Green HRM
Green HRM
Green HRM
Green HRM as the integration of environmental management into human resources management.
The term green HRM is mostly used to refer to the contribution of HRM policies and practices towards
the broader corporate environmental agenda.
It refers to using every employee to support sustainable practices and increase employee awareness and
commitments on the issue of sustainability.
Anjana Nath defines Green HR as environment-friendly HR initiatives leading to better efficiencies, less
cost and heightened employee engagement levels.
Disadvantages of GHRM
While environmentally friendly living is a positive ideal, there are several possible disadvantages of going
green. Gregory Hamel has made a review of the disadvantages if an organization is going green.
The major disadvantages are listed below;
Initial costs.
Inadequate savings.
Increased capital outlays.
Uneven competition.
Marginal impact.
Employee apathy and reluctance.
Initial costs
Perhaps the greatest disadvantage of going green is that it often requires a large initial cost.
For example, installing a new roof or new insulation to keep heat from escaping our home would be
considered a green home improvement, but it would cost a large sum of money to get the work done.
Inadequate savings
The aim of going green in many cases, such as building an energy-efficient home or purchasing a
hybrid^vehicle is to reduce environmental impact while saving money in the long term.
Green buildings and vehicles tend to use less energy, so initial costs can often be recouped over time
through energy savings.
Increased capital outlays
Some green conversions require an initial cash outlay that decreases the firm’s bottom-line performance
while the investment is paying for itself. This can decrease the earnings or annual profits of a firm.
Uneven competition
In the business world, going green can be an attractive goal to gain goodwill and consumer support, but
unless green improvements are economically viable, it can put a business at a competitive disadvantage.
For instance, if one company decides to adhere to strict, self-imposed pollution standards which require
the installation of new technology and workers, while another sets loose standards, the second company
will be at an advantage since they will have lower production costs.
Marginal impact
While going green is focused on reducing harm to the environment, the impact that any specific
individual can have on the environment by going green is often negligible.
The theory is that if everyone were to go green, it would have a significant and noticeable impact, but not
everyone can be convinced to go green and many believe that doing so has no real impact outside of the
economics. This makes going green a personal choice for many.
Employee apathy and reluctance
Many employees feel that it is not their responsibility to protect the environment while they are at work.
But the newly educated workforce is emphasizing on environmental management consciousness when
they choose their employers,
How to Implement Green HRM
Jabbour and Santos (2008) consider HRM may contribute to environmental management in companies if
they:
a. recruit and select people committed to the environment;
b.train and evaluate employees’ performance based on environmental criteria;
c. implement ways of rewarding individual and collective environmental performance is remunerated and
non-remunerated ways;
d.stimulate continuous education in environmental management;
e. treat environmental aspects as values of corporate culture; and
f. promote interaction between teams to deal with environmental problems and strive for continuous
improvement of environmental management activities.
Green HR Policies
There is no doubt that organizations are the main cause of environmental problems, they should,
therefore, play a large role in addressing environmental management issues. Bebbington (2001) has
identified a wide range of GHRM practices.
Green HR Policies are;
Sourcing and acquisition of human resources.
Green recruitment, and selection.
Orientation.
Learning and development.
Green performance management.
Green compensation and reward management.
Sourcing and acquisition of human resources
As higher-level executives have more responsibility for green initiatives, green targets should be included
in the managerial job description. As the requirement of employees, environmental consciousness can be
included in the competency model of the organization.
Green recruitment, and selection
Company websites can be used to invite applicants to apply for vacant positions. Resumes can be
submitted online to reduce wastage of printed materials. Companies can also use web portals for
onboarding documentation like offer letter, credentials and testimonials regarding qualifications and
experiences and acceptance letter of selected applicants. Environment-friendly firms receive better
qualified and motivated job applicants. Some applicants are preferred to sacrifice salary potential to work
for environmentally responsible organizations. Some Job descriptions of an announced position and other
information about the company can post on its website which helps in the orientation of the new
employees. An organization can set “Green awareness” as a preferential criterion to select employees.
Firms recruit employees who are green aware.
Orientation
The employee induction program should be planned in such a. way-as to enable the induction of new
employees into a culture of green consciousness. Employers should highlight the concern for green issues
of employees like their health, safety and green working conditions in the orientation program.
Learning and development
Learning, training and development policies can include programs, workshops, and sessions to facilitate
employees for improving and acquiring knowledge in environment management, green skills, and
attitudes. For future talented green managers, job rotation in the green assignment should become an
important part of their career development plan. Training contents should be settled to increase employee
competencies and knowledge in green management. Extensive use of online and web-based training
modules and interactive media can be used as a training tool for environmental management training.
Environment-related aspects of safety, energy efficiency, waste management, and recycling can become
the central points of green training. Training managers should depend more on the online course material
and case studies rather than on printed handouts, thus further reducing the use of paper.
Green performance management
The goal of the Performance management (PM) system in green management is to measure ecological
performance standards through different departments of the organization and achieve useful information
on the green performance of managers. Green performance indicators should be included in the PM
system. Green PM system can be successfully initiated through developing performance indicators for
each risk area in environmental awareness and instruction.
Green compensation and reward management
The compensation package should be adapted to reward green skills acquisition and achievement by
employees. Monetary, nonmonetary and recognition based environmental reward systems and monthly
managerial bonuses can be provided based on performance outcomes in environmental balance.
Employees meeting green goals can be rewarded.