36  Green HRM

36.1 What is Green HRM?

Green Human Resource Management (Green HRM, GHRM) is the use of HR policies, practices and systems to make employees of the organisation green for the benefit of the individual, society, the natural environment, and the business (renwick2013?). The discipline emerged in the 2000s in response to the rise of corporate environmental management and now sits at the intersection of HRM, sustainability and ESG.

Douglas Renwick, Tom Redman and Stuart Maguire’s foundational review article — “Green Human Resource Management: A Review and Research Agenda” (2013) — is the standard reference (renwick2013?).

TipThree Working Definitions
Author Definition What it foregrounds
Renwick, Redman & Maguire “The HRM aspects of environmental management.” Integration
Mandip “Use of HR policies to promote sustainable use of resources within business organisations and, more generally, promote the cause of environmentalism.” Sustainability
Wehrmeyer “People management in the context of environmental management.” Context

36.1.1 Why Green HRM matters

Three forces have driven the rise of Green HRM:

  • Climate change and resource scarcity — environmental impact has become material to business performance.
  • Regulation and reporting — ESG disclosure mandates (in India, BRSR), carbon-disclosure standards, science-based targets.
  • Stakeholder expectations — investors, customers, employees and communities all demand greener firms.

The case is also economic — green firms typically show better financial performance, lower attrition among purpose-driven talent, and lower regulatory and reputational risk.

36.2 The AMO Model in Green HRM

Renwick et al. apply the Ability–Motivation–Opportunity (AMO) model — drawn from strategic HRM (Appelbaum et al., 2000) — to environmental performance (appelbaum2000?).

TipThe AMO Model Applied to Green HRM
Component What HR does Example green practice
Ability Develop green knowledge and skills Green training, environmental awareness, technical eco-skills
Motivation Align rewards and recognition with green outcomes Green KPIs in appraisal, eco-incentives, green leader awards
Opportunity Provide structures and channels for employees to act Green teams, suggestion systems, environmental committees, green culture 

flowchart LR
  A[Ability<br/>Green training,<br/>eco-skills] --> P[Pro-environmental<br/>employee behaviour]
  M[Motivation<br/>Green KPIs,<br/>eco-incentives] --> P
  O[Opportunity<br/>Green teams,<br/>structures] --> P
  P --> R[Environmental Performance<br/>+ Business Performance]
  style A fill:#E3F2FD,stroke:#1565C0
  style M fill:#FFF3E0,stroke:#EF6C00
  style O fill:#FCE4EC,stroke:#AD1457
  style P fill:#E8F5E9,stroke:#2E7D32

36.3 Green HR Practices Across Functions

Green HRM is not a single intervention — it touches every HR function.

TipGreen Practices Across HR Functions
HR function Green practice
Job analysis & design Build environmental responsibilities into job descriptions; create dedicated green roles
Recruitment Project the firm’s green credentials in employer branding; assess candidates’ environmental values
Selection Add an environmental-fit criterion to selection interviews
Onboarding Include environmental policies and behaviour in induction
Training & development Environmental-awareness training, eco-tech skills, green leadership programmes
Performance management Include environmental KPIs in appraisal; 360 with environmental focus
Compensation & reward Eco-incentives, green bonuses, carbon-linked components in executive pay
Employee involvement Green teams, suggestion schemes, green champions, e-newsletters
Health, safety & welfare Reduce workplace toxicity, promote wellbeing, sustainable canteens
Discipline & grievance Penalise environmental violations; dedicated grievance channel
Exit Sustainability survey at exit; alumni green network

36.4 Pro-Environmental Behaviour at Work

A growing literature identifies the individual-level behaviours that Green HRM aims to encourage (onesdilchert2012?):

TipFive Categories of Pro-Environmental Behaviour at Work (Ones & Dilchert)
Category What it includes
Conserving Reducing, reusing, recycling, repurposing
Working sustainably Using sustainable processes, choosing greener suppliers
Avoiding harm Avoiding pollution, harm to wildlife, ecosystem damage
Influencing others Encouraging colleagues, lobbying, advocacy
Taking initiative Proposing improvements, leading change, going beyond compliance

These behaviours map to Organisational Citizenship Behaviour for the Environment (OCBE) — a green cousin of Organ’s classic OCB.

36.5 Sustainability, ESG and Indian Disclosures

Green HRM sits inside the broader ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) agenda. Three layers of context:

TipThree Layers — Sustainability, ESG and Green HRM
Layer What it covers
Sustainability Triple Bottom Line — People, Planet, Profit (Elkington)
ESG Investor-grade reporting on Environmental, Social, Governance factors
Green HRM Operational HR practices that produce E and S outcomes

36.5.1 India: BRSR and the Companies Act, 2013

In 2021, SEBI introduced the Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR) as a mandatory ESG-reporting framework for the top 1,000 listed companies (later expanded). The BRSR is anchored on the Nine Principles of the National Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct (NGRBC), of which Principle 6 explicitly addresses environmental responsibility.

Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 (covered earlier in topic 11) places a 2-per-cent CSR obligation on eligible firms; Schedule VII includes environmental sustainability among the qualifying activities.

36.6 Green HRM Outcomes

The empirical literature (Renwick et al.; Pham et al.; Yong et al.) consistently shows that organisations with strong Green HRM systems report:

TipOutcomes of Green HRM
Outcome family Effects
Environmental Lower emissions, energy use, waste; higher recycling rates
Employee Higher engagement, organisational pride, lower attrition
Business Better innovation, brand value, regulatory standing, ESG ratings
Stakeholder Stronger investor and community relations

36.7 Practice Questions

Q 01 Definition Easy

Green HRM is best described as:

  • AA type of trade union
  • BThe use of HR policies and practices to promote sustainable use of resources and protect the environment
  • CA category of payroll software
  • DA type of expatriate posting
View solution
Correct Option: B
Green HRM = HR practices that drive environmental sustainability and pro-environmental behaviour. Standard text: Renwick, Redman & Maguire (2013).
Q 02 AMO Medium

In the AMO framework applied to Green HRM, "Motivation" most directly refers to:

  • AGreen skills
  • BGreen KPIs in appraisal, eco-incentives, recognition for environmental performance
  • CGreen team structures
  • DCarbon offsets purchased by the firm
View solution
Correct Option: B
AMO: Ability = green training; Motivation = green KPIs, incentives, recognition; Opportunity = teams and structures.
Q 03 Renwick Easy

The 2013 review article that anchors most subsequent academic work on Green HRM was authored by:

  • AKaplan and Norton
  • BRenwick, Redman and Maguire
  • CSpencer and Spencer
  • DSchuler and Jackson
View solution
Correct Option: B
Renwick, Redman & Maguire's 2013 paper "Green Human Resource Management: A Review and Research Agenda" is the foundational academic reference.
Q 04 OCBE Medium

"Organisational Citizenship Behaviour for the Environment" (OCBE) is best described as:

  • AStatutory compliance
  • BVoluntary, discretionary pro-environmental behaviour at work
  • CTrade-union activism
  • DA regulatory disclosure
View solution
Correct Option: B
OCBE = the green cousin of Organ's OCB — discretionary, beyond-formal-role pro-environmental behaviour.
Q 05 BRSR Medium

India's Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR) is mandated by:

  • ARBI
  • BSEBI
  • CCBI
  • DUGC
View solution
Correct Option: B
SEBI introduced BRSR in 2021 for the top 1,000 listed companies, anchored on the NGRBC's nine principles.
Q 06 Practices Medium

Including environmental KPIs in performance appraisal is an example of a Green HRM practice in:

  • ARecruitment
  • BPerformance management
  • CCompensation
  • DOnboarding
View solution
Correct Option: B
KPIs sit in the performance management function. Green KPIs make environmental outcomes part of the rating equation.
Q 07 Triple Bottom Line Easy

The "Triple Bottom Line" — the conceptual parent of Green HRM — was popularised by:

  • AJohn Elkington
  • BArchie Carroll
  • CEdward Freeman
  • DMilton Friedman
View solution
Correct Option: A
John Elkington coined the phrase in 1994 — People, Planet, Profit. Carroll = CSR pyramid; Freeman = stakeholder theory; Friedman = shareholder primacy.
Q 08 Outcomes Medium

Empirical research on Green HRM consistently links it to:

  • AHigher engagement, lower attrition, better environmental performance and stronger brand value
  • BHigher emissions and waste
  • CLower investor interest
  • DHigher regulatory penalties
View solution
Correct Option: A
Strong Green HRM systems are linked to better environmental and business outcomes together — including engagement, retention, innovation, and brand value.
ImportantQuick recall
  • Green HRM = HR practices that drive environmental sustainability. Foundational paper: Renwick, Redman & Maguire (2013).
  • AMO model applied to Green HRM: Ability (training), Motivation (KPIs, incentives), Opportunity (teams, structures) → pro-environmental behaviour → environmental + business performance.
  • Green HR practices across functions: JD/job design, recruitment, selection, training, performance management, compensation, employee involvement, health & safety, discipline, exit.
  • Pro-environmental behaviours (Ones & Dilchert): Conserving · Working sustainably · Avoiding harm · Influencing others · Taking initiative. Maps to OCBE.
  • Conceptual parent: Triple Bottom Line (Elkington, 1994). Investor frame: ESG.
  • India: SEBI BRSR (2021) for top 1,000 listed companies; NGRBC’s 9 principles anchor it. Companies Act 2013 §135 includes environmental sustainability in Schedule VII.