BUSINESS ETHICS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE (BMSC20501)

RESEARCH PAPER

ON

GREEN HRM AND ITS ROLE IN ORGANISATIONAL

SUSTAINABILITY

SUBMITTED IN LIEU OF

MID-SEMESTER EXAMINATION (JULY-DEC 2021)

 Submitted to- Dr. Anuja Akhouri

 Submitted by-
1) Ayushi Saxena- 2019BMS015

2) Harshita Parihar- 2019BMS023

3) Nayan Rai- 2019BMS032

4) Paahul Arora- 2019BMS036

5) Pravistha Upmanyu- 2019BMS042

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The success and final outcome of this study required a lot of guidance and assistance and we
are extremely privileged to have got this in the initial stages of the research.

This research was supported by Dr. Anuja Akhouri. We thank her for providing insights and
expertise that greatly assisted the research, although she may not agree with all of the
interpretations/conclusions of this paper. We are extremely thankful to her for providing such
support and guidance.

We also owe our gratitude to Jagran Lakecity University and its Business School to have
provided us with the opportunity to make this research paper and conduct this study, and also
for helping us to take all the necessary steps required to enhance our knowledge on the
subject.

Thank you.
 ABSTRACT

In the 21st century, more and more attention is being paid to the activities and behaviour of
employees in the workplace as the driving force behind environmental problems. As a result,
organizations are taking various environmental initiatives and implementing green strategies.

The increasing interest in environmental protection and sustainability has led to a new focus
in the area of human resource management. With the use of green human skills in
organizational processes, change management, etc. HRM will prove to be of utmost help in
implementing and creating business strategies across the enterprise that are sustainable.

Researchers from HRM field have started preparing studies about how HRM can make a
substantial contribution to the achievement of sustainable environmental goals and introduced
the term "Green Human Resource Management".

However, even though the interest in GHRM research was increasing, only a handful of
studies have examined its impact on employee attitudes and behaviour in reducing the
company's environmental footprint and increasing the sustainability of the company.
Therefore, to try and fill this research gap, we wanted to present an expanded green research
paper/study to examine the impact of green HRM on organizational sustainability.

This study arranges the reviewed literature, in light of key decision hypothesis and the
attribution model, which uncovers that GHR practices assume an essential part in
environmental administration and organizational sustainability.

Therefore, the main objective of this study is to understand the impact of green human
resource management practices on organizational sustainability. Environmentally conscious
companies want to achieve green goals. Therefore, environmental performance of an
organization might be impacted by the green movement in human resource management
policies such as R&S, T&D, evaluation of performance, etc.

With this research paper, we expect to look at the immediate connection between green
human resource practices like green R&S, green T&D, green appraisal and sustainable
organizational performance.
Even though green HRM is as yet in the spearheading stage in India, this research paper
traces how green human resource experts can help get their company to become
environmentally sustainable as well.

 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Green Human Resource Management

The growing role of sustainable development within the company has so far led to growing
competition leading to the growing question of whether it is due to the inclusion of
environmental practices on the planet of labor policy- better known as Green Human
Resources Management (GHRM).

Green Human Resources Management (GHRM) is often described as a set of complex

policies, practices and programs that promote the green work of the company's employees to
create an environmentally friendly, resource-efficient, and socially inclusive organization.

The term 'Green HR' means - a contribution to the policies and staff of the organisation's
natural resource conservation and protection program. Incorporating GHR-driven
environmental protection efforts that lead to lower costs, better employee engagement,
greater efficiency and consistency maintenance can help organizations reduce carbon losses
through car sharing, job sharing, power support, telephone and virtual interviews, updates.
retraining, online training, telecommunications, energy-efficient office spaces, etc.

GHR work should be an environmental sustainability campaign within the organization by

aligning its practices and policies with sustainability objectives that reflect eco-focus. It goes
into environmentally friendly HR systems that result in:

1) greater efficiency, and

2) lower costs and better staff engagement and retention.

Therefore, Green HR policies and practices can help reduce employment, and reduce the risk
of retrenchment or retrenchment by involving employees during lunch or dinner, sponsoring
a local sports team, fundraising, care or homeless people participating in fundraising
programs.

Organizations need to inform their employees of the benefits of 'Going Green'. For example,
if it involves cutting costs - installing lights can help reduce energy consumption by 25 to
30%. We think customers are often made to offer more than 10% more raw or recycled
products or behavioral products. they need to play a key role in bringing about significant
change in society through the emergence of many Green HR programs.

To be part of a stable HRM environment, Green HRM describes the policies and practices of
the HRM organization that contribute to the establishment of green organizations. Those
green processes can lead to a better company image and competitive advantage.

Employee protection of the environment (PEB), both voluntary and defined, can be
influenced by GHRM which can serve as a guide for corporate employees in conduct aimed
at saving organizational resources, which can contribute to achieving corporate sustainability.
Voluntary PEB can also be influenced by organizational and individual factors.

1.2 GHRM and Organizational Sustainability

With environmental issues at the forefront of the debate over sustainable development, the
environmental dimensions of sustainable human resource management became an important
new topic focused on research and the need for the 21st century.

GHRM should be considered because GHRM incorporates HRM-related environmental

features that aim to contribute to the company's environmental agenda and improve the
organisation's environmental performance required for long-term business survival. GHRM
can be considered one of the major contributors to the paradigm shift in scientific thinking
about environmental management and human resources.

The term is used to describe policies and procedures aimed at contributing to corporate
environmental processes. Such environmental policies and procedures may be promoted by
the organization's management team or by the employees themselves.

The focus on immature and non-renewable resources in the organizational context is

summarized in four key concepts: conservation, conservation, mitigation and environmental
actions. Transferred to a business context, this new approach to sustainability raises various
impacts on HRM.

The implementation of GHRM strategies can contribute to the sustainable use of the
organization’s resources, the establishment of environmental and environmental organization,
and the overall improvement of the organization’s overall environmental performance.
  NEED OF THE RESEARCH

There is a need to research on the green HRM in maintaining organization sustainability as

the global environment is growing at a higher pace and the companies are more focused on
adopting the green formal practices based on the green concepts.

There is a need of this research in order to link the green management into the Human
Resource department and giving it the form of the green HRM. This research will help us to
raise the concerns of green HRM and will also fulfil the need of implementing the green
technology and encourage corporate planning.

The research will also highlight on the need of the green management strategy and how to
manage the environment in the whole organization. It will focus on the need of the green
concept along with the employee relations and involvement with the adopted green practices.

The need of this research is also to safeguard the environmental prospects of the organization
like global warming, energy crises, changing climate to increase the efficiency of the
organizations and to make it a safe place for the employees to work in.

This research will provide the needs insight which will help the organizations to up the ratio
of the sustainable green HRM practices and will identify the needs of the particular area
along with a proper planning about the areas and functions of the organization.

The need of green HRM in the organizations in the present world is given utmost importance.
Be it I.T sector or FMCG sector or media sector, everyone is focusing on the green HRM
initiative. The 3 companies which have given importance to green HRM are as follows: -

1) Wipro- Wipro company is focusing on green HRM by designing a green environment in

the company. They are developing sustainability into the business practices, by engaging the
employees and by taking eco-friendly measures and focusing on sustainability with diverse
eco chapters and supporting the go green model. They basically focus on 3 pillars- Ethical,
Ecological and local procurement. Ethical focus on code of conduct along with ethical
business practices. Ecological focus on green computer program and by following LEED
principles. And local procurement focuses on encouraging local suppliers.

2) Infosys- Infosys also focus on green sustainability in the organization through community
empowerment, responsible consumption, green profit, employee engagement, conservation
and replenishment. Its mission is to achieve the fair environment, honesty and courtesy
towards clients, employees, vendors and most importantly society.

3) Deloitte- Deloitte also focus towards an approach towards environment sustainability by

sharing sustainability and green focused approaches through engagement, they reduce the
impact of environment on their people and deliver the client with advance sustainability
practices and give a positive impact by designing smart cities and shaping the role of the
environment.

 OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH PAPER

 The objective of this paper is to integrate the green HRM and its role in environmental
sustainability in the organization.

 It will help us to understand the influence of green HRM on employee motivation in the
organization.

 Its role in reshaping the motive of green HRM in maintaining the sustainability of
organizations.

 This research paper is also based on how the green HRM is going to protect the
environment for the future.

 It will also focus on protecting the environment prospects while working in or for the
organization.

 It will gather support for implementing green strategy and goals for the future
development and help understand the ecological balance in a workplace.

 It will help the readers to know about the green workforce and how the organizations in
respecting and motivating the green culture between them.
  It will highlight the responsibility of the HR department by initiating green movement,
how to use the green resources in an organization to maintain proper green culture and to
retain resources for the future among the employees.

GREEN CONSERVATI
COMMUTE ON OF PAPER

GREEN HR GREEN
GREEN HRM SLEEVES
POLICIES

GREEN GREEN
MATERIALS WORKPLACE
  LITERATURE REVIEW

Green HRM practices include compensation, recruitment and selection, performance

management, training and development, employee involvement and participation. (Jacob
Cherian and Jolly Jacob, 2012; Mohammad Main Uddin & Rabiul Islam, 2015; Geetu
Nijhawan, 2014).

1) Green HRM-

Green HRM coordinates environment-friendly human resource steps for sustainable

utilization of resources that are more effective, diminish the waste amount, improve the pro-
environment attitude of the employees.

The idea of green HRM is advancing more concerns among corporate, public and private
players, which endeavours to expand the role of green human resource management exercises
in fortifying and potentially driving organization’s sustainability.

2) Human Resource Management and Sustainability-

Businesses are getting themselves aligned with the green practices in their power to improve
their reputation, tighten up workers’ morale and fundamentally score their expenses. Green
HR means utilizing all workers/employees to help sustainable practices and further develop
worker responsiveness and responsibilities on the sustainability issues.

3) Green HRM’s Impact on Environment-

Human Resource Management practices, for example, Training & Dev., Performance
Appraisal, Compensation Management, Benefits and rewards, are likewise worried about
security, protection and obligation regarding management of the environment. As a part of
green human resource management, T&D practices should zero in on improvement of
workers' KSA about initiatives towards management of the environment as well as
conservation of the environment.
These activities include training employees in working methods that conserve energy, reduce
waste, diffuse environmental awareness within the organization, and provide opportunity to
engage employees in environmental problem solving. It also increases employees’ ability to
adapt to change, and develop proactive attitudes toward environmental issues. (Carter &
Dresner, 2001)

For the purpose of research study, we referred to several research papers to try and
understand the current industry trends adapting to the green HRM practices. These research
papers are listed in a comprehensive literature review below: -

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Unl52unadbcnPzscAlOM9sGcKA8DxsF6ZcBEwh
Xwk20/edit#gid=1548623092

 Following are the decided upon variables for our research paper: -

A. INDEPENDENT VARIABLE-

Let’s take an organization where the employees are recruited on the basis of Green
Recruitment & Selection practices, they are trained under Green Training & Development
strategies. This means that the company follows green human resource management practices
and hence is looking for employees who are aware about their green surroundings, who will
help conserve the environment and increase their organization’s sustainability in return.

In the above example, the independent variables are the Green Recruitment & Selection
and the Green Training & Development practices that are being implemented by the said
organization. Here, green recruitment alludes to the strategy of employing individuals having
knowledge, information, skills and attitude towards the management of environment in the
organization. It additionally includes mentioning the criteria of environmental conservation in
the messages sent for recruitment. Whereas, green T&D means making the employees know
about the various points and importance of management of the environment by the managers
to provide them with working methodologies so that maximum utilization of the resources is
ensured in the organization.

B. DEPENDENT VARIABLE-

Continuing with the above stated example, after being effectively recruited and trained via
green HRM practices, the process becomes dependable on the employees and how they
perform green innovative work practices in the organisation. Let’s say the same organization
incorporated United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals with their organizations’ goals,
then it depends on the employees of the organization to maintain the sustainable strategies in
the workplace implemented by their management.

Therefore, the dependent variable being mentioned in our research paper is Green
Innovative Work Practices (by employees). These can incorporate workers voice their
opinions about green innovative thoughts in their workplace, how they get administrative
help for their efforts in conservation of the environment, how they impact their colleagues
with their behaviour related to environmental sustainability and how they adapt effective
environment management practices at work, etc.

C. MEDIATING VARIABLE-

In the above stated example, we can say that the employees will feel more encouraged and
motivated to participate in pro-environmental and green innovative work practices if the
organization decides to offer them rewards and benefits, both monetary or non-monetary to
increase their morale. Like remunerating the workers that have ideas with green innovative
plans to improve sustainability of their organization. These can incorporate non-monetary
motivations, for example, help and acknowledgement from the managers, affirmation in
terms of praise and recommendation letters and awards, which may bring about enhanced
employee responsibility towards the management of environment and the organization.

Hence, the mediating variables in our present study are Rewards (monetary/non-
monetary), Benefits, Incentives. We comprehend that to assess environmental behaviour
and execution in a reasonable and straightforward way is an undeniably challenging
assignment when it comes too rewards that are monetary in nature, however we are still
inclined to believe that including the above factors will act as mediating variables between
Green Recruitment & Selection/Green Training & Development and Green Innovative Work
Practices.

D. MODERATING VARIABLE-

The fourth variable that has to be taken into consideration while doing this research study is
moderating variable. This variable affects the relationship between dependent variable and
independent variable. It helps in identifying how and what are the changes taking place in the
independent variable that is affecting the dependent variable. As mentioned previously in the
independent variable, it has to be understood taking a hypothetical example of an
organisation.

Once the identification of independent, dependent and mediating variable is done the study
will help us identify the moderating variables like – an organisation is recruiting candidates
who have the understanding of green work practices and also training them to follow these
green practices which is resulting into increased innovative employee performance and then
ultimately the organisation is rewarding and compensating the employees for the same.

Now here the moderating factors can be the application of these practices across different
industries, different appraisal and compensation mechanism based on gender, different levels
of application and reward system on different levels of management will change the cause-
and-effect relationship between the independent and dependent variables. Both the
implementation and the result may differ due to these factors in line.
  RESEARCH QUESTIONS

(1) How does employee participation in green HRM initiatives affect

organizational sustainability?

The entire process of green human resource mgmt. exclusively relies upon the degree of
motivation and the dynamic support by the employees of an organization and the proficiency
by which the human resource policies are implemented and carried out. Every one of these
initiatives have an important part in the incorporation of green human resource management
practices.

Being green doesn't just imply that the workers are very much aware and have a cognizant
mind, it is a test for the employees to know about the green surroundings. Because of the
substantial work pressure and the accomplishment of targets on the employees, they don't
know about the presence of green environment. There is absence of responsibilities and a
feeling of cognizance towards the conservation of the environment when the employees are
in their workplaces.

Despite the fact that the organization are occupied with training and development programs
for the new employees, they are just given data about their work, job roles & responsibilities
and their obligations towards their work however the administration neglects to give
awareness about the need to ensure and protect the environment.

We aim to include the following points in our research paper: -

1) Employees doing green HR practices can help in further developing the employee
retention rate of the organisation.

2) The workers doing green HRM practices can help in substantially saving the organisations
costs and expenses.
3) Businesses and employees can build their brand image, reputation and also create their
influence in the society with the help of green human resource management practices.

4) Presenting how GHRM essentially predicated both in-job and extra-job green behaviour.

5) It contributes to developing holistic employee wellbeing and help in developing

organizational sustainability.

With this research question, we aim to provide the answer whether employee participation in
green HRM initiatives really affects organizational sustainability.

(2) Is there a need to incorporate environmental sustainability goals with

the organisation’s goals?

Before the 80s, only a select companies effectively put out their own environmental
objectives. Usually, the regulations set by the government served as the environmental
expectations of the society, and organizations reacted by conforming to or claiming to agree
with regulations. During the 1980s various prominent accidents—the Bhopal Gas Tragedy,
the Valdez oil, and the ozone layer diminishing were all connected to the degradation of the
environment due to the actions of the businesses.

Accordingly, organizations implemented ways to explain their own objectives for

environmental performance. There has to be a significant shift in corporate attitudes and
organizational goal setting to protect the environment and implement green human resource
management practices into the system.

Organizations all over face the test of finding some kind of harmony between meeting their
business targets and being responsible citizens who conserve the environment. Thus, the idea
of sustainability is becoming a vital part of many companies’ decision-making process.

We aim to cover the following points in our research paper/study: -

1) Companies should be working to create profit making businesses whose intentions are
straightforwardly aligned with the conservation of the environment.

2) Making organizations see that purpose and profit are at this point not unrelated yet rather
interlinked to how businesses should work.
3) Significant efforts should be made by organizations to align themselves with the United
Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). And furthermore, purposefully consolidate
SDG standards into their upcoming projects in the future also.

4) Points like sustainable cities and communities, affordable and clean energy, responsible
consumption and production, climate action, etc. should be incorporated in the organisation’s
goals as well.

So, with this research paper we wanted to include the question whether there is an absolute
need for companies to incorporate environmental sustainability goals with the organisation’s
goals.

(3) Does Green HRM practices influence the employee performance?

This question will give the direction to further study about how the application of Green
Human Resource Management in an organisational setting impacts the performance of the
employees, working in the organisation. This question is chosen as a part of our research
study because the research study is majorly based on the impact of Green Human Resource
Management on the organisational sustainability and the employees being the core asset to
any organisation are the ones contributing towards the organisational sustainability.

Green Human Resource Management is the need of the hour and organisations today are
incorporating the green sustainable practices across all the functions for environmental and
organisational sustainability and growth. Currently, not all the organisations have adopted the
green policies and practices but given the circumstances, they are developing their
understanding to know how important is the adoption of green practices and how this will put
them ahead in terms of sustainability in the long run.

The study will result into understanding green practices in the organisation resulting in
improved employee performances and increased innovation & creativity and productiveness
in the work behaviour. It will also describe what type of performance indicators the
organisations adopt to accurately analyse the employee performance and establish
comparison between the ongoing work practices and employee performance after establishing
Green HRM practices.
(4) How does the Green Human Resource Management stand as a tool in
promoting Corporate Social Responsibility?

This question is taken into consideration for the purpose of research study because Green
Human Resource Management is also playing a predominant role in the promotion of
organisation’s Corporate Social Responsibility.

Corporate Social Responsibility; the responsibility of the corporate towards the society,
stands as an obligation on the organisations falling under a certain pre-stablished bracket.
GHRM (Green Human Resource Management) is not an obligation for the organisations but
incorporation of GHRM practices is indirectly serving as a welfare tool for the environment
and the society.

The research will also be directed towards studying, how the organisations who are not liable
to perform CSR activities are taking GHRM practices into consideration for organisational,
social and environmental sustainability which is indirectly contributing towards their CSR
practices.

It will also help in understanding that how incorporating GHRM practices across the
organisation can end-to-end ensure that the organisation is fulfilling all its direct and indirect
obligation both internally and externally.

One of the crucial factors which will help in facilitating the research study is the
understanding of several aspects which will increase the intensity of adapting GHRM
practices and displaying it as a promotional tool for CSR activities.

The research study will help in getting an in-depth insight of how employee work behaviour,
GHRM and CSR are inter-related with each other how each one of them helps in fostering the
growth of one another for achieving the common goals which is organisational, social and
environmental sustainability.
 HYPOTHESIZED RESEARCH MODEL
  REFERENCES

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