Linking Green Human Resource Management with Employee Pro-environmental Behaviours,Green Psychological Climate and Environmental Concern: A Sustainable Perspective
Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2025
Linking Green Human Resource Management with Employee Pro-environmental Behaviours,Green Psychological Climate and Environmental Concern: A Sustainable Perspective
This study examines the impact of green human resource management practices (GHRMP) on employees’ pro-environmental behaviours (PEBs). The study investigates the mediation effect of green psychological climate (GPC) and the moderating effect of environmental concern in the relationship between GHRMP and PEBs. We gathered survey data from 419 employees in the Indian hospitality sector. Hypothesis testing was performed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results established the significant positive impact of GHRMP on PEBs. The findings suggest a significant mediatory impact of GPC in the green human resource management—PEBs association, and environmental concern significantly moderates this association. With empirical evidence, this research sheds new light on the psychological mechanism that links green human resource management and PEBs and contributes to the increasing line of work on GHRMP, GPC, environmental concern and employees’ PEBs. When organizations cultivate a GPC through GHRMP, they demonstrate their dedication to environmental sustainability, which can encourage employees to adopt PEBs in alignment with these organizational values.
AftabJ., AbidN., CucariN., & SavastanoM. (2023). Green human resource management and environmental performance: The role of green innovation and environmental strategy in a developing country. Business Strategy and the Environment, 32(4), 1782–1798.
2.
AgrawalS., & PuriR. (2020). Green HRM: A climate conscious route to triple bottom line. Sage Publications.
3.
AikenL. S., & WestS. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Sage Publications.
4.
AjzenI. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
5.
AliQ. M., NisarQ. A., AbidinR. Z. U., QammarR., & AbbassK. (2022). Greening the workforce in higher educational institutions: The pursuance of environmental performance. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19888-3
6.
AltN. E., & SpitzeckH. (2016). Improving environmental performance through unit-level organizational citizenship behaviors for the environment: A capability perspective. Journal of Environmental Management, 1(182), 48–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.07.034
7.
AmruthaV. N., & GeethaS. N. (2020). A systematic review on green human resource management: Implications for social sustainability. Journal of Cleaner Production, 247, 119–131.
8.
AnsariN. Y., FarrukhM., & RazaA. (2021). Green human resource management and employee’s pro-environmental behaviors: Examining the underlying mechanism. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 28(1), 229–238.
9.
ArI. M. (2012). The impact of green product innovation on firm performance and competitive capability: The moderating role of managerial environmental concern. Procedia—Social and Behavioral Sciences, 62, 854–864.
10.
Aragon-CorreaJ. A., & SharmaS. (2003). A contingent resource-based view of proactive corporate environmental strategy. Academy of Management Review, 28(1), 71.
11.
AriE., KaratepeO., RezapouraghdamH., & AvciT. (2020). A conceptual model for green human resource management: Indicators, differential pathways, and multiple pro-environmental outcomes. Sustainability, 12, 7089.
12.
ArmstrongA., & StedmanR. C. (2019). Understanding local environmental concern: The importance of place. Rural Sociology, 84(1), 93–122.
13.
BagozziR. P., & YiY. (1990). Assessing method variance in multitrait-multimethod matrices: The case of self-reported affect and perceptions at work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 75(5), 547–560.
14.
BhuttoT. A., FarooqR., TalwarS., AwanU., & DhirA. (2021). Green inclusive leadership and green creativity in the tourism and hospitality sector: Serial mediation of green psychological climate and work engagement. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29, 1716–1737.
15.
CapstickS., WhitmarshL., NashN., HaggarP., & LordJ. (2019). Compensatory and catalyzing beliefs: Their relationship to pro-environmental behavior and behavioral spillover in seven countries. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 963. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00963
16.
ChanE. S., & HsuC. H. (2016). Environmental management research in hospitality. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 28(5), 886–923.
ChaudharyR. (2019a). Green human resource management and job pursuit intention: Examining the underlying processes. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 26, 929–937.
19.
ChaudharyR. (2019b). Green human resource management in the Indian automobile industry. Journal of Global Responsibility, 10(2), 161–175.
20.
ChenD., & WangZ. (2014). The effects of human resource attributions on employee outcomes during organizational change. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 42(9), 1431–1443.
21.
ChengZ., LiuW., ZhouK., CheY., & HanY. (2021). Promoting employees’ pro-environmental behaviour through empowering leadership: The roles of psychological ownership, empowerment role identity, and environmental self-identity. Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, 30, 604–618.
22.
ChouC. J. (2014). Hotels’ environmental policies and employee personal environmental beliefs: Interactions and outcomes. Tourism Management, 40, 436–446. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2013.08.001
23.
CinceraJ., & KrajhanzlJ. (2013). Eco-schools: What factors influence pupils’ action competence for pro-environmental behavior?Journal of Cleaner Production, 61, 117–121.
24.
CookeF. L., SchulerR., & VarmaA. (2020). Human resource management research and practice in Asia: Past, present and future. Human Resource Management Review, 30, 100778.
25.
CornerA., WhitmarshL., & XeniasD. (2012). Uncertainty, scepticism and attitudes towards climate change: Biased assimilation and attitude polarization. Climate Change, 114(3), 463–478. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-012-0424-6
26.
CuiC.-R., KimJ.-T., KimS., LeeW.-J., & SunwooH.-Y. (2022). Green commitment and electricity consumption. Economics Letters, 214, Article 110452.
27.
DamertM., & BaumgartnerR. J. (2018). External pressures or internal governance: What determines the extent of corporate responses to climate change?Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 25(4), 473–488.
28.
DarvishmotevaliM., & AltinayL. (2022). Green HRM, environmental awareness and green behaviors: The moderating role of servant leadership. Tourism Management, 88, Article 104401.
29.
DumontJ., ShenJ., & DengX. (2017). Effects of green HRM practices on employee workplace green behavior: The role of psychological green climate and employee green values. Human Resource Management, 56(4), 613–627. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21792
30.
DunlapR. E., & JonesR. E. (2002). Environmental concern: Conceptual and measurement issues. InRileyE. D. & MichelsonW.(Eds.), Handbook of environmental sociology (pp. 482–524). Greenwood Press.
31.
EsfandiarK., DowlingR., PearceJ., & GohE. (2020). Personal norms and the adoption of pro-environmental binning behaviour in national parks: An integrated structural model approach. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 28(1), 10–32.
32.
FalkR., & MillerN. (1992). A primer for soft modeling. The University of Akron Press.
33.
FangL., ShiS., GaoJ., & LiX. (2022). The mediating role of green innovation and green culture in the relationship between green human resource management and environmental performance. PLoS One, 17(9), Article e0274820.
34.
FarooqK., YuslizaM. Y., MuhammadZ., OmarM. K., & MatN. H. N. (2022). Employee ecological behavior among academicians at the workplace. Social Responsibility Journal, 19, 4.
35.
FornellC., & LarckerD. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 382–388. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800313
36.
FujiiS. (2006). Environmental concern, attitude toward frugality, and ease of behavior as determinants of pro-environmental behavior intentions. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 26(4), 262–268.
37.
GimG. C. W., OoiS. K., TeohS. T., LimH. L., & YeapJ. A. L. (2022). Green human resource management, leader member exchange, core self-evaluations and work engagement: The mediating role of human resource management performance attributions. International Journal of Manpower, 43(3), 682–700.
38.
GravesL. M., SarkisJ., & ZhuQ. (2013). How transformational leadership and employee motivation combine to predict employee proenvironmental behaviors in China. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 35, 81–91.
39.
HairJ., RingleC., & SarstedtM. (2011). PLS-SEM: Indeed a Silver Bullet. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 19(2), 139–152. https://doi.org/10.2753/mtp1069-6679190202
40.
HairJ., RisherJ., SarstedtM., & RingleC. (2019). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2–24. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-018-0203
41.
HooiL. W., LiuM.-S., & LinJ. J. J. (2022). Green human resource management and green organizational citizenship behavior: Do green culture and green values matter?International Journal of Manpower, 43(3), 763–785.
42.
IslamT., KhanM. M., AhmedI., & MahmoodK. (2021). Promoting in-role and extra-role green behaviour through ethical leadership: The mediating role of green HRM and moderating role of individual green values. International Journal of Manpower, 42(6), 1102–1123.
43.
JacksonS. E., & SeoJ. (2010). The greening of strategic HRM scholarship. Organization Management Journal, 7(4), 278–290.
44.
JiangK., LepakD. P., HuJ., & BaerJ. C. (2012). How does human resource management influence organizational outcomes? A meta-analytic investigation of mediating mechanisms. Academy of Management Journal, 55, 1264–1294.
45.
KlineR. (2011). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (4th ed.). Guilford Press.
46.
KuraK. M. (2016). Linking environmentally specific transformational leadership and environmental concern to green behaviour at work. Global Business Review, 17, 1–13.
47.
LeiP. W., & WuQ. (2007). Introduction to structural equation modelling: Issues and practical considerations. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 26(3), 33–43.
48.
LiX., FrenkelS. J., & SandersK. (2011). Strategic HRM as process: How HR system and organizational climate strength influence Chinese employee attitudes. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 22(9), 1825–1842. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2011.573965
49.
LiM., ul AbidinR. Z., QammarR., QadriS. U., KhanM. K., MaZ., QadriS., AhmedH., KhanH. S., & MahmoodS. (2023). Pro-environmental behavior, green HRM practices, and green psychological climate: Examining the underlying mechanism in Pakistan. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 11, 1067531. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1067531
50.
LiaoH.-Y., HsuC.-T., & ChiangH.-C. (2021). How does green intellectual capital influence employee ProEnvironmental behavior? The mediating role of corporate social responsibility. International Journal of Management Studies, 2(2), 27–47.
51.
LiuR., YueZ., IjazA., LutfiA., & MaoJ. (2023). Sustainable business performance: Examining the role of green HRM practices, green innovation and responsible leadership through the lens of pro-environmental behavior. Sustainability, 15(9), 7317.
52.
MehdiA. M. (2019). Industrial pollution in Pakistan. The Nation. https://nation.com.pk/07-Jan-2019/industrial-pollution-in-pakistan
53.
MengC., ShiD., & WangB. (2023). The impact of green human capital of entrepreneur on enterprise green innovation: A study based on the theory of proenvironmental behavior. Finance Research Letters, 58(PB), Article 104453.
54.
MuisyoP. K., SuQ., HashmiH. B. A., HoT. H., & JuliusM. M. (2022). The role of green HRM in driving hotels’ green creativity. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 34, 1331–1352.
55.
MustafaS., BegumR., NisarS. K., & OsamaA. (2018). Impact of new 5-year automobile policy (2016–2021) on the profitability of major players in the automobile industry of Pakistan. European Scientific Journal, 14(16), 165.
56.
NapathornC. (2022). The implementation of green human resource management bundles across firms in pursuit of environmental sustainability goals. Sustainable Development, 30(5), 787–803.
57.
NazS., JamshedS., NisarQ. A., & NasirN. (2021). Green HRM, psychological green climate and pro-environmental behaviors: An efficacious drive towards environmental performance in China. Current Psychology, 42(2), 1346–1361.
58.
NgT. W. (2017). Transformational leadership and performance outcomes: Analyses of multiple mediation pathways. Leadership Quarterly, 28, 385–417.
59.
NisarQ. A., HaiderS., AliF., JamshedS., RyuK., & GillS. S. (2021). Green human resource management practices and environmental performance in Malaysian green hotels: The role of green intellectual capital and pro-environmental behavior. Journal of Cleaner Production, 311, 127504. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.127504
60.
NortonT. A., ZacherH., & AshkanasyN. (2014). Organisational sustainability policies and employee green behaviour: The mediating role of work climate perceptions. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 38, 49–54.
61.
OjoA. O., TanC. N. L., & AliasM. (2022). Linking green HRM practices to environmental performance through pro-environment behaviour in the information technology sector. Social Responsibility Journal, 18(1), 1–18.
62.
OjoA. O., & RamanM. (2019). Role of green HRM practices in employees’ pro-environmental IT practices. InRochaÁ., AdeliH., ReisL., & CostanzoS.(Eds.), New knowledge in information systems and technologies, WorldCIST’19 2019. Advances in intelligent systems and computing (Vol. 930). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16181-1_64
63.
OkeA. (2023). Beyond the psychology of self and individual’s pro-environmental behaviours: Exploring how technology innovations can help organizations achieve and promote sustainability. Technological Sustainability, 2(1), 1–19.
64.
OnwezenM. C., AntonidesG., & BartelsJ. (2013). The norm activation model: An exploration of the functions of anticipated pride and guilt in pro-environmental behaviour. Journal of Economic Psychology, 39, 141–153.
65.
OregS., & Katz-GerroT. (2006). Predicting proenvironmental behavior cross-nationally: Values, the theory of planned behavior, and value-belief-norm theory. Environment and Behavior, 38(4), 462–483.
66.
PailléP., & Mejía-MorelosJ. H. (2014). Antecedents of pro-environmental behaviours at work: The moderating influence of psychological contract breach. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 1(38), 124–131.
67.
PatwaryA. K. (2023). Examining environmentally responsible behaviour, environmental beliefs and conservation commitment of tourists: A path towards responsible consumption and production in tourism. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30(3), 5815–5824.
68.
PengJ., ChenX., ZouY., & NieQ. (2021). Environmentally specific transformational leadership and team pro-environmental behaviors: The roles of pro-environmental goal clarity, pro-environmental harmonious passion, and power distance. Human Relations, 74, 1864–1888.
69.
PerezJ. A. E., EjazF., & EjazS. (2023). Green transformational leadership, GHRM, and proenvironmental behavior: An effectual drive to environmental performances of small- and medium-sized enterprises. Sustainability, 15(5), 4537.
70.
PerezJ. A. E., GalindoS. M., FarooqM., EjazS., AhmedS., & EjazF. (2024). Examining pro-environmental behavior through green human resource management and green innovation moderating role of environmental strategy. Asia Pacific Management Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmrv.2024.100345
71.
PhamN. T., Vo ThanhT., TučkováZ., & ThuyV. T. N. (2019). The role of green human resource management in driving hotel’s environmental performance: Interaction and mediation analysis. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 88, 102392. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2019.102392
72.
PinzoneM., GuerciM., LettieriE., & HuisinghD. (2019). Effects of ‘Green’ training on pro-environmental behaviors and job satisfaction: Evidence from the Italian healthcare sector. Journal of Cleaner Production, 226, 221–232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.04.048
73.
PinzoneM., GuerciM., LettieriE., & RedmanT. (2016). Progressing in the change journey towards sustainability in healthcare: The role of ‘Green’ HRM. Journal of Cleaner Production, 122, 201–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.02.031
74.
PodsakoffP. M., & OrganD. W. (1986). Self-reports in organizational research: Problems and prospects. Journal of Management, 12(4), 531–544. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920638601200408
75.
RaheemR., AkbarW., AijazM., AliZ., AhmedF., & ParmarV. (2023). The role of green innovation on environmental and organizational performance: Moderation of human resource practices and management commitment. Heliyon, 9(1), Article e12679.
76.
RenS., TangG., & JacksonS. E. (2018). Green human resource management research in emergence: A review and future directions. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 35(3), 769–803.
77.
RenwickD. W. S., RedmanT., & MaguireS. (2013). Green Human Resource Management: A review and research agenda. The International Journal of Management Reviews, 15(1), 1–14.
78.
RezapouraghdamH., AlipourH., & DarvishmotevaliM. (2018). Employee workplace spirituality and pro-environmental behavior in the hotel industry. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 26, 740–758.
79.
RobertsonJ. L., & BarlingJ. (2013). Greening organizations through leaders’ influence on employees’ pro-environmental behaviors. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 34(2), 176–194. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1820
80.
RosaC. D., & ColladoS. (2019). Experiences in nature and environmental attitudes and behaviors: Setting the ground for future research. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 763.
81.
RubelM. R. B., KeeD. M. H., & RimiN. N. (2021). Green human resource management and supervisor pro-environmental behavior: The role of green work climate perceptions. Journal of Cleaner Production, 313, Article 127669.
82.
RuepertA., KeizerK., StegL., MaricchioloF., CarrusG., DumitruA., García MiraR., StancuA., & MozaD. (2016). Environmental considerations in the organizational context: A pathway to pro-environmental behaviour at work. Energy Research & Social Science, 17, 59–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2016.04.004
83.
SachdevaC., & SinghT. (2024). Green transformational leadership and pro-environmental behaviour: Unravelling the underlying mechanism in the context of hotel industry. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 32(2), 255–271. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-09-2022-3420
84.
SaeedB. B., AfsarB., HafeezS., KhanI., TahirM., & AfridiM. A. (2019). Promoting employee’s proenvironmental behavior through green human resource management practices. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 26(2), 424–438. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1694
85.
SalimR., RafiqS., ShafieiS., & YaoY. (2019). Does urbanization increase pollutant emission and energy intensity? Evidence from some Asian developing economies. Applied Economics, 51(36), 4008–4024. https://doi.org/10.1080/00036846.2019.1588947
86.
SchwartzS. H. (1977). Normative influence on altruism. InBerkowitzL.(Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 10, pp. 221–279). Academic Press.
87.
ShafaeiA., NejatiM., & Mohd YusoffY. (2020). Green human resource management. International Journal of Manpower, 41(7), 1041–1060.
88.
ShinY. H., ImJ., JungS. E., & SevertK. (2019). Motivations behind consumers’ organic menu choices: The role of environmental concern, social value, and health consciousness. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality and Tourism, 20(1), 107–122.
89.
SoniM. (2022). Mediating role of pro-environmental behavior in environmentally specific transformational leadership and subjective well-being. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 30(5), 1485–1505. https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-04-2021-0209
90.
Tak_acs-S_antaA. (2007). Barriers to environmental concern. Human Ecology Review, 14, 26–38.
91.
WahyonoN., & HutahayanB. (2020). The relationships between market orientation, learning orientation, financial literacy, on the knowledge competence, innovation, and performance of small and medium textile industries in Java and Bali. Asia Pacific Management Review, 26(1), 39–46.
92.
WesselinkR., BlokV., & RingersmaJ. (2017). Pro-environmental behaviour in the workplace and the role of managers and organization. Journal of Cleaner Production, 168, 1679–1687. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.08.214
93.
WhitmarshL., LorenzoniI., & O’NeillS. (2012). Engaging the public with climate change: Behaviour change and communication. Taylor and Francis.
94.
XiaoC., & BuhrmannJ. (2019). Ideas to action: Environmental beliefs, behaviors, and support for environmental policies. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 9, 196–205. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-019-00541-4
95.
YongJ. Y., YuslizaM., RamayahT., & FawehinmiO. (2019). Nexus between green intellectual capital and green human resource management. Journal of Cleaner Production, 215, 364–374. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.12.306
96.
YurievA., BoiralO., & GuillaumieL. (2020). Evaluating determinants of employees’ pro-environmental behavioral intentions. International Journal of Manpower, 41(7), 1005–1019. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJM-08-2019-0387
97.
YuslizaM. Y., OthmanN. Z., & JabbourC. J. C. (2017). Deciphering the implementation of green human resource management in an emerging economy. Journal of Management Development, 36, 1230–1246. https://doi.org/10.1108/jmd-01-2017-0027
98.
YusoffY. M., NejatiM., KeeD. M. H., & AmranA. (2020). Linking green human resource management practices to environmental performance in hotel industry. Global Business Review, 21, 663–680.
99.
ZaidA., & JaaronA. (2023). The impact of green human resource management practices with sustainable and operational performance: A conceptual model the impact of green human resource management practices with sustainable and operational performance: (Issue august 2022). Springer International Publishing.
100.
ZhaoH., & ZhouQ. (2021). Socially responsible human resource management and hotel employee organizational citizenship behavior for the environment: A social cognitive perspective. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 95, 102749.
101.
ZhouH., & LongL. (2004). Statistical remedies for common method biases. Advances in Psychological Science, 12(06), 942.
102.
ZhouS., ZhangD., LyuC., & ZhangH. (2018). Does seeing “mind acts upon mind” affect green psychological climate and green product development performance? The role of matching between green transformational leadership and individual green values. Sustainability, 10(9), 3206. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10093206
103.
ZibarrasL. D., & CoanP. (2015). HRM practices used to promote pro-environmental behavior: A UK survey. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 26(16), 2121–2142. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2014.972429
104.
ZientaraP., & ZamojskaA. (2018). Green organizational climates and employee pro-environmental behavior in the hotel industry. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 26, 1142–1159. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2016.1206554
