Green Human Resource Management Practices and Environment Sustainability: From Empirical Evidence

Abstract

Green human resource management, if well designed and implemented, is undeniably one of the avenues that is envisaged to contribute towards the actualization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This paper set out to interrogate the extant literature on Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) Practices and their nexus to environmental sustainability. One of the emerging issues within business communities is the campaign of going green (GG). GHRM is a drive which helps to create a green workforce that can understand and appreciate green culture in businesses and institutions. It is paramount to note that human resource and their systems are the basic foundation of any business. It is a fact that the human resource function in an organization is responsible for planning and executing those eco-friendly policies to create a green environment. The study was mainly a desktop, where a review and synthesis of the existing empirical literature was undertaken. The main sources of the data and information for purposes of this paper were largely relevant reports, journals and books. Past writings indicate that there is a growing need for the integration of environmental management into Human Resource Management (HRM) research practice. This article pursues an integrated view of the literature on Green HRM. It examines and interrogates the current empirical literature in the area of green human resource management with a view to pointing out and synthesizing the gray areas and suggesting a way forward towards enriching knowledge and practice in the area of green human resource management. Finally, the paper suggests some key HR initiatives towards creating and nurturing GHRM practices and behaviour for environmental sustainability. This article draws together the extant literature in this area in suggesting managerial implications and research direction in GHRM. Hence, the papers demystifies the debate and discussion on GHRM and suggests new fronts that requires research focus.