Sustainable Human Resource Management Research Articles

Role of Green Banking on Sustainable Human Resource Management: An Empirical Study on Private Banks of Bangladesh

Banking is considered as a fundamental element to carry on different modern economic activities both in developed and developing nations all over the world. In the case of emerging nations like Bangladesh, implementing sustainable development projects to provide maximum access to different sustainable financing commodities and to exist long time are difficult for various reasons. Without the better financial environment, it would be very difficult to implement any energy related projects domestically. The main objective of this paper is to explore how green banking institutions can provide assistance for achieving sustainable human resource management for banking institutions also sustainable development in Bangladesh effectively. Sustainable development is a constitutional obligation for Bangladesh and sustainable human resource management is the front-line frontier of sustainable development through sustainable Banking. Banking industry holds a unique position with regard to sustainable development because of their intermediation online banking function between depositors and borrowers. This paper examines the current initiatives taken by the regulatory authorities of banking industry in the context of Bangladesh. The study is partially exploratory in nature and includes desk research on existing literature and content analysis to appropriately develop an understanding of the concepts and the role of banking industry towards sustainability in human resource management with special reference to Green Banking (GB) which helps to achieve e-Vacancy advertising, E-recruitment and selection, online based training and development, data warehouse to HR planning etc. The study revealed a positive response in implementing the sustainability issues in HRM by the banks in various capacities under the guidance of the Central Bank. The outcome of the paper is expected to unveil the position of the bank practitioners and policy makers about the sustainability concepts and current status sustainability initiatives taken by the regulatory authority in the banking industry of Bangladesh.

Conceptualizing Intersectionality between Work-family Conflict and Career Progress of Married Women Employed in Nepalese Financial Sector

This study examines the intersectional relationship between work-family conflict and career progress of married women employed in the financial sector within Kathmandu Valley. Although both work and family are important dimensions of human life, in Nepalese context the intersectional relationship between gender roles, work and family responsibilities and career progress has been inadequately studied. Hence, this research aims to conceptualize work-family conflict by examining the intersectional relationship between socio-demographic factors, antecedents of work-family conflict and career progress of married women employees in the context of Nepalese Financial Sector. In this study intersectional research design has been used to analyze relationships between variables together with ninety (N=90) married women employees as research participants. Results of both descriptive and inferential statistics indicate that asymmetry still remains prevalent and permeable among married women employees regarding their work-family interfaces and involvements. Hence, antecedents of work family conflict intersect a predictive association with subsequent existential experiences, ambition gaps and perceptions that negatively influences career progress of married women. Based on the findings, this study recommends a sustainable corporate culture and human resources management practices that remains sensitive to gender issues and also assimilates complex and conflicting necessities of both work and family involvements. Keywords: Work-family conflict, Career progress, Sustainable corporate culture, Human resource practices

Sustainable Human Resource Management: Literature look over

Sustainable Human Resource Management: Literature look over

The Link Between Sustainability Reporting and the Core Characteristics of Sustainable Human Resource Management

Abstract Background The concept of sustainable human resource management is becoming a core subject of sustainability reports. Current discussions in the literature focus on how to integrate human resource management (HRM) with sustainability issues and emphasise the concept of “sustainable human resource management” rather than “sustainability and human resource management.” This focus requires a more comprehensive company perspective through the lens of company goals, people, processes and the strategic orientation dimensions of an HRM–sustainability relationship. Within this perspective, new approaches are needed to concentrate on sustainable HRM issues. Research aims The aim of this study is to analyse the contents of the sustainability reports in terms of sustainable HR characteristics and HR orientation dimensions. The content analysis design is based on an integrated approach of the classification of sustainable HR characteristics through HR orientation dimensions. The sustainability reports of seven financial institutions from the Borsa Istanbul Sustainability Index (BIST) are analysed for the year 2019 in order to determine to which degree sustainable HR is actively involved in the sustainability reports. Methodology In this study, an in-depth content analysis is performed on corporate sustainability reports of selected companies in order to form the link between HR orientation and sustainability. This content analysis stands on the integration of two different approaches drawn from the literature (Ehnert, 2014; Ulrich, 1997). Findings The results revealed that there are significant differences between the people-oriented scores and process-oriented scores in private banks, while the scores are more balanced in public banks. Additionally, findings support the shift in the public sector from the traditional bureaucratic model to a new management approach that transfers private sector management techniques to the public sector.

Seçilmiş Firmaların Web Sitelerinin Online İşe Alım ve Sürdürülebilirlik Göstergeleri Açısından İncelenmesi

Sustainability is the ability to use resources rationally, follow technological development, and show institutional change continuity. This research analyzes the researched companies' activities for sustainable human resources management through career web pages. In addition, it is aimed to analyze how they benefit from websites in electronic recruitment and innovation approaches in human resources management. The human resources and career websites analysis method developed by Cober, Brown, and Levy (2004) was used in the research. In the research, the companies' human resources and career websites included in the Borsa Istanbul (BIST) Sustainability Index for November 2019-October 2020 were analyzed and analyzed. It has been determined that sustainable companies use innovative tools in human resources management, benefit from digital systems in their recruitment methods, and share information that can affect potential applicants. Organizations within the scope of the research state that they evaluate the innovative ideas of their human resources by developing innovative projects. However, sustainability reports, where employees are seen as an essential capital, may not be fully known by job applicants. Online platforms should be established to access and communicate employee and potential employee candidates to Human Resources. The era we live in is called the information age and the most important concept defining this era is change and the increase in the speed of change. We think it is necessary, even mandatory, to update their employment policies according to information technologies and move some of their activities to virtual environments. Emphasizing the importance of organizations moving their human resources functions to virtual environments makes this research unique, essential, and functional.

Sustainable Management of Human Resources and Stakeholder Theory: A Review

Sustainable Human Resource Management aims to aggregate and assist in implementing sustainable strategies and improving engagement and relationships with all stakeholders. This systematic literature review aims to understand the concepts and the association of Sustainable Human Resource Management with Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Sustainability from the Stakeholder Theory perspective, using the Scopus database. We found an increase in research for Sustainable Human Resource Management, which is the evolution of Green Human Resource Management. SHRM is relevant to management approaches aimed at sustainability. It has a broad view of dimensions, being focused on its employees and the socio-environmental and economic impact of the organization, considering the organization’s relationship with all stakeholders.

Promoting sustainable human resource management by reducing recruitment discrimination: A cross‐cultural perspective

AbstractEquality is an indispensable component in achieving sustainable human resource management. This research addresses an important yet under‐researched global sustainable development issue—recruitment discrimination against immigrants (RDI). Using survey data on 2504 individual managers from 39 nations, we have found that voluntary association activity can reduce human resource managers' RDI by attenuating their out‐group distrust. Moreover, we offer evidence that this beneficial effect of voluntary association activity is more pronounced in individualist than in collectivist countries. Our research sheds theoretical light on how recruitment bias and discrimination can be reduced, and it also provides practical guidance for global employers to achieve sustainable human resource management.

How Does Research on Sustainable Human Resource Management Contribute to Corporate Sustainability: A Document Co-Citation Analysis, 1982–2021

While the field of human resource management (HRM) has a long research tradition, the focus on sustainability has only gained momentum since the turn of the millennium. This bibliometric review examined key documents that inform scholarship in sustainable human resource management (S-HRM). The review identified 807 Scopus-indexed documents on sustainability in human resource management published between 1982 and 2021. Bibliometric analyses applied to this database included document citation and co-citation analysis to map peer-recognized documents. The review documented an emerging knowledge base that is global in scope with contributions from a variety of regions in the world. Three ‘invisible colleges’ emerged in the visual map of co-cited documents. These include green human resource management (Green HRM) with a focus on environmental aspects of sustainability, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and S-HRM with a focus on analyzing all three aspects of the triple bottom line of corporate output. These document analyses found that this emerging literature on S-HRM is heavily weighted towards environmental concerns. The authors recommend that greater attention be placed on the contributions that HRM makes to the human and social aspects of sustainability.

More Roads Lead to Rome. HR Configurations and Employee Sustainability Outcomes in Public Sector Organizations

In linking human resource management (HRM) to organizational sustainability, linear variance-based methods are not suited for addressing the complexity of how various HRM practices interact and have an impact on sustainability outcomes for multiple stakeholders. However, so far, empirical evidence for a configurational approach, acknowledging synergy and equifinality between various practices, is scant. Therefore, this study aims to provide empirical evidence for synergistic effects and equifinality in the link between sustainable HRM practices and employee sustainability outcomes. Building on the Ability Motivation Opportunity (AMO) model, this study adopts a configurational approach to unveil how sustainable HRM practices, in various combinations and in different ways, can impact employee sustainability outcomes (commitment and job satisfaction). The study applied a fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) on a secondary data set consisting of employee surveys in 30 Dutch public sector organizations. The findings reveal that combinations of various AMO-enhancing practices are especially conducive to commitment and job satisfaction. Moreover, aligning these practices with work context factors (transformational leadership style and low work pressure) can lead to relatively high levels of commitment and job satisfaction. This study indicates that configuration matters and that there is not one best way to achieve employee sustainability outcomes. This leaves ample leeway for human resource managers to design a suitable and integrative HRM system for their own organization.

Starbucks and HMSHost: addressing discrimination across organizational boundaries

Theoretical basis 1. Maria Jarlstrom, Essi Saru, and Sinikka Vanhala, “Sustainable Human Resource Management With Salience of Stakeholders: A Top Management Perspective,” Journal of Business Ethics, 152, (2008): 703–724. 2. Benjamin A. Neville, Simon J. Bell, and Gregory J., “Stakeholder Salience Revisited: Refining, Redefining, and Refueling an Underdeveloped Conceptual Tool,” Journal of Business Ethics, 102, (2011): 357–378. 3. Mick Marchington, Fang Lee Cooke, and Gail Hebson. “Human Resource Management Across Organizational Boundaries,” Sage Handbook of Human Resource Management, (2009): 460–477. Research methodology This secondary source case is based mainly on three documents: the 20-page report by a labor union, Unite Here, titled “One Job Should Be Enough: Inequality at Starbucks”; and two reports by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. and Covington & Burlington, LLP. Case overview/synopsis In February 2020, Unite Here, a labor union, released a damming report about employment practices at the airport Starbucks stores operated by licensee, HMSHost. Among other charges, the report identified several instances of racial and gender discrimination that HMSHost dismissed as a ploy by a union intent on organizing its employees. The adverse publicity, however, put Starbucks Corporation in the spotlight because of the company’s publicly stated commitment to workplace equality. The recently hired Nzinga Shaw, the company’s first-ever Global Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer, had to address the issue at HMSHost lest it adversely affect Starbucks’ reputation as a progressive employer. Complexity academic level The case is best suited for a graduate or undergraduate course in human resource management or labor relations. As diversity is typically covered in the first third of such courses, the ideal placement of this case would be in the early part of the course. As Starbucks is a well-known name, and it is very likely that students have had their own experience with Starbucks, as either a customer or an employee, the case is likely to draw their interest. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

Dialogues in Sustainable HRM: Examining and Positioning Intended and Continuous Dialogue in Sustainable HRM Using a Complexity Thinking Approach

In the emerging sustainable Human Resource Management (HRM) literature, advocating to ‘rehumanize’ and pluralize HRM, dialogue is put forward as a silver bullet to cope with paradoxical tensions and pluralist workforces. This conceptual paper aims to add to the sustainable HRM literature by examining the position and application of dialogue within sustainable HRM, using ideas and concepts from dialogue literature and complexity thinking. We applied core concepts of complexity thinking (i.e., self-organization, nonlinearity, attractors, and emergence) to deepen our understanding of the positioning of dialogue, the position of power, and the emergence of intended and unintended outcomes. Moreover, through the distinction between intentional and continuous dialogue, the intentional, dynamic, and emergent nature of dialogue was explored. Connecting, sensing, grasping, and influencing the local patterning of continuous dialogue is important for positioning dialogue within sustainable HRM, and intentional dialogical practices can support this. More specifically, based on our literature review, we present a conceptual model that furthers our understanding of (1) conceptualizations of dialogue as both intended and continuous; (2) the role of power in dialogue; (3) how stability and novelty emerge from dialogue. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of the developed perspectives on dialogue for future research as well as management practices.

Special Employment Centres, Time Factor and Sustainable Human Resources Management in Spanish Hotel Industry: Can Corporate Social Marketing Improve the Labour Situation of People with Disabilities?

Background: Low-quality jobs, long working hours and difficult scheduling of hours have been usually reported in the hotel industry. The situation is more difficult for people with disabilities (PWD), even more in the COVID-19 crisis, especially in terms of labour inclusion (due to the labour discrimination usually suffered by this collective). Thus, Special Employment Centres (SEC) have been created in Spain to spread protected employment of PWD. Although they are improving the situation in the short term, the long-term impact developing sustainable employment is not clear. The objective of this paper is to analyze the Spanish situation, the possible differences between sheltered employment and the ordinary labour market, how SEC could be improving (or not) their labour situation in the hotel sector in the long term, and the potential of incorporating Corporate Social Marketing to overcome the problem. Methods: A content bibliographic analysis has been carried out according to the latest research about this topic, using a ProKnow-C methodology. Results: There seems to be two different groups of papers (supply and demand sides), being the supply side one (focused on HR practices about PWD inclusion and managers’ perceptions of workers with disabilities) more related to our research objective. Furthermore, few articles were found about SEC and Corporate Social Marketing in relation to this topic, highlighting the originality of this research approach. Conclusions: According to our bibliographic portfolio, the presence of labour discrimination in the regular market is more evident; and, in the long term, two opposite situations could be happening simultaneously: (a) SEC would be reinforcing the social stigma, hindering the labour situation of PWD; (b) SEC could be changing the social perspectives of clients and all society in a positive manner. Therefore, it would be necessary to go in-depth into the present subject, from an academic but also practical perspective, incorporating an innovative Corporate Social Marketing approach in order to shed new light on this issue and improving effective sustainable employment of PWD.

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

The Role of Sustainable HRM in Sustainable Development

Achieving sustainability is becoming a primary agenda for many societies throughout the world. However, we are currently witnessing a surprising stagnation in progress toward this goal. Neoliberal values of individualism, privatization and competitive advantage are proving to be hard to breach. Hence, there is a pressing need for change. Through an extensive literature overview, the present paper identifies existing misconceptions and differences in the comprehension of concepts such as sustainable development, corporate social responsibility and the relationship between strategic human resource management (HRM) and sustainable HRM. It describes and acknowledges the hindrances that sustainable HRM faces in practice, with a particular focus on the predominant schema of strategic HRM and the misconception of corporate social responsibility. The aspiration of the paper is to pose a new model of sustainability by implementing sustainable HRM at the center of sustainable development and corporate accountability. The proposed model is intended as a measurement of the levels of sustainable development in which organizations find themselves and report on, and as a more comprehensive model of sustainable HRM, which has the potential to be applied in practice.

A Machine-Learning Classification Tree Model of Perceived Organizational Performance in U.S. Federal Government Health Agencies

Perceived organizational performance (POP) is an important factor that influences employees’ attitudes and behaviors such as retention and turnover, which in turn improve or impede organizational sustainability. The current study aims to identify interaction patterns of risk factors that differentiate public health and human services employees who perceived their agency performance as low. The 2018 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS), a nationally representative sample of U.S. federal government employees, was used for this study. The study included 43,029 federal employees (weighted n = 75,706) among 10 sub-agencies in the public health and human services sector. The machine-learning classification decision-tree modeling identified several tree-splitting variables and classified 33 subgroups of employees with 2 high-risk, 6 moderate-risk and 25 low-risk subgroups of POP. The important variables predicting POP included performance-oriented culture, organizational satisfaction, organizational procedural justice, task-oriented leadership, work security and safety, and employees’ commitment to their agency, and important variables interacted with one another in predicting risks of POP. Complex interaction patterns in high- and moderate-risk subgroups, the importance of a machine-learning approach to sustainable human resource management in industry 4.0, and the limitations and future research are discussed.

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.

Employee Voice: The Missing Factor in Sustainable HRM?

Sustainable Human Resource Management (HRM), has the potential to facilitate organisations development of principles, policies and practices for the challenges of the 21st century. However, to do this we argue a fundamental element in this process has yet to be fully addressed and incorporated into the theory and practice of sustainable HRM; this is employee voice. Additionally, the actual and potential role of trade unions in facilitating employee voice is yet to be conceptualised within sustainable HRM literature. We argue that the development of effective employee voice mechanisms is vital in the implementation and maintenance of sustainable HRM. In this conceptual paper, we outline the nature of the voice architecture, the impact of the employment relationship on voice mechanisms, how it can be effectively measured, and propose a framework for further exploring these concepts. These key factors we identify as critical in implementing and assessing the effectiveness of the relationship between employee voice and sustainable HRM, to potentially serve as a basis of future research into sustainable HRM.

Visualizing the hierarchical sustainable human resource management under qualitative information and complex interrelationships

PurposeThis study aims to construct a valid hierarchical sustainable human resource management (SHRM) model with interrelationships among its attributes in terms of qualitative information.Design/methodology/approachThis study applies the fuzzy Delphi method to validate SHRM attributes and visualize the causal interrelationships among these attributes using a fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory method.FindingsThis study finds that green performance management and compensation lead to human resource benefits and economic sustainability in the HRM model.Practical implicationsOpen environmental communication, green human resource planning, green training and development, employee eco-friendly behavior and organizational culture are the top five criteria supporting practical improvement in the healthcare industry.Originality/valueThe emergence of new, unprepared, and inexperienced health care entities with inadequate human resource management (HRM) potentially causing social problems within the industry, SHRM is necessary to balance the social, environment, and economic performance and must be studied by both academicians and practitioners. However, the HRM application field is still in its infancy, which limits the understanding of its potential.

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.

Analysis of challenges in sustainable human resource management due to disruptions by Industry 4.0: an emerging economy perspective

PurposeSustainable human resource management highlights the importance of the eighth sustainable development goal, “decent work and economic growth”. Thus, the purpose of this study is to align human resource practices and policies with Industry 4.0 is imperative.Design/methodology/approachThe authors aimed to identify key challenges of sustainable human resource implementation in view of Industry 4.0 and to analyse these identified challenges by prioritising them for effective Industry 4.0 implementation in an emerging economy such as India. A mixed-methods approach was utilised to prioritise identified challenges. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts, academicians and industry mangers. Transcribed interviews were run in NVivo to emerge into broad themes/challenges, which were prioritised using fuzzy best–worst methodology.FindingsThe performance appraisal challenge holds maximum importance, followed by learning and development. This finding signifies the need for instilling job security and continuous learning opportunities for employees amidst all disruption caused by Industry 4.0.Practical implicationsThis work enhances the link between sustainability, disruptive technologies and Industry 4.0 to transform economic outlooks, leading to improvement under economic aspects through the adoption of sustainable human resource practices into workplaces and society.Originality/valueSustainable human resource management has mostly focused on employee welfare. However, the major challenges of disruption caused by Industry 4.0 have not been addressed in the literature. The upskilling and reskilling requirements due to disruptions by Industry 4.0 range from recruitment to performance appraisal and every facet that relates to an employee's cycle in a company. Hence, there is a need to identify critical challenges for optimum adaptation to upcoming industry demands.