when WW is high.Research limitations/implicationsThe data were collected from executives working in Information Technology (IT) organizations in India. The findings and the implications may not be generalized to other industries, as the data is collected from IT professionals.Practical implicationsThe study highlights the need for organizations to develop sustainable HRM practices to minimize the HH of work. Organizations should implement well-being interventions and develop activities that promote an individual’s mental and physical well-being alongside limiting work intensity.Originality/valueHRM Literature reveals the positive effect of HPWS that it engages employees to achieve a competitive advantage to the firm. However, this study examines and empirically proves the negative impact of HPWS on employee health and well-being.

Towards More Proactive Sustainable Human Resource Management Practices? A Study on Stress Due to the ICT-Mediated Integration of Work and Private Life

This article discusses sustainability in Human Resource Management (HRM) in the blurred digital working life, focusing on the emotion of stress. Its empirical basis is an activity and emotion diary study conducted with 26 employees of three industrial companies in Sweden. Our results show that work and private life are integrated by digital activities and also by emotions. Due to the extensive use of digital devices, stress in the working sphere is not only connected with work, and stress in the private sphere is not only connected with private life. The study also shows that stress is often episodic and can end due to activities connected with both the trigger and non-trigger spheres. From a social sustainability perspective, this study suggests that HRM should gently extend employee consideration beyond the traditional temporal and spatial boundaries of work, i.e., also including private life when understanding work in the digital age.

Sustainable human resource management: a systematic review of a developing field

PurposeThis study aims to systematically review sustainable human resource management (HRM) research with the aim of establishing its research themes, methods and contextual focus to develop a better understanding of the state of the field and the gaps in the research, as well as to propose a future research agenda.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a systematic literature review method that involves the use of 122 studies from six reputable databases covering January 2003 to March 2020.FindingsThere is an over-concentration on the ecological perspective of sustainable HRM and managers dominate the examined population. Moreover, there are geographical imbalances in sustainable HRM research. More so, the idea of bundling sustainable HRM practices together has received scanty research attention relative to the individual sustainable HRM best practices. Consequently, from a strategic HRM perspective, the authors highlight various ways to bundle sustainable HRM practices together. Also, the authors suggest that the ability-motivation-opportunity enhancing (AMO) theory’s perspective provides particularly useful means for this investigation. Furthermore, the findings suggest that sustainable HRM can influence organisations to become more competitive and effective in their quests to ensure economic prosperity, social well-being and ecological outcomes for their stakeholders.Practical implicationsThe evidence reveals that there are significant gaps in the literature on the topic and confirms that the field is still at its developmental stage. Hence, there is a need for more rigorous research on the topic to help develop a better understanding of this new field.Originality/valueThis study contributes by providing the first comprehensive review of sustainable HRM themes, methods and contextual focus and by proposing future research agenda. It, therefore, offers a valuable point of departure for those moving into the sustainable HRM domain, as well as valuable insights for those already working in this space.

Sustainable human resources management from the language of reports

Purpose - Although the concept of Sustainable Human Resource Management (HRM) has been frequently discussed in recently, the measurement and dimensions of the concept are still vague. This study aims to explore Sustainable HRM practices and provide a guide to facilitate Sustainable HRM implementations and to measure its pertinent practices. Methodology - The sample of this study consists of 36 sustainability reports of 29 firms listed on the BIST Sustainability Index. The reports belong to two consecutive fiscal years: 2014-2015 and 2015-2016. The researchers have conducted a content analysis to reports by using the indexing technique, in line with a coding guide adopted from The Global Reporting Initiative - Sustainability Reporting Guidelines-G4 (GRI-G4) principles. Findings- This research has identified the discursive dimension of sustainable HRM in the context of Turkey. Following this purpose, the researchers have prepared a guide and posited the dimensions of Sustainable HRM elaborately. Moreover, the study has demonstrated the applicability of the triple reporting system to the Turkish setting. Conclusion- Different stakeholder expectations require to take HRM with its macro and micro dimensions. Sustainable HRM stands out as a concept to respond to this demand. After its fast-paced introduction as of 2000, the concept has gained momentum specifically in the last decade. Conceiving the structure of Sustainable HRM with its economic, environmental, and social dimensions constitutes a critical step of meeting this expectation. This study has identified Sustainable HRM practices, which may guide companies to have a sustainable organizational form and provide researchers a measurement tool.

Understanding the effects of perceived organizational support and high-performance work systems on health harm through sustainable HRM lens: a moderated mediated examination

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an empirical investigation into the mediating effect of high-performance work systems (HPWS) on health harm (HH). The paper also examines the role of perceived organizational support (POS) and its indirect effect on work intensification (WI) and HH through HPWS. Further, the implications of the HH on individuals, organizations, families and societies are also presented. Recognizing the need for sustainable human resource management (HRM) practices that drive employee well-being and reducing HH is also highlighted.Design/methodology/approachData for the study were collected using four established scales. The data collected from 345 executives were analyzed using the SPSS 25.0 Version and Amos 21.0.FindingsThe study confirmed that work intensification causes HH. The results also indicate the significant mediation of HPWS and the moderation of POS between WI and HH, thus suggesting the inevitability of HR intervention for implementing sustainable HRM practices, which reduce the negative harm of the work.Research limitations/implicationsData were collected from executives working in IT organizations in India. However, IT work exhibits broadly similar technology/platforms across the world and hence, applicable to the other contexts as well.Practical implicationsThe study suggests that organizations should formulate policies and initiate interventions toward the care of employees, motivating toward higher performance and support them to prevent HH of work. It is difficult to categorize what comprises the care of employees in the current context of HPWS and treating employees as an end in itself. Generally, it is seen in terms of health and safety, work–life balance, remuneration, workload, job role and job design. People are core to sustainable development, and the HR must design and develop systems so that the organization can retain a healthy and productive workforce from a sustainability perspective. Moreover, sustainable work performance is a function of high resource levels of employees (energy, time and competences) and the allocation of resources, leading to resource regeneration. Hence, organizations need to source from a variety of sources and balance it for the sustainable performance of employees.Originality/valueThe HRM literature reveals the positive effect of POS on employee health, but studies that investigated the adverse impact of POS are notably absent. The study bridges this gap and is novel, as it explores the moderating role of POS on HPWS and HH and reaffirms the need for building sustainable organizations and sustainable HRM practices. Moreover, the paper provides contextual support to the literature, where studies relating to sustainable HRM practices in developing countries like India are absent.

Sustainable human resource management practices to attract and retain talents: A new approach to human resource management system

Employees are the critical resource for the success of an organisation and in gaining the competitive edge over others. But the existing human resource management (HRM) system is unable to address many challenging issues being faced by the organisations as well as society. The only emphasis of existing HRM system is profit maximisation. This traditional approach of HRM system has failed to help the business in gaining sustainability. Hence government regulations, environmental degradation along with the recession in which many prominent and successful organisations failed have led to focus for developing the sustainable business model. For developing and implementing a sustainable business model, it is necessary to have a human resource system based on sustainable approach, where recruitment and selection or training and development, etc. are designed and developed to foster the sustainability of the business. This article explores the drawbacks in existing HRM system by reviewing the previous literature and proposed the need for the sustainable HRM system.

Common Good HRM: A paradigm shift in Sustainable HRM?

As organizations increasingly claim to have become more sustainable and to have contributed to global sustainable development, demands for Human Resource Management (HRM) to become sustainable intensify. In the past decade, the concept of Sustainable HRM received increasing attention in both practice and research. However, academics' views about what Sustainable HRM means are diverse, and the effectiveness of Sustainable HRM practices is uncertain. We reviewed key articles in the literature on Sustainable HRM and as a result highlight how the purpose of HRM has been transformed in the search for sustainability. We present four Sustainable HRM types and describe how HRM can effectively contribute to solving todays “grand” sustainability challenges by applying ideas from a common good economy perspective. We propose that a new type of Sustainable HRM – Common Good HRM – could be essential in driving progress toward addressing sustainable development goals (SDGs) in Sustainable HRM.

An Examination of Sustainable HRM Practices on Job Performance: An Application of Training as a Moderator

This study attempts to examine the role of sustainable Human Resource Management (HRM) practices on job performance and encompasses training as a moderator variable to further evaluate the association among HRM practices and employee’s job performance.The study seeks to measure the effect of selection, participation, and employee empowerment on job performance in the publicly owned universities of Pakistan. The descriptive survey research design was utilized for this study. The target population was the entire teaching staff of two publicly owned universities (namely “The University of Agriculture Peshawar” and “Hazara University Mansehra” Pakistan). By using a convenient sampling technique, 130 sample participants were selected from the target population. The reliability scales were tallied by using Cronbach’s Alpha. The findings of the study are gleaned by using regression to investigate the role of HRM practices in job performance and whether training moderated the association between HRM practices and employee performance. Through Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS), Hayes process was used regarding the moderation effect of training between HRM practices and job performance. The main results of regression analysis validate that HRM practices, such as selection, participation, and employee empowerment, have a significant and positive effect on employee job performance. Specifically, the study suggests that training significantly moderates the effect of HRM practices on the performance of employees and that sustainability of HRM practices has a great impact on job performance. Based on the outcomes the study confirms that the proposed hypotheses are statistically significant. Furthermore, directions for future research are offered.

Antecedents and Consequences of Sustainable Human Resource Management: Empirical Evidence from India

Over the past two decades, technological developments, globalization, and several other competitive challenges have caused dramatic changes within and across organizations in their decision-making. These concerns have resulted in a lasting impact on human resource management, both at functional and strategic standpoints. The present study considers “corporate sustainability perceptions” and “ethical leadership” as contextual antecedents and “voice behavior,” “employer attractiveness,” and “reduced turnover intentions” as consequences. Further, the intervening effects of “person organization fit,” “trust in management and moral identity” are analyzed. Out of total 498 respondents to whom the questionnaire is circulated to, the authors received 312 completely filled responses, reflecting a response rate of 62.65 percent. The study adopts casual research design with convenience sampling technique. Our findings shed light on the statistical and practical implications by providing suggestive measures for the organizations, to implement sustainable human resource management practices.

Sustainable Human Resource Management Practices in the Malaysian Public Sector: An Exploratory Study

This research explores the sustainable human resource management practices in the public sector with Malaysia government as the setting. This research was carried out using method of interview among senior officers in the central agency and document analysis as supporting evidence. It was found that sustainable HRM is very critical in the public sector to ensure retention of employees and thus contribute towards sustainable development of the country. The activities involve work promotions, training and development, leadership and engagement with employees especially among the millennials. In order to ensure sustainability of an organization, non-monetary rewards such as flexible working arrangement should be enhanced in the public sector. Having the right employees is the way to ensure organizational success in a highly competitive market. The impact of this research will create interest among the management in public sector to think strategically on sustainable HRM which in turn, will lead to sustainability in Malaysian public sector.

Corporate Social Responsibility:Ensuring Sustainable Human Resource Management Practices

Sustainable human resource management is an essential element for the success of the sustainable business model. Economic uncertainty, Globalization, tighter labour markets, development in technology, are critical challenges which are driving human resource professionals to adopt sustainable human resource practices to motivate and retain human capital for generating sustainable business in an economy. In this era of post global recession, the concept of increasing corporate wealth is widen and the objective of organizational success is aligned with sustainable growth . Corporations are using Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to strengthen its relationship among different stakeholders such as investors, customers, employees and government. CSR includes human resource management which deals with attraction recruitment and retention of employees, their professional development and thereby the organizational growth. Employees, being an essential part of every organization are greatly influenced by CSR of a company. Concerned with high employee turnover, employee absenteeism and employee motivation towards work and organization, companies are suggested to use of CSR to build better employee and organizational relations for improvement in performance. The paper seeks to analyse influence of CSR practices of Reliance Industries Limited on methods of managing human resources.

Smart Power as a Pathway for Employing Sustainable Human Resource Management

Challenges for human resource management (HRM), as increased number of work-related illnesses or aging society, require from organizations to rethink the way, how people are managed. The most appropriated way relies on sustainability concept, as the axis of sustainability is resource preservation, reproduction and regeneration. The sustainable HRM is designed for enhancing organization’s profit, for minimizing “ecological footprint” and for reducing the harm on employees. However, the employment of sustainable HRM in daily organization’s life is still challenging and calls business to search for new pathways. The paper argues that smart power (the concept mostly used in political sciences) could be used for contributing to sustainable HRM field. The paper describes smart power (soft and hard power) and elaborates how smart power could be applied in business context and in the area of sustainable HRM. The paper provides initial insights on power utilization in human resource development, human resource regeneration and human resource preservation practices. The theoretical findings provide some examples how soft and hard power could be used for career management, for training programmes for sustainability capacities, and for keeping the workforce fit. Some thoughts as findings focusing on the use of smart power for work-life balance, management of employees’ relations, and stress management are described. Hereafter, the research area could be expanded by empirically testing theoretical insights and contributing to extremely relevant topic - the use of smart power for employing the sustainable HRM practices. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ee.28.2.17645