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Moving towards Maturity in Sustainable Human Resource Management

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 13932

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Nuno Melão

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Guest Editor

Departamento de Gestão, Instituto Politcnico de Viseu, 3500-003 Viseu, Portugal
Interests: management science; operations management; information systems

Dr. João Reis

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Guest Editor

Industrial Engineering and Management, Faculty of Engineering, Lusofona University, 1749-024 Campo Grande, Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: artificial intelligence; digitalization; industrial engineering; operations management; service operations
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent times have seen an interest in sustainable human resource management (HRM) as a result of growing concerns of negative impacts on the environment, worker well-being, distribution of wealth, and productivity. At its core is the relationship between sustainability and HRM. Sustainable HRM typically refers to human resource policies, strategies, and practices that seek economic, ecological, human, and social outcomes to satisfy the long-term needs of the multiple organization’s internal and external stakeholders. Its importance stems from addressing a timely topic among practitioners and for extending the academic discourse of HRM.

While its origins can be traced back to the beginning of this century, sustainable HRM is still at an embryonic stage of development. Scholars are still grappling with several foundational concepts and the literature remains fragmented among various disciplines and fields.

This Special Issue intends to pull together original papers that advance the state-of-the-art of sustainable HRM, including topics such as:

Sustainable work systems;
Models of sustainable HRM;
Green HRM;
Paradoxes and tensions in sustainable HRM;
Sustainable HRM practices;
Outcomes and impacts of sustainable HRM.

We welcome theoretical, conceptual, and empirical papers that use quantitative, qualitative, and mixed research approaches.

Dr. Nuno Melão
Dr. João Reis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

human resource management
sustainable work systems
sustainable models
green management
paradoxes and tensions
bundles of practices
outcomes and impacts

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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29 pages, 2748 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Happy and Engaged Workforce in Industry 4.0: A New Concept of Digital Tool for HR Based on Theoretical and Practical Trends

by Juliana Salvadorinho and Leonor Teixeira

Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 2781; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032781 - 3 Feb 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4660

Abstract

Industry 4.0 is moving towards Industry 5.0 and now has the challenge of placing the human factor at the center of technological innovation, in order to promote sustainable human resource management. For this, encouraging a happy and engaged employee within the organization is essential. It is known that tools that promote happier and more engaged people are enablers of more productive practices and more innovative actions, leading to more competitive companies. In line with these concerns, this study proposes a concept of a technological tool, named BoosToRaise, to promote and monitor workforce engagement. To achieve this goal, a mix-method that includes a systematic literature review and applications benchmarking was used. Thus, the concept of the tool emerged with a set of features in line with the engagement predictors found in the literature—Employee Role, Employee Skills and Career Management, Supervision Support, and Social Relationships—complemented with some use-cases already present in applications currently on the market. Furthermore, this concept presents itself as a differentiating Industry 5.0 accelerator that brings together functionalities that integrate Coaching and Gamification. Thus, in terms of contributions, this paper expands the existing discussion on people in Industry 4.0, not only by providing a systematization of the findings present in the literature and practical applications on this topic, but also by creating a new concept that will culminate in an applicational and practical tool to boost human resources through engagement and happiness at work. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Moving towards Maturity in Sustainable Human Resource Management)

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16 pages, 562 KiB

Open AccessArticle

High Performance Sustainable Work Practices: Scale Development and Validation

by Sugumar Mariappanadar

Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12682; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912682 - 5 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2414

Abstract

The study attempts to develop a high-performance sustainable work practices (HPSWP) scale. The multi-dimensional HPSWP scale with sustainability characteristics was validated using four different samples (Total N = 509). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported that the four dimensions (pro-environment, stakeholder compassion, ethics of care for well-being, and social consciousness) reflect different factors of the HPSWP construct. In alignment with the integrationist perspective of high-performance work practices, each of the dimensions of the HPSWP scale includes bundles of human resource management practices with sustainability characteristics. The results from the construct validity revealed significant differences in the dimensions of HPSWP between companies that focus equally and those companies which focus individually on profit, human/social and environment sustainability outcomes. The validated HPSWP scale using sustainability characteristics is the earliest study in the sustainable HRM literature. The HPSWP scale will support sustainability professionals with metrics to facilitate employee attitudes and behaviour at work to help organizations implement and achieve integrated financial, social/human, and environment sustainability outcomes. Various contributions to the sustainable HRM field are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Moving towards Maturity in Sustainable Human Resource Management)

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Other

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12 pages, 1558 KiB

Open AccessSystematic Review

Companies Could Benefit When They Focus on Employee Wellbeing and the Environment: A Systematic Review of Sustainable Human Resource Management

by Sergio Manuel Madero-Gómez, Yanira Lizeth Rubio Leal, Miguel Olivas-Luján and Mohd Yusoff Yusliza

Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5435; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065435 - 20 Mar 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 6193

Abstract

Purpose: We reviewed the scholarly literature that examines the role of sustainable practices for employee health and the environment. The study also examined the negative impact of the workplace on the wellbeing of employees and its indirect effect on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Design/methodology/approach: This was a literature review with data from the Scopus scholarly database. We found 65 results from 2008 to 2022. After eliminating duplicates and other search fields, we were left with 30 final documents. Findings: The study provided evidence that sustainable practices in the workplace increase the wellbeing of employees and reduce pollution in the environment, while also benefiting company viability. Research limitations/implications: Using other database sources besides Scopus and Web of Science could yield additional results. Practical implications: The study highlighted the need for organizations to develop sustainable HRM practices to minimize the negative effects on employee wellbeing and capitalize on the savings that are generated through sustainable initiatives. This finding could contribute to better corporate practices and the further development of research in this field. Originality/value: The HRM literature revealed the importance of having employee wellbeing practices which increase work productivity and engagement. This also empirically proved the positive impact of companies that implement sustainable HRM practices. This research provided a theoretical model that depicts the interrelation between corporate viability, employee wellbeing, and sustainable human resource management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Moving towards Maturity in Sustainable Human Resource Management)

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