Green human resource management and environmental sustainability in a developing economy: Examining the mediation and moderation effect of employee personal norms and sex

Abstract

This study investigated the role of personal norms and the sex of employees on the relationship between green human resource management (GHRM) practices and environmental sustainability in a developing economy. The study is underpinned by positivist and quantitative philosophical approaches. In particular, an explanatory research design was employed, and a structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Partial Least Square-Structured Equation Modelling was then used to analyse the data. The study discovered a significant positive relationship between environmental sustainability and green human resource management practices and employee personal norms. Employee personal norms also significantly mediated the relationship between green human resource management practices and environmental sustainability among workers. In terms of the moderation effect, the study found that sex significantly moderated the relationship between employees' personal norms (EPN) and environmental sustainability (ES); green human resource management (GHRM) and employees' personal norms. Sex also significantly moderated the mediation of employees’ personal norms on green human resource management and environmental sustainability. It is, therefore, recommended that human resource managers incorporate environmental sustainability initiatives into their human resource functions or practices and use communication and collaborations to make the best use of employee personal norms or efforts on environmental sustainability efforts of organisations in a developing economy.

Keywords

• Green HRM
• Mediators
• Moderators
• Sex
• Green hiring
• Personal norms