Green Human Resources Management increases environmental responsibility in the business world through sustainable business practices. Training employees with environmental awareness and ensuring companies achieve their sustainability goals, "Human Resources" strategies are rapidly undergoing a green transformation. Prof. Dr. Yonca Gürol emphasizes that Green Human Resources Management is a critical approach that enhances environmental sustainability in the business world, stating that the steps taken by companies in this field will play an important role in creating a greener world in the future.
In recent years, environmental sustainability has increasingly found its place among the strategic goals of companies in the business world. In this transformation, Human Resources Management (HRM) begins to play an important role. Green Human Resources Management (Green HRM) implements a series of innovative practices to ensure employees act with environmental responsibility and support organizations in achieving their sustainability goals. So, what kind of transformation is Green HRM creating? What benefits do companies aim to achieve through these practices, and how ready are they in this area?
We discussed all the questions we were curious about Green Human Resources Management with Prof. Dr. Yonca Gürol from Yıldız Technical University.
First of all, can you tell us what Green HRM is?
Green HRM is the integration of environmentally sustainable practices into Human Resource Management processes to support environmentally friendly business practices. In other words, it is the active role of Human Resources in ensuring that employees act with environmental awareness, support the company’s environmental policies, and carry out business processes without harming nature. It is defined as HRM practices that enhance positive environmental outcomes (Dumont et al., 2017).
How is Green Human Resource Management implemented?
Green HRM is applied by integrating environmental consciousness into various HR processes. This practice enables organizations to create a more sustainable working environment by including environmental awareness in various HR processes.
In green recruitment and selection processes, employees with environmental awareness are selected, and environmental responsibility is emphasized in job advertisements. Candidate compatibility with environmentally friendly values becomes one of the assessment criteria. In green training and development programs, employees are educated on topics such as environmentally friendly behaviors, energy saving, and waste management. Furthermore, training programs on sustainability and environmental awareness are organized.
Green performance management includes assessing employees’ environmentally friendly behaviors as evaluation criteria. Green compensation and benefits involve designing reward packages to support the acquisition of green skills. In green working conditions, energy efficiency is achieved in offices. Hybrid and remote working models are supported, and the carbon footprint is reduced.
In green communication processes, environmental sensitivity is prioritized, and sustainability reports are shared transparently with employees. In green employee relations, a system is created where all employees can present their suggestions for making environmentally friendly decisions.
What are the challenges in implementing Green Human Resource Management?
Management support is crucial for the success of environment-focused HR practices. However, in some companies, top management may not view environmental sustainability as a priority. Low environmental awareness across the organization makes it difficult for green HRM practices to be adopted and be sustainable.
Green training programs, green recruitment processes, and environmentally friendly technologies may initially incur additional costs. This can create resistance, especially for firms focused on short-term profits.
Some employees may struggle to adapt to new environmentally friendly behaviors (e.g., reducing paper usage, energy-saving rules) or perceive them as unnecessary burdens. Additionally, measuring the impact of green behaviors on performance can be challenging. Traditional performance evaluation systems may not take environmental contributions into account.
Environmental regulations can vary from country to country. This makes it difficult for international companies to develop a standard Green HRM policy. Finally, not every organization’s culture may easily adapt to green practices. Change management processes need to be well-structured.
Do you think HR management is now moving towards green human resources?
Yes, it is possible to say that Human Resources (HR) management is increasingly shifting towards green human resources. Especially in the last 10-15 years, we see that HR management has evolved beyond just placing the right person in the right job to a sustainability-focused strategic approach. Among the causes of this change is the increasing importance of corporate social responsibility and sustainability reporting as crucial elements for companies. Particularly, the escalating environmental issues on a global scale and their impact on the business world necessitate that companies enhance their environmental awareness.
Another reason is that employees from Generation Y and Generation Z have high environmental sensitivity; young talents prioritize the environmental stance of the company they will work for. Global crises such as climate change and natural resource scarcity pose direct risks to businesses, while investors increasingly choose companies based on ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) criteria.
Employees are now expected to possess not only technical competencies but also environmental responsibility awareness and sustainable business habits.
What benefits do companies aim to achieve through green human resources?
Behind companies' goals of creating green human resources are multi-faceted expectations for benefits. An environmentally friendly corporate image enhances reputation and brand value, which provides a significant advantage, especially among young consumers and talented employees. The perception of a "sustainable brand" creates customer loyalty and attracts investor interest.
Employees who ensure energy efficiency, reduce waste, and optimize resource usage can lower the company’s operational costs. For instance, with green office practices, electricity, water, and material expenses are reduced. Compliance with environmental legislation and risk reduction is increasingly strict, and green human resources facilitate compliance with these legal requirements and reduce potential penalties and reputational risks. Employees with an environmentally friendly perspective drive innovation and competitive advantage, leading to more sustainable and innovative products and services. Green innovations make a difference in the industry.
Regarding employee engagement and motivation, employees in environmentally conscious companies exhibit higher commitment to the organization. Especially younger employees work more motivated and productively in organizations that align with their values.
For long-term corporate sustainability, it is essential that the human resources focus on the environment not only to secure today but also the future. This way, companies become more resilient to crises like climate change and resource depletion.
In terms of sustainability, do you think companies have sufficient awareness about green human resources, and do they have the necessary infrastructure for this?
Companies’ awareness of green human resources is increasing, but it is still not at a sufficient level. Especially large-scale and international companies are more conscious and active in this area; however, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have more limited awareness. The necessary infrastructure for green human resources (education systems, performance criteria, recruitment policies, etc.) is either missing or just being built in many companies. Green human resources management remains a "secondary priority" for many HR departments; priorities are often operational goals. Performance management systems and reward mechanisms that will encourage green behaviors are still lacking in most companies. The number of companies providing regular environmental awareness training to employees is still low. Many companies conduct environmental campaigns to present a "green image," but they fall short in integrating this systematically into their human resources.
How can we make a comparison regarding green human resources from a global, EU, and Turkey perspective?
Globally, especially in large companies and developed countries, there is a clear trend towards green human resources. Global agreements like COP meetings and the Paris Agreement are effective. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the first international environmental treaty addressing global warming signed under the auspices of the United Nations. The treaty aims to reduce greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere by acknowledging the dangerous effects of human-induced environmental pollution on the climate and minimizing the negative effects. Although the treaty is significant as the first environmental consensus on climate change at the intergovernmental level, its enforcement power is weak, and the member countries have supported the treaty in good faith. The Kyoto Protocol, signed in 1997 within this convention, contains more concrete targets. Since its enforcement in 1994, annual parties’ conferences are held. These meetings are also referred to as "COP" (Conferences of the Parties). Among these conferences, the most significant one is the third conference of parties convened in 1997, where the Kyoto Protocol was signed.
What approach does the European Union take towards green human resources?
The European Union is the region with the most systematic and strict regulations in the world regarding this matter (binding companies directly through legal obligations like the European Green Deal, CSRD, etc.), and sustainability is at the center of EU policies.
In Turkey, awareness is increasing, but both regulatory pressure and in-company practices are lagging behind Europe. There is awareness, but there is a lack of infrastructure and systematic implementation. Leading companies create good examples; however, especially SMEs need to be supported.
What is the difference between green human resources and traditional human resources?
Feature | Traditional Human Resources | Green Human Resources |
Purpose | To utilize the workforce efficiently and effectively, to achieve organizational goals | To manage the workforce in a way that contributes to environmental sustainability goals |
Recruitment Criteria | Technical skills, experience, fit with organizational culture | Technical skills + environmental awareness, commitment to sustainability values |
Training and Development | Focused on professional and leadership development | Focused on developing environmentally friendly behaviors and reducing carbon footprint |
Performance Evaluation | Weighted on financial and operational results | Besides financial/operational success, eco-friendly contributions are also taken into account |
Rewarding and Incentives | Towards individual success | Eco-friendly initiatives and sustainable contributions are also rewarded |
Organizational Values | Efficiency, competitiveness, profitability | Efficiency + environmental responsibility, ethical production and sustainable growth |
Translated by Artificial Intelligence
