Introduction

The human resource department is the backbone of an establishment and is deemed to perform a significant part in constructing and modelling the organization's green strategy.

Several practitioners in general and reviewers, particularly in the field of HRM, have realized and consequently emphasized that the efficiency and accomplishment of any improvement in management practice or strategic plan are highly contingent on the eminence and capability of their human resources (Nishii et al. 2008; Domínguez-Falcón et al. 2016; DuBois and Dubois 2012). As the business world goes global, it has realized that a subtle strategy for environmental regulation that focuses merely on regulatory requirements is no longer an effective strategy owing to the cut throat competition amongst organizations to “go green”. To stay at the top, organizations worldwide started adopting a proactive approach to sustainable programs for green management which is hugely an approach characterized by future-adapted techniques. These techniques are prompted consciously with a well drafted strategy that impend over conformance and containment to enhance their functioning by concentrating on issues such as waste minimization, carbon emissions reduction, and other performance-enhancing strategies.

Today Sustainable development in organizations is specifically concerned with addressing the genuine requirements of modern generation employees, customers and other stakeholders without ignoring their potential to meet their own needs in the future. Companies today are now mindful of the fact that they must cultivate and promote a strong social consciousness and environmental sense of responsibility among their employees and peers to attain their sustainable goals in future.

The last several decades have seen numerous environmental challenges due to global warming, pollution and increasing carbon levels in the atmosphere. The advent of Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) in the commercial realm was basically due to environmental sustainability rules and awareness among organizations, societies and even the common mass. The world is currently concerned with the new economic challenge of resource depletion at a fast pace and related environmental challenges. The circumstances paved ways for necessary prerequisite to restructure models of economic growth and development at government levels in many nations to attain constructively defined sustainable goals. Governments of different countries have equivocally mandated that their enterprises and organizations include an environmental management program in their business regime. Environmental sustainability has already become a growing concern for management, policymakers, clients, academicians and management experts. Many debates and discussions are held to find new ways and means to facilitate the implementation of GHRM in organizations.

The HRM functions embrace the current conversations and debates amid the struggle of stakeholders in context of difficulties and opportunities posed by environment. Green HRM emerges from the growth of the HRM function in search of green conglomerate in the business area (Zubair and Khan 2019). Although green HRM is still in its infancy in most countries, it is perceptible that HR professionals and green HRM practitioners can access a growing corpus of knowledge.

Ghrm and Corporate Sustainability

In the twenty-first century, sustainability has become an increasingly important concern for society and industry as well. Today's businesses recognize the significance of sustainability in relation to their effectiveness, competition, repute, and capacity to maintain the most compatible top talent. The World Commission on Environment & Development (WCED) in 1980 coined the phrase “sustainable development” and associated it with environmental integrity and social fairness (WCED 1987). Based on this statement, the term ‘sustainable development’ was stated as-“Sustainable development is the development that meets the requirements of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (WCED 1987, p. 23). World leaders who graced the 1992 Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit with their presence acknowledged and approved the term unanimously. A paradigm shift is obligatory to characterize the green economic factors of any business in countries worldwide. Increasing numbers of businesses are becoming conscious of the impact of sustainability on their productivity, credibility, and potential to attract and retain the best employees. Acknowledging their financial, social, and sustainable implications, companies now solicit feedback through, diversified group of stakeholders when formulating their goals and undertakings.

Although conventional terminologies corporate citizenship and corporate social responsibility are still prevalent within the business culture, they have begun to be superseded by a new term, corporate sustainability, a broader phrase. Furthermore, the term “sustainable development” links sustainability to the corporate world and economic growth concerning society and the nation as well. Organizations today are expected to improve and emphasize on human and social welfare issues besides handling environmental and economic concerns, simultaneously reducing their carbon footprint and ensuring the effective and efficient accomplishment of their organizational objectives.

The significant emphasis on attaining corporate sustainability has forced businesses to implement and align green human resource management (GHRM) strategies with conforming with their corporate sustainability plans (Fig. 1). When all stakeholders (organization, employees, management, and customers) are sincerely devoted to the mission and cause of sustainability, a business can successfully achieve organizational and environmental sustainability goals together. Various studies have demonstrated a correlation among human resources, their sustainable management strategies and the pro-active implementation of sustainable management techniques (Renwick et al. 2013; Paille et al. 2014). The majority of theoretical and experiential research has linked corporate sustainability primarily to variables as: human resource management (HRM), financial performance, and pro-active environmental management (Rothenberg 2003; Govindarajulu and Daily 2004). These theories and findings conclude that adopting organizational sustainability with exclusive job roles and descriptions help organizations to include green strategies into development and production processes. This system is such that waste is reduced and managed, and employees are aware of how their tasks and responsibilities can promote the sustainable use of resources to endorse organizational sustainability.

Fig. 1
A flowchart presents how employment of G H R M practices, such as green training and development and employee participation, leads to organizing green seminars and utilizing solar energy behaviors, resulting in corporate sustainable development, economic growth, and employee health and well-being.

GHRM & corporate Sustainability

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Hansla et al. (2008) in their study concluded that environmental awareness, and individuals' approaches and behaviours play a key role in managing sustainable actions. In contrast, absence of environmental awareness creates obstacles and challenges for pro-environmental approaches and behaviours for sustainable actions in organizations. Sustainable knowledge and high-level environmental awareness plays a significant role in influencing pro-environmental opinions and actions, as well as in assisting employees in deciding their behavioural priorities based on their efficiency and environmental values. Corporate sustainability is now linked to higher income and decreased waste, materials, water, energy, and total expenses.

Various scholars use the word “corporate sustainability” to denote the incorporation of organizational concerns of social, environmental, and economic nature into the organization's culture, decision-making process, strategy creation, and implementation, as well as its operations (Renwick et al. 2008; Tariq et al. 2016; Zoogah 2011). External considerations, such as environmental rules, government standards, and legislation, or demands/expectations from pressure groups, e.g., customers and the community, are the key drivers of the adoption process. In comparison, the components within the organization are generally viewed as complex systems; this mentality creates a difficult gap to fill (Renwick et al. 2008). Numerous recent research studies, for instance, have shown “intra-organizational pressures” for adopting policies that promote and assure sustainability and identify factors internal to organizations, such as the support of top management, management of human resources, training(s) on pro-environmental issues, empowerment of employees, teamwork and reward systems, etc., as crucial aspects for achieving corporate sustainability (Kar and Praharaj 2020; Tooranloo et al. 2017). Other scholars argue that more extensive changes in employee values and applicable norms are necessary for achieving true organizational sustainability (Pandey 2016; Patel 2018). These two perspectives suggest that business sustainability is a multidimensional notion whose operationalization would necessitate organizational transformation and adaptation on multiple levels.

GHRM is essential for an organization's sustainability for various reasons, but principally because of stakeholders’ expectations which require organizations to use resources sensibly and responsibly. In other words, organizations are supposed to conserve the environment and minimize their use of available resources like water, energy, air, minerals, and other constituents of consumer goods.

In addition, organizations are encouraged to recycle and reuse these items as much as possible rather than relying on nature to restore or rejuvenate them. Organizations are obligated to protect the beauty and quiet of the environment and prevent any toxicity that could potentially hurt employees and communities. According to the concepts of sustainable development, the social, economic, and environmental goals are interdependent and mutually reinforcing (Tooranloo et al. 2017). Therefore, organizations' development strategies should consider the economic, environmental, and social elements such as social responsibility, environmental friendliness, and economic value.

Green Human Resource Management (GHRM)

GHRM is defined as the part of human resource management that focuses on efforts to transform organizational employees into green employees with a view to achieving organizational sustainability goals as well as reducing labor turnover and utility costs and creating a competitive advantage (Zaid et al. 2018). It is a conception derived from the green management philosophy, strategies, and practices that companies employ for environmental management (Patel 2018).

Green HRM entails using every employee interface to improve and maintain sustainable business practices while raising awareness, allowing firms to operate sustainably. “Green human resource management calls for an integration of organizational environmental management objectives into the HRM process, namely recruitment and selection, training, and development, performance management and reward for environment sustainability” (Renwick et al. 2008 p. 6). Sustainability has become a pressing concern for society and business in the twenty-first century. Businesses today have realized the importance of sustainability in proportion to their competition, repute, and potential to retain top and most compatible talents in the industry. Though a novel conception and inception in human resource management, sustainability has immense potential to support a business in a green way. Global Organizations are now employing green concepts throughout their enterprises, notably in Human Resource Management departments, to ensure sustainable development and performance.

Green HRM is the process of engaging employees to promote sustainability, increasing their awareness and involvement in sustainability practices at the workplace (Table 1). Green Human Resource Management (Green HRM) is a present-day management concept devised and developed for its ability to encourage green behaviours among employees (Kar and Praharaj 2020). Green HR practices involve limiting paperwork and capitalizing on sustainable green practices. It entails performing eco-friendly activities that lead to enhanced efficiency and production. Green HR is the function of HRM strategies which promotes the efficient application of organizational resources and, on an extended note, to advance the reason of environmental sustainability. Green HR has two essential components: first one is Eco-friendly HR practices and the other one is considered as safeguarding of knowledge capital (Jyoti 2019). It is apparent from these discussions that employees need to be encouraged, empowered, and made environmentally aware of “Greening process” so as to perform green management activities, making green human resource management a global environmental concern today.

Table 1 Green HRM process
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GHRM and the Organization

The employment of Green HRM at the organizational level resulted in creating an environmentally friendly corporate culture and work environment, increased resource efficiency, a constructive company image, and improved economic and social performance. Implementing GHRM policies and practices may support the general growth of the work-force by raising the need and supply for green employees. Furthermore, GHRM may stimulate discussion regarding the significance of implementing GHRM policies and practices due to their positive and constructive impact on corporate green process. GHRM may facilitate the advancement of green corporate image of an organization by designing a socially accountable corporate policy, which will help even more to attract and retain talents having pro-environmental views., “A novel approach to the implementation of the HR function that incorporates ecological objectives in all HRM sub-areas, from employment planning to recruiting, selection, employee motivation and development, as well as their evaluation and impact on working conditions” (Bombiak and Marciniuk 2018, p. 5). Evidently, most regular HRM practices like: Green recruitment and selection, Green Performance Management and Evaluation, Green Training and Development, Green Employee Participation (Fig. 2) contains a green element that contributes to the firm's sustainability. Green job analysis, for example, could incorporate the environmental element as a responsibility in the job description proposal, green abilities as a distinct element of the work specification, and organizational ecological criteria in job descriptions. On the other hand, green recruitment approaches may prioritize hiring personnel who contribute to a company's environmental values and are willing to join relevant endeavors. Other environmental factors in recruitment processes related to green job descriptions, green branding, a pro-environmental image, and integrating green knowledge and skills with all organizational job processes may be included.

Fig. 2
A chart presents how the employment of G H R M in the organization results in green recruitment and selection, green performance management and evaluation, green training and development, and green employee participation.

GHRM & the organization

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Green Recruitment and Selection

Green recruitment and selection is the process related to hiring and selecting new people familiar with terms related to sustainable technologies, eco-friendly systems, and environmental conservation terminology. GHRM practices regard green recruitment and selection as an essential component that helps to ascertain green professionals with green tendencies and promotes the development of a green culture. Green recruiting and selection ensure that the new workforce converses with the green process and practices that will contribute to the organization's effective environmental management. There is no specific definition for green recruitment and selection, and it often refers to paperless hiring and selection with minimal environmental impact. Several firms worldwide have embraced green HRM techniques to improve their recruitment and selection process to promote an eco-friendly workplace environment. Nowadays, firms are engaging in virtual hiring techniques that enable them to guarantee the availability of essential perceptions of their green HR activities. Virtual recruitment portals all over the world encompass essential details on firms' eco-friendly initiatives.

According to previous studies, job seekers are now well aware of the organization's environmental sustainability measures (Wehrmeyer 1996; Stringer 2009). Typically, job seekers prefer collaborating with firms that demonstrate the capability to connect employees and organizations and the other way round, using an online recruitment platform which is eco-friendly. To foster environmental sustainability, hiring managers evaluate individuals who understand natural resource preservation and conservation throughout the hiring process. It is evident that there is a correlation between an organization's eco-friendly image and its ability to attract talent. Therefore, it is suggested that firms place a greater emphasis on eco-friendly activities and key job characteristics throughout the selection process, thereby enhancing their eco-friendly reputation and image. The process can improve environmental management systems, as the green culture and values are passed on to new recruits. Paperless recruitment process using digital platforms and online processes like online application forms, online interviews, telephonic interviews are conducted to support sustainability.

Managers can also enhance Environmental Sustainability by ensuring that newly hired personnel's environmental culture and values are communicated throughout the department. Job descriptions should include elements that highlight the importance of environmental awareness. An orientation program for new hires should enlist the availability of knowledge regarding the organization's sustainability policies, principles, and green goals. Regarding the recruitment and selection process, organizations can achieve sustainability by creating new occupations or positions highlighting the corporate sustainability components of the firm.

Green Performance Management and Evaluation

Performance management is a continuous process in the organisation that evaluates an individual's performance regularly to support the firm's strategic objectives. Green performance management incorporates challenges related to organisational policies and environmental protection by integrating environmental management into performance management. An organisation's green performance is determined by its ability to integrate green performance standards and standards into its appraisal systems, where personnel are appraised by means of technology in place of conventional paperwork process. With Environmental Management influencing global business strategy, the green wave may also positively impact PM. Green performance management encompasses issues concerning environmental concerns and company policies (Ahmad 2015). It is a measure to protect the environment from harm and is critical to the success of green management programs in organisations.

Performance appraisal is the most fundamental and important element in performance management process. Managers who conduct Environmental PAs should be familiar with green compliance issues as they are accountable for their green management process. Any gap between corporate rhetoric and action needs to be filled and simultaneous development in HR systems related to PA and reward should be encouraged. In addition to meeting the criteria of reliability, validity, and fairness, effective performance appraisals provide helpful feedback to employees (Jabbour et al. 2010, p. 5) and support continuous improvements in the firm's environmental outcomes (Jackson et al. 2011, p. 7). For a perfect green appraisal, organisations may involve technology to affiliate and align performance benchmarks and process with any online portal, a software, or a website to conduct HR processes like job analysis, job descriptions, performance appraisal. This procedure will facilitate organisations to create and maintain a green performance management culture. Employee development plans are directly uploaded to the portal based on performance, and the training department becomes active to ensure plan implementation. performance management (PM) together with environmental management (EM) challenges the measuring of environmental performance standards across all the units of a company and obtaining valuable data on managers' green performance. To implement GPM systems in an organisation successfully there is a need to link performance evaluations with job descriptions that clearly specifies green goals and tasks.

HR systems, such as e-HR, can be implemented to assist management and employees in tracking their carbon emissions. Incorporating environmental criteria into the staff appraisal process allows a learning culture in GHRM to be fostered. Organisations who want to incorporate Green Performance Management can discuss these issues with management with their employees as their future goals for the coming year, and attaining these goals would serve as the foundation for Green performance evaluation.

Green Training and Development

Training and development is a practice that places a great deal of emphasis on the growth of employee skills, abilities, and knowledge concerning particular valuable competencies (Zoogah 2011). In simple words-Green training and development practices are the process to reduce waste, utilise resources efficiently and effectively, conserve and preserve energy, and prevent further environmental destruction.

Green training and development practices have been recognized as a realistic mechanism for handling different environmental challenges; they are crucial component for championing the cause of ecological sustainability at the workplace as, in future, they can facilitate a beneficial situation for both management and employees. These programs are strongly linked to an employee's ability to find and minimize the waste associated with their job description, as assigned by the company. The Organization's adoption of green practices in HR primarily depends on their adeptness to make their employees aware about eco-friendly practices. This in turn, increases the employees’ emotional attachment to sustainability concerns of the organization. Significant correlations exist between environmental training and development interventions and organizational eco-performance (Pandey 2016).

Organizations can draft green training and development programmes by establishing a committee comprised of management authorities, green personnels, and other important participants as human capital with pro-environment training is regarded as an essential asset for achieving sustainable organizational development goals and objectives. Organizations can also prioritize and strengthen employee engagement and participation in green activities through regular training and development focused on achieving green objectives. “When the organization practice and extend green training and development through induction for new employees; it makes them more committed towards protecting the environment because the content of the induction programme would have been intensive enough to usher the trainees into understanding the policies of the organization and its procedures towards green management (environmental sustainability)” (Fapohunda et al. 2022, p. 3).

Green Employee Participation

Participation of employees in the organization's decision-making process is known as employee participation (EP). Employee participation significantly affects the mental and psychological health of the employees and strengthens their commitment to the firm. Green employee participation includes employee involvement in suggestion and ideas related to sustainability and problem-solving groups. It also fosters active employee participation in green management programs (Remmen and Lorentzen 2000), and facilitates employee autonomy to generate and evaluate eco-friendly ideas. Employee involvement together with GHRM helps monitor employees' green actions. Moreover, it provides basic information and support in green initiative programs, and fostering green employee involvement plans according to organizational standards, and assist in supervisory behaviours in environmental management, among other aspects (Renwick et al. 2013). Green employee empowerment is a potential facilitator that demonstrates the influence on employee motivation for embracing green practices (Tariq et al. 2016, p. 8).

To stimulate employee involvement and participation within the organization, the identification of eco-friendly or environmentally advanced employees and management is necessary because they can systemize existing financial, human, and natural resources to add value to the company's products or services where they previously did not exist. Apart from this, in GHRM, employee participation teams can reduce carbon prints as they are perceived to be aware of the required work processes and resources. Employees can cope with complicated works successfully, and it helps promote their confidence and their commitment towards organization. EP teams can monitor how work procedures are carried out and improve the health and safety of employees. Management should ensure that employees are included in the drafting of sustainable strategies in order to develop and increase the knowledge required to promote “green” products. Employees are encouraged to generate ideas and suggestions for reducing carbon emissions and conserving energy by their employers.

Organization and Employees’ Willingness to Adopt GHRM

GHRM process can directly impact employees, particularly on their pro-environmental or green at-work behaviour; because it helps organizations accomplish their overall greening goals, the importance of GHRM processes at work for organizations cannot be overlooked.

GHRM contributes to the organization's profitability and sustainable development, minimizing further environmental degradation and other issues related to climate change and aligning them with a company's sustainable goals. The ability of an organization to inspire its employees in context of the organizational capacity to generate green goals is the primary indicator of their willingness to undertake green initiatives.

It is observed that an employee's willingness to choose environmentally friendly practices and procedures concerning their job description greatly affects both their performance and health. Employees' ability to identify ecological challenges, such as dealing with loss in production process and waste management practices, strongly correlates with the organizational environment that encourages employees to adhere to the company's ecological objectives which ultimately improves the company's green performance. By incorporating green value into their products and services, businesses can influence how their resources (natural, human, and financial resources) are apportioned. Employee understanding of green HR programs and sustainable work practices are closely associated along with an organization's capacity to meet GHRM problems, such as lowering carbon emissions, recycling, and making green purchases. The amount of commitment and identification the employees have with their organizations is also increased.

Government vision and policies also have a moderating impact on GHRM practices and organizational sustainability. Additionally, firms can achieve organizational sustainability by implementing eco-friendly HRM practices while leveraging employees' pro-environment skills and considering the government's vision and policies for the green environment. Organizational sustainability is closely tied to its capacity to meet the demands of regulatory stakeholders by concentrating on and stressing GHRM's environmentally friendly policies.

In order to achieve their objectives for sustainable development, organizations must involve their employees in drafting environmentally friendly policies. To promote and accelerate the readiness and willingness among employees and the business in adopting GHRM practices, HR department should hire professionals and experts to take quick action and adjust to the sustainable workplace. This is only possible if the business creates official and informal networks of communication with its staff, emphasizing the green initiatives of the business, for example, in the newsletter and website. Other approaches to motivate employees include exchanging research, exhibiting environmentally friendly behaviour, and collaborating with internal marketing personnel to regularly distribute educational and inspirational articles, columns, and other resources to employees.

The firm's environment can be improved by integrating HR processes such as knowledge management, employee participation, screening, employee training & development, laying-offs, status disparities, and management process together. Additionally, HR can create an environmental report with a policy statement, goals, indicators of achievement, and an overall impact that will inspire line managers and staff to be proud of sustainability initiatives.

Conclusion

Green HRM indeed promises a great future for HRM stakeholders and is receiving positive attention from companies, scholars and practitioners everywhere to gain competitive advantage. Sustainability is crucial to achieving a strategic advantage in the market and improved economic performance. Employers and practitioners can identify the benefits of associating HRM with a primary focus on waste management and recycling, thereby generating environmentally friendly products. It is pertinent for firms to carry out business in a way that respects the environment and society, given the considerable influence of corporations on environmental and social issues. Unions and employees can assist businesses in adopting green human resource management practices which can support, protect and take care of employee overall health and well-being at workplace to boost the firm's environmental performance. For recruitment and selecting employees, organizations should use a green approach, educate them in sustainable practices, and develop their compensation and rewards system accordingly. The imperative of incorporating these concepts into all domains of corporate operations, including the field of human resources, cannot be underestimated.

GHRM may also promote and encourage employees to understand ecological issues by increasing their awareness towards sustainability and instilling environmental values into them. Organizational sustainability and profitability contributes positively to a nation's economy, and also promotes national sustainability programs. If effectively designed and implemented, GHRM contributes positively to organizational sustainability.