Imperatives, Benefits, and Initiatives of Green Human Resource Management (GHRM): A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

This scientific paper focuses on in-depth knowledge of the concept of green human resource management in the field of management and business. For this purpose, the authors have used a systematic literature review to study the scientific research papers published in Google Scholar. The research results led to the appearance of 925 scientific articles from 2006 to 2022. By relying on many of the criteria that were identified, only 131 articles were chosen that are the most valuable and related to the management of green human resource management in the field of management and business, which intends to determine the impact of the application of green human resource management practices on organizations and to know the primary benefits, mechanisms and implementation procedures. The current study reached several conclusions, among which green human resource management practices is the best way to survive and preserve organizations, considering the concerns of protecting the global environment. A proposed theoretical model has been reached that shows the consequences of all green human resource management practices on the work of organizations and the added values achieved by their application.

1. Introduction

The 21st century has shown an increasing awareness of environmental concerns worldwide, be they in political, commercial, or economic spheres. A global consensus has also emerged on the need for proactive environmental management [1], which tends to ensure that its day-to-day operations are less harmful to the environment by implementing Environmental Management Systems (EMS) or green initiatives [2]. In response, many kinds of literature have emerged on green accounting [3], green retail [4], and green management. Furthermore, in recent years, the academic community has become increasingly interested in the role of human resource management in environmental management [5], considering that human resource management is the most critical contributor to the success of environmental initiatives [6].

Green human resource management (GHRM) is an emerging topic in the current scenario that combines environmental management (EM) goals with human resource management goals [7]. GHRM greening includes a set of policies and practices to protect the organizational workforce to maintain ample knowledge capital through the most environmentally friendly and cost-effective methods [8,9]. Khan [10] defines GHRM as using human resource management policies to encourage the sustainable use of resources within organizations and promote a protective environment. GHRM also advocates green employee management practices because they are part of a more sustainable business management strategy. Therefore, organizations must embrace a green culture that re-orients not only their whole strategy but also all staff values, trends, and behaviors. However, the critical point is that green human resource management practices (GHRMPs) can significantly influence employee attitudes and behaviors towards the required environmental performance [9,11,12]. GHRM has two main components: environmentally friendly HR practices and preserving knowledge assets. Thus, there must be a conscious, sustainable, proactive, and positive organizational culture by influencing the attitudes and behaviors of employees, which helps to enhance employee awareness, capabilities, and green behavior [13].

Based on the above, it is clear from most etiquette that two aspects are directly related to GHRM. First: human resource management includes two main components: environmentally friendly human resource practices and preserving knowledge capital. Second, organizations’ green human resource management is a strategic initiative to promote sustainable business practices.

Although a fair amount of literature deals with GHRM, there needs to be more clarity about the efficient enforcement of GHRM policies in organizations worldwide to investigate a green corporate culture. In addition, the need for evidence-based knowledge of the consequence of GHRMPs on all classifications of organizations is not limited to industrial or for-profit organizations only. This is because in our current era, everyone has become responsible for protecting the environment and bearing the environmental challenges that the world faces. Additionally, one of the fundamental reasons for preparing this study is the need for more research based on empirical data compared to the literature concerned with the analytical and applied aspects of an institution or in a specific sector. Finally, a developed management practice strategy can only be implemented within organizations with the support, awareness, and full conviction of top management of the importance of these practices, applying these environmental practices in managing human resources. Therefore, the intensive orientation towards the positive results achieved by GHRMPs will help managers and owners to identify the returns achieved from the practical application of these practices. Finally, a developed management practice strategy can only be implemented within organizations with the support, awareness, and full conviction of top management of the importance of these practices applying these environmental practices in managing human resources. Therefore, the intensive orientation towards the positive results achieved by GHRMPs will help managers and owners to identify the returns achieved from the practical application of these practices. (Note: Regarding GHRMPs, they will be covered in detail in the analysis of practices within the results).

In this context, the current study attempts to provide a comprehensive perception of GHRMPs and identify the essential benefits and added value of applying these practices. In contrast, we identify the most important procedures that need to be implemented to shift to green thinking within green human resource management. Therefore, the above is formulated in the form of study questions:

Q1: What is the reality of GHRM prevalence in business research?

Q2: What is the added value of applying GHRM in the work environment?

Q3: What are the most critical practices influencing GHRMPs within organizations?

Q4: What are the actions to be taken to implement GHRM in organizations?

Based on the nature of the study, which is the systematic review of the literature, the study included several steps, starting with an introduction that provides an overview of GHRM. Next, we move to the Materials and Methods section, which explains the data-collection method and the analysis levels used. This is followed by the results section, in which the study’s most important findings are clarified, in addition to presenting a proposed model for a comprehensive application mechanism for GHRMP and the most important implications of its application within organizations of different types and activities.

2. Materials and Methods

This research is based on a systematic literature review, so the research began by collecting data related to GHRM based on Google Scholar from 2006 to 2022, using the PRISMA model. The PRISMA model is among the most well-known and practical approaches to addressing many scientific conceptual developments of a specific topic to prepare a structured reference study [14]. The systematic literature review expresses the comprehensive and integrated search of multiple databases for a specific topic, to give the reader a broad understanding of the subject, and what researchers have reached in this field [15], in addition to answering the main research questions. This is accomplished by critically evaluating research [16]. This step is followed by preparing multiple analyses of more than one level to consolidate the results and reach convincing answers to the study questions. Implementing this type of study results in many advantages and potential contributions, including drawing a map of the research field and exploring future studies while giving a historical and developmental overview of the subject under study [17].

2.1. Data Collection

The data collection began for the concept of green human resource management, and the brief term GHRM (the OR and AND operators were used) on Google Scholar’s databases during the period 2000 to 2022. We did not obtain any results until the beginning of 2006, so the researchers changed the period from 2006 to 2022.

We have selected an advanced set of options for research to become more specific and linked to this study, such as choosing options with the exact phrase in the title of the article. As a result of its application, 925 research papers were shown in all scientific journals and various fields.

After that, we determined only scientific journals belonging to accredited and well-known publishing houses (such as ScienceDirect, Emerald, Taylor Francis, Wiley, MDPI, Springer, and Sage), which are subject to review. In addition, we restricted only those interested in the scope of management, business, and organizational studies. Additionally, articles only were permitted, therefore excluding books, chapters, and reports. Finally, we relied on open-access articles with complete PDF files.

After following all the above procedures, we had 131 articles divided into 102 empirical studies, 24 review studies, and 5 mixed studies. The following Figure 1 illustrates these procedures and the refinement.

Figure 1. A display of the standards used to review and organize the records of a systematic literature review.

2.2. Levels of Analysis

The study’s data were separated into two primary levels of analysis: the basic information of the literature under study and the content analysis of the literature to answer the study’s four fundamental questions. Figure 2 shows the details of each level of analysis. We found that the analysis of basic information for the literature included five types of analysis (analysis of articles according to the research source, analysis of articles according to year, analysis of articles according to geographical scope, analysis of articles according to researcher citations, analysis of articles according to word cloud). Content analysis included a comprehensive analysis of the GHRMP, the nature of the study, and the most important findings of the articles under study.

Figure 2. Levels of analysis according to literature review.

3. Results

As previously mentioned, the PRISMA chart in Figure 3 was used to collect data structurally. The chart began with data extracted from Google Scholar and 925 research papers, leading to 131 scientific articles published in ScienceDirect, Emerald, Taylor and Francis, Wiley, MDPI, Springer, and Sage in the fields of business, management, organizational studies, economics, and social sciences.

Figure 3. Systematic literature search by PRISMA Flow Diagram.

3.1. The Basic Information of the Literature under Study

3.1.1. Analysis of Articles According to Research Source

This analysis is divided into two main parts. The first part is expressed in Figure 4, which shows the publishers who were relied upon in the analysis and data collection, so we find that Taylor and Francis represents the most significant number of published research with GHRM. It reached 30 papers with 23% of the total research, and then came MDPI with 25 articles (19%). Wiley had 24 articles (18%), Emerald and ScienceDirect had 20 articles (15%) for each of them, Springer had eight articles with a rate of (6%), and in last place was Sage with five articles (4%).

Figure 4. The number of articles published about GHRM by the publisher.

The second part of the analysis included the journals published in the above publishers, which numbered 51 scientific journals. Sustainability magazine ranked first among all the magazines under study with 23 articles, Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management ranked second with eight articles, Bus. Strat. Environ. had seven articles and J. Clean. Prod had seven articles (see Figure 5).

Figure 5. The number of articles published about GHRM by scientific journals.

3.1.2. Analysis of Articles by Year

As mentioned earlier, we began to search for the concept of green human resource management and the abbreviated term GHRM. Initially, the research began in 2000, but there was no result until 2006 (Jinxiu and Xiu). We tried hard to obtain references as a complete pdf file, but this was unfeasible, and we only found a citation in Google Scholar. The research disappeared and did not begin to appear until 2009. However, the actual beginning of the emergence of GHRM in the world of business and management began in 2011 with Jackson, Renwick, Jabbour, and Muller-Camen [18], and after their article, limited contributions appeared, until 2020, which is considered the intensive launch of GHRM, and this field is still fertile for increasing research that tries to discover this concept and study its impact on the business environment (see Figure 6).

Figure 6. The number of articles published in 2006 to 2022.

The graph in Figure 6 above shows that the number of articles published in 2011 is one, with the publisher Sage, and the number increased to three articles in 2013, after which the number began to increase and decrease. The reason for this may be due to the difficult period that the world went through during the COVID-19 pandemic, in which most researchers directed to topics more related to this pandemic, concluding to 2022, when the number of articles reached its highest, reaching 51 research papers in the field of management and business.

3.1.3. Analysis of Articles According to Geographical Scope

This analysis used two approaches to identify the geographic regions and countries of interest in GHRM. The case study to which the article was applied was relied upon in empirical and practical studies. In the case of theoretical and literary studies, the association with the first researcher was relied upon. Based on the analysis of 131 targeted articles, it is shown in Figure 7 that the concept of GHRM has a global reach in many countries and continents. However, it is noteworthy and surprising that developed countries were not in the lead. In contrast, Pakistan was the country most interested in GHRM, with 20% of the whole country, followed by India with 12%. Then, Malaysia and China with 11% each, and it is also interesting that there is interest by Middle Eastern countries in GHRM, such as Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Palestine, Morocco, Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon, with a total of 15. In conclusion, developed countries had a lower share of interest in GHRM. For instance, the United Kingdom had 3%, the United States had 2%, France had 2%, Spain had 3%, and Australia had 2%.

Figure 7. The number of articles published by geographical scope.

3.1.4. Analysis of Articles by Author

In this analysis, VOSviewer software has been used to analyze the author to determine the structure of the scientific community in research articles and the scientific community’s structure in a field [19]. Through this analysis, the authors most interested in GHRM are determined and confirmed by the number of published articles. Therefore, we analyzed the BE author collaboration network visualization and obtained 422 authors for 131 selected articles. The authors most interested in GHRM were Fawehinmi and Olawole with four articles and total link strength of 16, and Yusliza, with four articles and total link strength of 14. Islam and Asdul had three articles and a total link strength of 11; Renwick, Young, Douglas, and Jin produced three articles and total link strength of 10 (see Figure 8).

Figure 8. Author collaboration network.

3.1.5. Analysis of Articles by Key Word

Keywords are one of the most critical components of any scientific research paper, and they help researchers to identify the extent of the relationship and relevance of what they read to the topic they are looking for, before starting to read the research. Furthermore, the words are of two types—either researcher keywords (DE) or additional keywords (ID) that are obtained from a biometric analysis program [19].

In this word cloud analysis, the word frequency tool has been used in 131 targeted searches in GHRM, and the most frequent words have been extracted in the form of a word cloud, as shown in Figure 8. It was found that the words “green”, “management”, “GHRM”, “human”, “sustainability”, “organization”, “training”, “environment”, “rewards”, and ”resources” occur recursively across all searches (see Figure 9).

Figure 9. Word cloud map of GHRM articles.

3.2. Content Analysis of the Literature under Study

3.2.1. Analysis of Variables Associated with GHRM

Referring to the targeted articles for the study and analysis (N = 131), to identify the most critical variables associated with GHRM, we found that GHRM was associated with many administrative and environmental variables, in addition to the diversity of the GHRM as a variable. In some studies, we found GHRM to be an independent variable (e.g., [20,21,22,23,24,25]. At other times, we found GHRM to be a moderator or mediator (e.g., [20,21,22,23,24,26] were out of the total articles). The GHRM site was affected, depending on the nature of the study and other variables associated with it within the research, which ultimately contributes to the cognitive enrichment of the concept, the diversity of its roles, its impact, and its influence on other variables. GHRM was associated with many variables according to its location, the most important of which were green employee behavior (N = 14), environmental performance (N = 13), environmental innovation (N = 8), green creativity (N = 6), green supply chain (N = 6), transformation leadership (N = 5), in addition to many other types of leadership such as servant, green, responsible, ethnical, and authentic. Furthermore, GHRM has association with critical organizational concepts such as Organizational Learning, Organizational Culture, Organizational Sustainability, Organizational Committee, and Organizational Citizenship, and GHRM is correspondingly associated with Human Capital Intellectual Capital. Moreover, we cannot ignore the relationship between GHRM and employee-related variables such as Turnover Intention, Retention, Green behavior, Empowerment, Self-Efficiency or Eco Efficacy (see Figure 10).

Figure 10. Article variables associated with GHRM.

3.2.2. Analysis of GHRMPs, Nature of Study and Main Findings

In this part of the content analysis, the nature of the study, GHRMPs, and the most important findings of the 131 articles will be identified. Please note that the articles were arranged chronologically from oldest to newest, as shown in Table 1.

Table 1. The nature of the study, GHRMPs, and the most significant findings of GHRM articles.

Author/s	Nature of Study	The Practices	Major Finding
[18]	Literature review	(GPM), (GTD), (GL), (GRC), (GCU)	Country cultural differences present challenges in their quest to create an equally important and effective green organizational culture globally.
[9]	Literature review	(GPA), (GPR), (GI), (GE), (GC)	This review found significant proof of a positive influence of EM in emerging markets with proof of correlation with vital outputs for efficient use of resources, reduction of squandering and contamination, in addition to there are employee outcomes such as increased job satisfaction.
[27]	Empirical study	(GHS), (GWLQ)	Involvement of the HR function in this process can make an essential contribution to establishing socially complicated, puzzling, and hard-to-emulate resources that ultimately lead to an increased competitive edge.
[28]	Literature review	(GPA), (GPR), (GI), (GE), (GC)	It is essential to recognize that aspects of SHRM and PM are essential to sustainable human resource management. As a result, organizational outcomes such as ROI, market ration and profit remain part of SHRM, as do operational activities.
[29]	Literature review	(GR), (GPM), (GTD), (GC), (GER)	GHRM includes specific procedures and activities that align with the three foundations of sustainability—environmental, social and economic equilibrium. Great employees place a high value on the environment and demonstrate exceptional commitment and job satisfaction to an organization that is always prepared to take an ecological approach.
[30]	Literature review	(GH), (GTI), (GPM)	Organizations can work to detail the various affirmative results of green interventions to develop the business situation needed to improve green behaviors for volunteer staff.
[31]	Empirical study	(GR), (GPM), (GTD), (GC), (GER), (GI), (GJD)	There are eight paradoxes in human resource management that these organizations are aware of, including (personal agendas versus organizational sustainability agendas
[32]	Empirical study	(GT), (GE)	To attain proactive ecological management, the majority must be on organizational behaviors that support environmental involvement, as in commune-oriented business factor involvement, this is at the core of the organization’s success.
[31]	Empirical study	(GR), (GPM), (GTD), (GC), (GER), (GI), (GJD)	GPM and compensation permit organizations to treat individuals stress by improving environmental performance. GHRM intercede the effect of individuals stress on environmental performance through GTD and involvement, as well as GPM and compensation.
[33]	Literature review	(GRS), (GT), ( GPA), (GRC)	Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) contribute to enterprises’ performance and then contributes to the capacity of firms to support human resources development and corporate social responsibility.
[34]	Literature review	(GETS), (GDJEI), (GT), (GCE), (GRW)	This research found that empowered workforce are more motivated to execute environmental tasks that deserve to be eco-friendly. HR is the backbone of any effective organization, so a motivated G-employee thoroughly influences social and organizational productivity.
[1]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GPA), (GRP), (GCu)	The results showed that GHRM creates a suitable environment for pursuing a sustainable one. The managerial role, selection and recruitment, rewards and payment systems, and performance and evaluation have positively impacted corporate social responsibility.
[35]	mixed study	(GRS), (GT), (GPA), (GR), (GI), (GTE)	Top management support and cross-departmental learning are critical to facilitating green behaviors among employees.
[36]	Empirical study	(GJD), (GP), (GS), (GT), (GHS), (GRC)	The sustainability of HRM depends on exploring external conditions for available opportunities, changes, movements, and risks and creating a balance between economic, social, and environmental conditions
[37]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GT), (GPM), (GRP), (GI)	To enhance G-creativity and earning G-competitiveness, organizations can concentrate on encouraging transformational leadership and making managers do a pivotal role by acting as actors in driving G-innovation.
[38]	Empirical study	(GH), (GT), (GPM), (GC)	The study indicates that GHRM and GSCM affect both environmental and financial interpretation and determine that GHRM and GSCM jointly use those implications.
[39]	Literature review		Organizations can implement GHRMPs at all levels, which can be accomplished, for example, by incorporating GHRM objectives and practices inside MIS.
[8]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GT), (GPM), (GRP), (GI)	Organizations need to implement GPM activities, such as balancing metrics to measure environmental results and identifying how liability must be circulated all through the organization.
[40]	Empirical study	(GH), (GTI), (GPC)	Researchers affirm that both GHRM and GSCM positively influence sustainable performance. Organizations should manage their cross-functional implementation within various management systems and organizational units for effective environmental management.
[31]	Empirical study	(GR), (GPM), (GTD), (GC), (GER), (GI), (GJD)	There are eight paradoxes in human resource management that these organizations are aware of, including (personal agendas versus organizational sustainability agendas
[41]	Empirical study	(GS), (GT), (GPA), (GRR)	Managers must translate CSR strategies into GHRMPs or priorities to effectively achieve business objectives. Therefore, managers should consider increasing employee awareness of CSR activities.
[42]	Empirical study	(GJAD), (GP), (GRS), (GIN)	The findings highlighted the ought to improve a recompense system for owners of creative ideas in order to safeguard the environment, motivate and encourage employees to care for the environment and use eco-friendly practices.
[43]	Literature review	(GRS), (GT), (GPI), (GTE)	The GT and rotations in work handled by SHRM are primarily for creating G-proficiencies and simplifying the SDGs’ execution.
[44]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GT), (GPM), (GI)	Organizations need to build a favorable picture and reputation in the market to remain at the forefront of competition. Engagement with GHRM may offer organizations a distinction such that the study identifies organizational prestige due to GHRM.
[4]	Empirical study	(GR), (GS), ( GTD), (GPI), (GM)	To address environmental issues, HEIs must integrate ecological behaviors into their operations, which makes employees proud to consider their institutions’ role in protecting the environment.
[45]	Empirical study	(SSE), (GT), (GEM), (GR)	HR practitioners must supply their employees with education and training programs concerning environmental preservation.
[46]	Empirical study	(GAD), (GP), (GPA), (GRC), (GS)	A strong positive relationship exists between senior management obligation, corporate social responsibility, all dimensions of GHRM. However, unexpectedly, it was found that the relationship between CSR and GHRM is less significant than expected.
[47]	Empirical study	(EEP), (GT), (GE), (GTE)	Only environmental training positively affects environmental competence in the company studied.
[48]	Empirical study	(GT), (GPM), (GI)	GT has the most decisive effect on enhancing employees’ voluntary nature of G-behavior, and hotels need to pay more attention to evaluating employees’ G-performance.
[49]	Empirical study	(GJDS), ( GR), (GS), (GT), (GPAS), (GRC)	GHRM’s recruitment, training, assessment, and motivation practices are supported in the development of the enablers of G-organizational culture. Evidence shows that these catalysts encourage employees to proactively reduce waste, use fewer resources, develop recycling programs, and in doing so, improve the company’s EP.
[50]	Empirical study	(GRS), ( GTD), ( GPA), (GRC), (GE)	An environment-friendly psychological climate and environmental knowledge mediate between GHRM practices and behaviors protected by the environment.
[51]	Empirical study	(GJAD), (GRS), ( GTD), (GPM), (GC), (GHS), (GLR), (GI)	GJD emphasize incorporating green elements into the functions. It promotes the integration of environmental protection obligations in each position, with an emphasis on its actual practice within the organization. Organizations should incorporate their ecological and social requirements into job descriptions and specifications.
[52]	Empirical study	(GT), (GPM), (GI)	GT and GI are critical tools in directly motivating employee commitment OCBE, and hotels’ environmental performance; OCBE is instrumental in mediating the effects of GT and GPM .
[53]	Empirical study	(GA), (GPM), (GR), (GR), (GS), (GT)	Understanding the driving force behind the adoption of GHRM, recognizing the benefits associated with GHRM, is vital for manufacturers, and understand GHRM role in n supporting and advancing the sustainability of the business.
[53]	Literature review	(GT)	This paper has increased exponentially over the past 12 years focusing on GHRM.GHRM performance outcomes at the organizational and individual levels obtained the most concentration from the research community.
[54]	Empirical study	(GAD), (GP), (GPA), (GRC), (GS)	There is an important positive relation between senior management commitment, corporate social responsibility, and all dimensions of GHRM. However, unexpectedly, it was found that the relationship between CSR and GHRM is less significant than expected.
[55]	Empirical study	(GC), (GT)	The findings indicate that there is a greater need for information from management. Organizations can be more mindful of the role of top managers.
[56]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GT), (GE), (GPE), (GCU), (GRC), (GTE)	The outcomes indicate that adopting only Internal Green Supply Chain Practices (IGSCP) may adversely affect enterprises’ market and financial performance. However, implementing GHRM and Supply chain environmental cooperation may motivate IGSCP to improve company performance.
[57]	Literature review	(GS), (GT), (GEM), (GRC), (GCO), (GWLB), (GTE), (GPDM)	Effective implementation of GHRM plays an important function in the organization’s performance. The growing understanding of environmental sustainability has prompted businesses to integrate environmental topics into their assignment, goals and strategies.
[6]	Literature review	(GR), (GT), (GPA), (GI), (GRC)	Employees must be given opportunities to participate and engage in the organization’s green initiatives that will enable them to donate to achieving G-goals by offering more creative explanations to issues.
[58]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GPM), (GRC), (GI), (GT)	Workforce must be offered chances to experience and encounter the association’s G-initiatives, enabling them to contribute to acquiring G-goals by delivering more creative solutions to concerns.
[59]	Empirical study		Goal-directed interferences developed at the organizational level may encourage individuals not independently enhanced by the environment. To achieve the full effect for these undersized, environmentally concerned staffers.
[24]	Empirical study	GT), (GPA), (GRC)	There was a significant positive relationship between GHRM and personal ethical standards and a significant positive relationship between personal ethical standards and green employee behavior. Hence, GHRM affected green employee behavior by mediating personal ethical standards. However, there was no significant direct relationship between green HRM and green employee behavior.
[60]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GT), (GPM), (GPR), (GI)	Environmental understanding fully moderates the relationship between green HRM and green employee behavior.
[22]	Empirical study	(GR), (GT), (GPA), (GTE), (GCU), (GRC)	The results show that performance appraisal, teamwork, recruitment and selection practices are the most important for improving CSR performance.
[61]	Empirical study	GPM), (GT), ( GRS), (GRC), (GI)	This study shows that green engagement, green pay, and reward only affect millennials’ turnover intent, whereas other GHRM practices do not directly affect millennials’ turnover intent.
[62]	Empirical study	(GPM), (GTD), ( GRS), (GRC), (GE)	This paper emphasizes that financial inducements are the procedure of improving G-practices in organizations in line with the study’s results.
[63]	Empirical study	(GH), (GT), (GRC)	This investigation promotes awareness of GHRMPs among practitioners that must be developed to maintain greater employee awareness of an organizational sustainability strategy based on age and gender.
[10]	Literature review	(GRS), (GTD), (GPA)	There is inhomogeneity in GHRM studies in devising and developing the world and manufacturing and service sectors; therefore, cross-cultural and multi-sector investigations must be performed.
[64]	Empirical study	(GRC), (GPA), (GT), (GRS), (GAJD)	The findings demonstrate that the two types of GHRMPs (GRS, GRS) and G-intellectual capital have a positive influence on firm sustainability.
[65]	Literature review	(GS), (GR), (GCU), (GHS), (GRP)	The results revealed that GS, GCU, G-procurement, G-strategy towards environmental and social services, Organizational strengths towards ES and “upper management commitment to greening the employees ” are the significant precursors for GHRMPs.
[66]	mixed study	(GH), (GT), (GI), (GPM), (GRC)	The numerous impactful GHRMPs were “GRC’’ and “GT’’ are the minor impactful G-practice was GPM and GRC toward improving employee behavior towards sustainable performance.
[67]	Empirical study	(GT), (GPM), (GI)	This review is important for researchers to introduce the research in GHRM by determining gaps and providing detailed recommendations. The first work proposes a complete research framework for future studies, especially suggestions of development related to green behavior outside organizations, the circular economy, and technology-based perspectives/Industry.
[68]	mixed study	(GTD), (GJD), (GST), (GS), (GCU), (GPA), (GHS), (GR)	GCU, adoption of the G-strategy, and GTD were essential practices for GHRM. In contrast, G-employee ties and collaboration management were discovered to be favorably pendant on the remainder of the indicators.
[69]	Empirical study	(GT), (GRC)	Organizational environmental culture is positively associated with GHRM, and GHRM is positively associated with enterprise environmental performance. On an individual level, GHRM positively affects employee job satisfaction.
[70]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GRC), (GPM)	GHRMPs require a development culture and organizational structure to help improve G-innovation to gain an endurable competitive edge.
[71]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GRC), (GTD), (GPA)	In contrast to the results of many previous studies, this research showed that The GHRM has no significant impact on the environmental performance of small tourism businesses; this can be due to the fact that most employees of small tourism businesses work part-time.
[72]	Empirical study	(GAJD), (GS), (GPA), (GRC)	Organizations can use GRC to engage top-quality prospects who can add value while considering possible prospects’ environmental concerns. GRC can create employees’ environmental learning, make their environmental cognition, promote their creativity for G-innovation, and encourage their environmental commitment, all of which contribute to improving environmental performance.
[73]	Literature review	(GEA), (GPA), (GRC), (GI)	The researchers conceptually examined a hypothetical model that suggests “G-employee manners in the workplace’’ is mediated between “GHRMPs’’ and the “social sustainability’’ of organizations.
[20]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GTD)	This article demonstrates that GTD and the greatest Management Commitment to Greening the Force positively correlated with sustainability. At the same time, sustainability did not support GRS.
[12]	Empirical study	(GCU), (GE), (GRC), ((GT), (GPA), (GTE)	GHRMPs have a positive relationship with G-internal and G-external incentives, preemptive ecological management, and worker ecological implementation.
[74]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GTD), (GPM), (GRC), (GE)	The preference for green HRM practices of recruitment, selection, empowerment, engagement, training, and development can improve g-employee creativity.
[21]	mixed study	(GRC), (GTD), (GPA), (GDM), (GSH), (GCD), (GS)	The consequences revealed a substantial approving effect of all GHRMPs on the flexible attitude.
[75]	Empirical study	(GTD), (GPA), (GRC)	This study promotes deeper employee involvement in achieving endurable ecological techniques for EP effectiveness. It is valuable for GTD and GPA in the industry under study.
[76]	Empirical study		Companies can use GHRMPs as a useful motivational tool for employees to display green behaviors. Additionally, Companies can make employees more environmentally committed and exhibit green behaviors that benefit all stakeholders by adopting GHRM practices
[77]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GRC), (GTD), (GPA)	There is no substantial direct influence of GHRM on EP. Despite this, there was an influence of GHRM on EP through pro-ecological affiliated and assertive manners.
[78]	Empirical study	(GR), (GT), ( GPA), (GRC)	CSR planning and practice rely on GHRM support and trustworthy leadership. Therefore, organizations must use GHRM when selecting candidates and evaluating performance. Furthermore, the organization must train trustworthy leadership for sustainability concepts.
[79]	Empirical study	(GPA), (GP), (GS), (GT)	Deploying a leader with high ethical criteria can produce desired employee outcomes. When an organization adopts GHRMPs. When organizations and leaders adopt pro-green behavior and implement GHRM-level practices, employees tend to follow through by working outside their traditional roles.
[80]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GRP), (GI)	Green training is not closely related to company sustainability. One reason for these findings is that employees are increasingly forced into activities essential to daily operations in fast-paced business activities. Thus, other activities such as “training” are likely less critical.
[81]	Empirical study		The findings indicate that G-supportive culture is partially mediating the relationship between participation in decision-making and job satisfaction.
[82]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GT), (GI), (GPM), (GRC)	GHRMPs should be chosen to allow G-creativity to flourish. Organizations should provide employees with GT options to promote their recognition of the importance of preserving the environment and the hazardous impacts of non-ecological activities.
[83]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GT), (GPR)	Hospital HRM must support management in selecting pro-environmental policies the transformational role to produce followers’ psychological well-being and job satisfaction.
[84]	Literature review	(GTD), (GRS), ( GTE), (GRC), (GI)	Studies should consider different countries’ perspectives and examine how exterior elements may contribute to environmental behaviors in the workplace. Companies must emphasize job elements, including environmental factors, when soliciting applicants.
[85]	Empirical study	(GPA), (GT), (GRC), (GS), (GPR)	The collective affective commitment to ecological management change and green reputation explains the relationship between GHRM and employee perception of the employer.
[86]	Empirical study	(GTD), (GDM)	Green training and development are the primary practice for building intellectual capital and promoting environmental behaviors. It can assist managers in building the intellectual capital to generate pro-environmental behaviors.
[87]	Literature review	(GT), (GRS), (GE)	As many companies struggle to survive the fallout from the pandemic, environmental goals—and GHRM may be left out of organizational goals as economic survival becomes paramount.
[88]	Empirical study	(GRS). (GT), (GPA), (GRC)	The results confirmed that GHRM practices enhance the nonprofit organization’s performance if implemented effectively.
[89]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GTD)	G-human capital is critical in implementing strategies to promote green practices. Training to increase eco-awareness is important because eco-capable employees are likelier to commit to pro-environmental attitudes.
[90]	Mixed study	(GS), (GT), (GPA), (GRC), (GDM)	This article has concentrated on a significant organizational flaw, the misallocation of managerial attention, and how corporate management will or should deal with this through human resource management (HRM) practices.
[91]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GTD), (GPM), (GCU), (GM)	Green HRM provides CSR actions via green skills growth, inspiration, and participation.
[92]	Empirical study	(GPA), (GT)	There is a close relationship between CSR, HRM and sustainability. HRM practices help advance biodiversity. As a result, there is a close relationship between CSR, HRM, and sustainability.
[93]	Empirical study	(GR), (GT), (GRC), (GPA)	This study shows that voluntary green behavior and task-related green behavior are related to GHRMPs, task-related ecological behaviors are straight linked to ecological training, ecological evaluation and award.
[94]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GT), (GI), (GPA), (GRC), (GTD), (GPA)	Organizational practitioners can encourage pro-environmental employee behavior by fully using the mediation of “green employee self-accountability.
[95]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GT), (GRC)	HR managers must incorporate eco-friendly practices into their HRM procedures. The results help organizations to improve their ecological achievements.
[96]	Empirical study		The significant barriers influencing green HRM implementation are the variables such as tribulation in measuring the effect of GHRM on the system, absence of leadership help, absence of G-infrastructure, development and keeping of G-culture, and absence of G-competencies.
[97]	Empirical study	(GRC), (GT), (GR)	Organizations ought to set several evolutionary and cognition sessions to enable employees to work on green plans.
[98]	Empirical study	(GAJD), (GPA (GR), (GRC), (GS) and (GT)	GHRM is an essential precedent for green culture, which can further influence human behavior, and performance.
[99]	Literature review	(GH), (GT), (GRC)	Green HRM can recreate a strategic function enabling organizations to enforce and develop sustainable strategies and support them in reaching the TBL.
[100]	Empirical study	(GAJD), (GPA), (GR), (GRC), (GS), (GT)	Environmental management is critical to how GHRMPs influence employee behavior. Organizations should assess the effect of these G-practices on employees’ emotional obligation and G-skill outcomes.
[101]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GTD), (GPM), (GRP), (GI)	Organizations should perform GHRMPs to reinforce their ecological functioning. Primarily, GRS can consider employees’ importance and environmental abilities when recruiting and selecting appropriate prospects.
[102]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GTD), (GPM), (GRP), (GI)	Perceived organizational support modifies the relationship between GHRM and self-esteem based on the employee’s organization.
[103]	Empirical study	(GR), (GT), (GPA), (GRC)	Pro-environmental actions and green initiatives make organizations attractive to their existing workforce. GHRMPs support organizations in devising green strengths and raising green behaviors.
[104]	Literature review	(GEEI), (EGC), (GRS), (GTD), (GPM), (GRC)	Green employee creative behavior helps the organization attain its sustainability objectives with the benefit of creative solutions determined by the procedure owners.
[105]	Empirical study	(GP), (GT), (GS), (GRC)	A psychological climate encouraging green initiatives is crucial and can result in positive perceptions of company policies, values, systems, and strategies. Employees realize a climate that promotes G-behaviors out of a sociable mind means.
[25]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GI), (GE), (GPM), (GRC), (GHS), (GDM), (GTD), (GCU)	Green reward is the most influential factor of GHRM. Based on the results, GPM is the second influential element of Green HRM.
[26]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GRC), (GM), (GE)	Hospitality institutions must implant G-values into their GRS, GTD and GM.
[5]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GTD), (GPM), (GI)	Organizations can enhance project management by retaining environmental management goals in a performance evaluation, providing frequent feedback to workers to support them in achieving eco-goals or enhancing their EP.
[106]	Literature review	(GTD), (GPA), (GRC), (GRS)	Studying GHRM is still underrepresented in current studies focusing on emerging economies.
[107]	Empirical study	(GTD), (GPA), (GRC)	Employees must demonstrate pro-environmental behaviors that are best aligned with the sustainable development goals of their organizations. Transformational leadership maximizes the positive outcome of green HRM initiatives and the workforce’s trust that it can achieve G-goals, accomplish G-tasks and understand eco-issues.
[3]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GPM), (GTD), (GRP), (GR)	The study enhances that a clear vision and full management cooperation between these educational institutions are the primary supports to ensure sustainable GHRMPs.
[108]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GT), (GPR)	This study demonstrated that combining GHRMPs into SMEs has effective effects in green achievement.
[11]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GPA), (GRC), (GE)	The practices of GHRM have played a role in promoting the pro-environmental behavior of workforce. G-entrepreneurship and G-self-efficacy mediated the relationship between GHRM and the environmental behavior of employees.
[2]	Empirical study	(GT), (GR), (GPA), (GRC)	GHRMPs are the engine for enhancing the mental performance of organizations. GHRM’s practices are linked with employee environmental compliance (EEC) and green process innovation and positively impact environmental performance.
[109]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GTD), (GI), (GPM), (GR)	Green training and development are vital to improving millennial employee keeping. Employees who receive Green training and development become more skilled and appealing to other business owners.
[110]	Empirical study	(GT), (GPA), (GR), (GRC)	GHRM strategies influence green supply chain management strategies, and companies must adopt GHRM strategies to develop GSCM. Innovation is vital to both GHRM and GSCM. The human resource managing procurement processes accept the environmental perspective and contribute to creating GHRM approach.
[111]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GT), (GPM), (GRP), (GI)	GHRM positively correlates with green employee perspectives, employee skills, good jobs, endurable consumption, and production behavior.
[7]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GTD), (GPA), (GRC)	the mediating role of big data analytics contributes to a growing body of knowledge relevant to practitioners regarding the importance of timely and effective decision-making and resource conservation through adopting GHRM policies and practices.
[112]	Empirical study	(GE), (GH), (GTD), (GRC)	CSR improves the relations between the Green HRM and organizational environmental performance. Research enhances sustainability practices by investigating the direct relations between Green HRM and CSR.
[113]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GT), (GRC), (GPM)	The study’s findings provide important support to managers in creating a G-culture by promoting GT, GRC and the green initiatives of a sustainable organization.
[114]	Empirical study	(GT), (GI), (GPM)	GHRM processes greatly affect the sustainability of educational institutions through their strategic excellence.
[13]	Literature review		This paper implies that Green HRM can enhance organizational sustainability by efficiently enforcing and managing pro-environmental activities.
[115]	Empirical study	(GRC), (GI), (GT)	Green behaviors increase employee commitment and enhance financial performance. Thus, hotels must focus on GHRMPs whether they should be rewarded and achieve environmentally sustainable objectives.
[116]	Empirical study	(GT), (GPA)	Green leadership and GHRM have an indirect positive exchange effect on green employee behavior. Green leadership practices and a green perspective may effectively encourage green behaviors.
[117]	Empirical study	(GR), (GT), (GRC)	Green self-efficiency explains the effect of GHRM on eco-execution. Moreover, this research helps show how GHRMPs can improve environmental performance through green self-efficiency and behavior.
[118]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GI), (GPA), (GRC)	Organizations that invest in developing transformational environmental leadership and GHRM policies may enhance their reputation among stakeholders, entice prospective skills, and improve their customer ground by attracting customers exposed to the environment.
[119]	Empirical study	(GR), (GI)	Employees’ perceptions of their environmental performance are only taken into account when people believe that environmental objectives are clear and consistent with the efforts of all people at all levels of the organization.
[120]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GT), (GPR), (GI)	Leadership and policymaking are essential components of green sustainable human resource management practices. GHRM methods impact business sustainability. Organizational commitment and employee satisfaction can be outcomes from GHRMPs to create a more sustainable society.
[121]	Empirical study	(GPR), (GPM), (GI), (GRS), (GT)	Managers who aim to increase financial and environmental outcomes must have internal HR procedures that positively impact both activities, particularly environmental ones.
[122]	Literature review	(GR), (GS), (GT), (GRC)	Organizations must participate in the green circle. Moreover, practices and guidelines should be handled universally through a shared platform with procedures.
[123]	Empirical study	( GE), ( GDM), GHS, (GSE), (GI), (GJAD), (GR), (GS), (GTD), (GPM), (GRC)	This study revealed that GS factors and organizational learning culture have essential effects; it is pointed out that GPM and GHS are positively dependent on the residual characteristics of GHRM.
[124]	Literature review	(GGS), (GTD), (GPA), (GRC), (GPR)	Organizations should take into consideration their strategy, unique characteristics and context. HRM management through high-performance work practices/systems (HPWP/HPWS) and HRM “best practices’’ may not always have the same impact in different national contexts.
[125]	Empirical study	(GJA), (GR), (GS), (GT), (GPM), (GRC)	GIC and GHRM do not directly impact EP, and GI plays a mediating role in making GIC, GHRM and G-intellectual capital beneficial in improving the environmental performance of the enterprise EP. Additionally, environmental strategies play an essential role in EP and mediate the relationship between GI and EP.
[126]	Empirical study	(GT), (GPA), (GO)	The study shows the direct effect of GHRM on green behavior on the job and the additional role of new employees.
[127]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GTD), (GI), (GRC) (GPA)	G-Team Creativity and GHRMPs help accelerate sustainable performance.
[128]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GLD), (GPA), (GRC)	The results indicated that to achieve sustainable business performance; organizations must promote efficiently implement GHRMPs, and introduce green innovation into business operations.
[129]	Empirical study	(GR), (GT), (GPR), (GPA)	Companies need to highlight GTD, GPM and take specific measures to form a green climate to effect employees’ performance.
[130]	Literature review	(GR), (GT), (GPA), (GRC)	GHRMPs are essential in developing all actors responsible for the hotel industry, including employers, directors, providers and clients.
[23]	Empirical study	(GTD), (GRC), (GI)	Management’s commitment to the practical application of GHRM practices enhances organizational capabilities to promote the green creativity of employees. Strong spiritual leadership reinforced the relationship between GHRM and involvement in green action and creativeness.
[131]	Empirical study	(GR), (GTD), (GPM), (GER)	GHRM reflects the company’s strategic direction towards environmental management and motivates workers to offer pro-environmental behavior to decrease adverse environmental impacts that guide environmental performance.
[132]	Empirical study	(GT), (GRC), (GPA), (GTE)	The results show that the GHRM plays an essential mediator role in implementing software to protect the environment. GHRM corrects human problems.
[133]	Empirical study	(GRS), (GT), (GI), (GPA), (GRC)	GHRM supports organizations in building an unpolluted environment that is attractive to employees. Organizational practice and its employees play an essential role in corporate identity.
[134]	Empirical study	(GH), (GTI), (GPM)	This survey emphasizes the greatest importance of GT and the least importance of GPM and compensation practices. Organizations with limited resources can make greater investments in the GT than other practices.
[135]	Empirical study	(GRC), (GT), (GPA)	Effective implementation of GHRM guided by green organizational policies and improvement of green outcomes for employees may strengthen their organizational motivation and identification.

After the articles’ detailed presentation, several important points related to GHRMPs can be concluded, which answers the main research questions. Upon careful and comprehensive research of the literature related to GHRM, we note that there is no consensus on the practices of GHRM, and we find that there is an agreement between them in some practices and a difference in others. For instance, we find that [3,5,8,9,29,38,80,95,111,121] agreed that the practices of GHRM are included in GRS, GTD, GRC, GPA. We find Raut [68] identified GHRMPs in environmental vision, training, and environmental performance assessment, and incentive programs. Additionally, Pham [48] determined GJAD, GCL, GL and the role of associations in eco-issue, and GHS are GHRMPs. In contrast, Ari [57] argued that GHRMPs are GRS, GT, GEM, GRW, GTA, GPDM GWLB, and GPDM. Yong [53] Measured GHRM through GT, GRS, GRW GPA and GJAD. Zahrani [127] clarified that GHRM could be measured through GPAS, GRS, GE, GTD, and GRW.

Established on the GHRMPs illustrated in the previous Figure 11, which were covered by most of the studies related to GHRM, we find that GRS, GTD, GRC and GPA are the most frequent and dependable practices.

Figure 11. GHRM practices.

This study supports this opinion because the above practices represent most organizations’ actual and recognized dimensions and are directly related to human resource management. In comparison, we find that the rest of the practices, such as green empowerment, green participation, green work–life balance, green organizational culture, and green organizational learning, are considered green organizational behaviors rather than practices within GHRM. In addition, the environmental vision is more inclined to the organization’s strategic thinking, not just HRM. We also find that the job analysis and job description can be included within the GRS. Finally, green health and safety are related more to a green OSHA practice than GHRM. Based on the above, four significant GHRMPs will be laid out in the following paragraphs.

Green Recruitment and Selection (GRS): Presently, the importance of GRS has significance for organizations, and HR professionals are paying great attention to attracting and retaining talented employees [53]. Organizations must recruit employees with behaviors, values, and environmental sensitivity to comply with sustainability goals. Primarily, employees must be prepared to engage in environmentally friendly activities to support their sustainability performance [31]. This employment is called “green-collar recruitment” [9]. Sustainability-related activities and environments attract a skilled, qualified, and trained workforce. Online recruiting and selection allow organizations to transfer enough knowledge about their environmental achievements [63], thus creating congruence between employee and employer values and environmental preservation concerns, increasing employee motivation and engagement [53]. According to Muisyo [85], organizations now realize that building a reputation as a green employer is one of the best strategies for attracting new talent. Talent search is a complex problem for professionals to attract and employ high-quality employees [108]. This will ultimately create a competitive advantage by reading outside opportunities [70] to ensure we stay one step ahead in the “war for talent” [9].

Tang [8] grouped the CRS into three classifications: (a) environmental cognition of the application; (b) employer eco-branding; and (c) environmental standards to attract candidates. Therefore, qualified candidates’ skill sets go beyond actual organizational performance in their respective areas of performance and into their ability to understand vital sustainability concepts such as recycling and preservation and generate more rationale. Furthermore, the world is “green”. Correspondingly, GRS identifies qualified employees who are motivated enough to make changes and support the management of the environment [8].

What are the mechanisms for implementing GRS within organizations?

There are many mechanisms that green employers can implement, such as: (1) Job descriptions and employee specifications must take into account environmental considerations [123]; (2) The interview should follow a text to discover the knowledge and environmental values of the candidate, such as incorporating personality factors, as earlier research links certain big-five personality traits (open-mindedness, acceptance and awareness etc.) to green behavior [63]; (3) The green profile of the job applicant should identify critical skills, the degree of their association and their performance of some environmental practices [96]; (4) The selection and recruitment procedures are paperless (reducing costs and reducing environmental impact) and provide more information, such as publishing job postings on the organization’s website, with all mail being sent and received online (for example, CV and approval letters), conducting online appraisal tests, conducting virtual interviews or video conferencing, and information on environmental management policies and procedures, which can be found on the organization’s website [87].

Green Training and Development (GTD): The extant literature suggests that GTD plays a significant function in gaining environmental purposes and enhancing environmental performance [31]. Furthermore, training and development are practices intended to develop employee knowledge, perspectives and skills [62]. Training adds value to employee skills and is essential to retaining and motivating employees. Therefore, organizations spend much time and money training their employees on environmental issues and equipping them with the knowledge and skills to contribute to them [33]. GTD educates employees about the value of EM [60]. Jabbour [33] defines green training as an environmental policy that equips workers with the knowledge and necessary skills and attitudes, so GTD is a considerably acceptable strategy for increasing cognition about management of the environment [8]. Furthermore, training on how to save energy, reduce waste, and raise environmental consciousness enables employees to participate in resolving environmental problems [96].

The context of green training provides resources for employees and teamwork to be efficient in green actions [101]. However, the organization should also apply it to ensure employees have a sustainable perspective, for example, by making all course materials available online [54], thus decreasing the amount of paper consumed [42]. Providing training promises to promote recycling and waste treatment, supporting flexible hours and telework, and minimizing long-distance business travel [18] are very useful for minimizing adverse environmental impacts on organizations. Making the workforce aware of the environment through seminars and workshops at the organizational level is also essential for achieving good ecological performance [26]. Providing environmental education that will change attitudes and behavior among managers and non-management staff [122] is also required for organizations. Moreover, it hones the employee’s ability to transact with several environmental matters.

Ahmed [29] explained in a survey of managers that the best management practices that facilitate the achievement of environmental goals are environmental training and creating a favorable green culture for employees, where they believe they are part of the environmental results. HR may provide leadership development workshops to support managers in developing their interpersonal skills, individual skills, or behavioral competencies in teamwork, diversity, change management, and cooperation [73]. The significance of GTD relies on analyzing acceptable needs, the trainee’s willingness to learn, and the obligation in workplace training [18]. However, if they are not considered when preparing and designing training content, all these requirements become barriers that lead to failures to achieve green training goals [34].

What are the mechanisms for implementing GTD within organizations?

GTD is an essential tool, and the central area of GHRM. Conversely, with proper education, training and development, it is easier to achieve its target environmental performance [12]. Shoaib [89] emphasizes that organizations have a significant role in training employees in “environmental transition” concepts and developing their knowledge and skills. The role of the human resource management department in the institution is to transfer the necessary training [125], developmental skills, and knowledge among employees to remain able to compete in the labor market [69]. Therefore, GTD practices can be implemented by following a set of procedures and initiatives, including: (1) Training employees to produce green workspace analysis; (2) Applying job rotation to train future green managers;, (3) Retraining employees who have lost their jobs in related polluting industries; (4) Providing specific training on environmental management aspects of safety, energy efficiency, waste management, and recycling; and (5) Green soft skills development [9].

Green Rewards and Compensation (GRC): Rewards and compensations are important GHRM processes, as rewards and incentives are the means through which employees are recognized for their performance [29]; it is the fuel to motivate and empower employees towards green responsibility [111]. It is considered to be one of the most powerful and influential tools through which individual interests are linked to the organization’s interests [64]. Through incentives such as awards, different employees will fully commit to their work and work more diligently to advance a particular organization’s goals and objectives [7]. Within the framework of GHRM, GRCs are possible instruments to support environmental activities in organizations [82]. Therefore, the green reward system must be designed to motivate and encourage pro-environmental behavior and practices [10] by including green standards in compensation for practical application.

What are the mechanisms for implementing GRC within organizations?

Several previous studies have posited that there are two ways to implement GRC when organizations are financial and non-financial (e.g., [50,108]), such as: (1) there is an environmentally friendly payment/reward system and packages designed to reward the acquisition of green skills; (2) Use of cash-based environmental management rewards (rewards, cash, (Shah, 2021)), and premiums [127]; (3) Use of non-cash environmental management rewards (vacations, gifts) [95]; (4) Use environmental management awards based on recognition (awards, dinners, advertising, day-to-day recognition) [127]; (5) Positive rewards in dealing with the environment (feedback); (6) Individual rewards scheme for everyone for green innovation [64]; (7) Linking the suggestion scheme to the reward system; and (8) Linking participation in green initiatives with promotion/professional gain [80].

Green performance appraisal (GPA): All organizations manage and evaluate performance regularly to help align individual employee performance with the expected optimal organizational performance [58], to ensure that the performance gap is closed so that both individual and collective employees work towards achieving defined organizational performance levels [105]. According to the GHRM track, the GPA determines the employee’s green environmental performance [114]. Furthermore, the reliability, validity, fairness, and performance appraisal criteria must meet the employee’s career path [18]. Therefore, previous studies have emphasized that standards for measuring green employee job performance should carefully align with the organization’s standards for environmental performance [21]. Furthermore, GPA is the most critical component for all levels of management, which directly affects the mechanism and efficiency of consequent awards [35]. Moreover, GPM consists of four components: creating green goals, constructing green indicators, assessing green outcomes for associates, and demonstrating usefulness.

What are the mechanisms for implementing GPA within organizations?

To meet the criteria for trustworthiness, reality, fairness, and influential performance appraisal [18], there is a set of considerations that directly assists in activating GPA and which must be considered and applied: (1) Supply valuable feedback to the workforce and constantly improve the company’s environmental performance; (2) The job description must conform to environmental tasks and objectives [5,51]; (3) HR staff should modify the performance appraisal system to include dimensions to categorize individuals according to the following behavioral and technical competencies—working as a team, cooperation, diversity, innovation and oversight of the environment [113]; (4) Enhance the performance appraisal system by developing performance standards concerning green consciousness and education [22]; (5) Administrators should examine employee performance and provide helpful critical notes during the evaluation and throughout the year. These procedures will assist employees in improving their knowledge, skills, ability and develop a sense of belongingness, and satisfaction among employees [128], thus creating a high-performance workforce. It is also necessary to motivate green employees to improve performance efficiency and organizational effectiveness [80]; and (6) The balance of performance management methods between the organization’s financial goals and the social and environmental goals, especially multinational companies with continuous unique competitive advantages through employee empowerment and employee welfare [80].

Why is GHRM important for all organizations with different activities and sizes?

In this section, the researchers explore how important GHRM is and explain the benefits of applying it. GHRMPs are potent tools for greening organizations and their operations through green performance, green behaviors, and green attitude [111]. Based on the existing literature, many GHRMPs are effective tools for gaining enduring purposes through individuals (e.g., [9,20,29,80,88]). Employees who can directly influence their jobs report higher levels of job satisfaction than those who can not [31]. Moreover, many potential candidates are also looking for jobs with a societal impact and prefer to work with green companies that offer environmentally friendly jobs [67]. Consequently, GHRMPs tend to create environmental employees [60] who comprehend the organization’s environmental values and are committed to CSR [136]. Jabbour [33] commented that GHRM had a critical role in the development and management of the environment and that GHRMPs (GPA and GRW) are necessary in order to achieve more anticipatory initiatives, as there is a strong relationship between the application of environmental management and the benefits of GHRM, e.g., job satisfaction and employee benefits/employee retention [27,47].

On the other hand, individual participation and publishing of green knowledge inside the organization are critical to applying environmental management activities, and this will only happen in strong GHRMP [75]. A GHR research department increases the desire of employees to join an environmentally friendly workplace, and employees in a green workplace are more flexible for a low-cost budget [71], with the addition that employees who work in a green environment become more creative [110]. Employees in a green workplace want to continue because of environmental activities, which improves employee turnover [61] and the impact of GHRMP on an organization’s sustainability and employee retention [118]. GHRMPs such as GC, GT, GPA, GRW and GIV in an organization contribute considerably to achieving the organization’s social sustainability goals concerning employee health, safety, and well-being from an employee perspective [1]. CSR policies require that a company’s GHRMPs promote routine green behavior for employees in the workplace, improve employee health and well-being, and strengthen social sustainability for their organization. Therefore, in the context of opportunity and social identity theories [79], the HR function can strategically create and implement sustainable business strategies throughout the organization [39]. GHRM is one of the best ways to ensure a good relationship between organizations and stakeholders [86].

Therefore, the top management of companies should support the practice of GHRM both at the individual and organizational levels. GHRM helps create and support the necessary internal competencies to preserve the environment [12] and innovate to achieve environmental performance [115,122], organizational production performance, reducing negative impacts on the environment [63], and cost reduction [12] without losing the best talent [118]. GHRMPs with effective leadership, both green and transformation [42], influence employees’ green behaviors towards developing green skills and knowledge, which leads to generating early ideas and solutions that contribute to achieving environmental goals(Kara, 2020). GHRMPs play a significant role in fostering pro-environmental psychological capital, and GRC, GTD, GRC, and GPA are highly correlated with green intellectual capital [86].

Finally, the researcher has drawn a comprehensive framework explaining (Figure 12) how GHRM helps organizations to survive and grow.

Figure 12. Comprehensive GHRM Framework.

What actions and initiatives should the human resources department take to become environmentally friendly?

GHRM has become a key business strategy for critical organizations as HR departments transition from an office to a green environment. Here, the authors will attempt to explain a set of actions and strategies that support the transition to a green environment. Human resource managers are responsible for creating an appropriate and healthy environment and training employees on reducing environmental damage through mindful use of available resources, waste disposal, energy conservation and management, recycling, waste management, and waste management [68]. Organizations must adopt a green culture that completely redirects their strategy, values, attitudes, and behaviors to all those working there [76]. In reorientation and organizational change, GHRMPs are essential because they influence the attitudes and behaviors of employees towards the desired environmental performance [31]. Studies have found that several GHRMPs, such as recruitment, selection, training, and compensation, are powerful tools for achieving sustainable goals through employees [65]. Besides these practices, organizations must also focus on embedding sustainability as a core value [50] by increasing employee awareness of their organization’s vision for sustainability [48]. For human resource effectiveness, human resources must align with the organization’s strategic objectives. An organization tries to influence and shape its employees’ skills, attitudes, and behavior to do their work and achieve organizational goals [46]. Organizations should raise awareness of existing workforce guidelines through training and development of the existing workforce as essential drivers for transferring new skills and knowledge between old and new employees. Moreover, organizations must consistently communicate their environmental goals [137]. Thus, we maintain that all organizations must have white employees in work and personal life. The employees of an organization need to be proficient in greening, motivated to be green, and be committed to greening [54], and participate in greening [9]. To achieve this, GHRM is indispensable for obtaining green people as new employees and retaining the most suitable employees in greening (Fawehinmi, 2020), to obtain and improve employee participation in greening (Chen, 2022), to motivate employees towards greening, and to enhance commitment towards green practices [109]. The actual application of GHRMPs, such as teleconferencing, online training, use of energy-efficient office space [107], group transportation [98], flexible work schedules, employee assistance programs, wellness programs, and employee engagement are considered in environmental protection programs that encourage the motto of reduce, reuse, and recycle operations, and have proven their ability to reduce negative environmental influence [111]. The necessity of creating new environmental management jobs within the organizational structure, or appointing an individual within the organization to carry out environmental management tasks will only happen effectively in the presence of environmental management practices [42].

4. Discussion

This systematic literature review provides a comprehensive overview of studies conducted during the period from 2006 to 2022, founded on research published in ScienceDirect, Emerald, Taylor Francis, Wiley, MDPI, Springer, and Sage, in order to shed light on the concept of GHRM and its impact on the performance of organizations and employees, with knowledge of the mechanisms of its application. Additionally, this study tried to provide comprehensive information on GHRM and its stages of development in order to develop theoretical and conceptual models related to it. Therefore, to achieve this, several disparate analyses were carried out in more than one aspect of the selected scientific articles under study, including the analysis of the number of scientific papers published directly related to GHRM by year, which confirmed the rise in the NP published in the field of business, management and organizational studies, especially in recent years, starting from 2019 until 2022, which indicated that there is academic and applied research interest in GHRM; this proves it to be a fertile field that needs further exploration and research. There is a wide prevalence and a continuous escalation in the prevalence of research published in GHRM. Moreover, the geographical scope analysis demonstrated broad international interest in GHRM, but developing countries were more interested than developed countries. Nevertheless, in any case, recognizing the importance of GHRM by different countries and cultures, whether in Europe, America, Asia or the Middle East, will lead to more additions and effective research and application achievements. According to the results of these previous analyses, the first study question (Q1) was answered. On the other hand, the analysis of the variables associated with GHRM confirmed the discovery of many management practices and concepts that have a consequence and an interrelationship with GHRM and GHRMPs, as we find much research linking GHRM to green supply chain management, corporate social responsibility, environmental management, green employee behavior, and benefits. In addition to the previous analysis, we prepared a comprehensive search for 131 scientific articles, including the practices used, the type of study used, and the most important research results identified, which helped answer research questions Q2, Q3, and Q4. Where the current study confirmed that there is a difference and diversity in GHRMPs according to the diligence of researchers in this field, there is almost agreement on four GHRMPs, which are GRS, GTD, GRC and GPA, each of which plays a significant role in contributing to the success of organizations through their employees towards green orientation. The most meaningful contributions and added value achieved by GHRMPs and the mechanisms of their application within organizations are explained.

5. Conclusions, Contributions, Limitations, and Future Research

5.1. Conclusions

This study focuses on GHRM and GHRMP, emphasizes the benefits of applying GHRM, and identifies implementation mechanisms. The author asserts that the critical element of GHRM implementation is the solid internal belief of individuals in the importance of a green orientation in all practices that creates an environmentally friendly organizational culture, leading to cost reductions, pollution reduction, and a positive image for organizations. Most studies confirmed that environmentally friendly organizations achieve a more significant competitive advantage than others, as they have employees with higher performance, values and principles, increased commitment, job satisfaction, and employee pride in belonging to an environmentally friendly organization. Today, social and environmental factors are becoming equally important along with economic and financial factors. Therefore, organizations must pay great attention to environmental issues and believe that GHRM is the most appropriate way to achieve social responsibility and sustainability. Trade unions and community organizations should play a significant role in making organizations feel green in implementing and taking green initiatives and in encouraging them on the importance of a green approach.

5.2. Contributions

This systematic literature review contributes to creating a more comprehensive approach to GHRM. The first contribution: this paper is based on the preparation of comprehensive analyzes of several different aspects of GHRM study, whose data were collected from reputable journals and audited and reviewed to ensure the quality of the research excerpt. The second contribution is to highlight the most frequent and impactful dimensions of GHRM and to discover its implementation mechanisms within organizations. The third contribution is to develop a conceptual and theoretical model of GHRM and reflect on its impact on achieving added value for organizations by implementing the four dimensions of GHRM. The fourth contribution is that this study is considered one of the most recent studies in GHRM, which highlighted the importance of this management concept related to the environmental aspect, which has a substantial impact on improving the green behavior of employees and their sensitivity towards environmental issues. The fifth contribution is that the study presented the most important returns achieved by GHRM in the performance of various organizations. The study presented various research findings across multiple sectors and industries, such as healthcare, hospitality, education and manufacturing. Finally, the sixth contribution is that the study used a systematic literature review method to emphasize the multiple roles of GHRMPs in improving the performance of environmental organizations and an organization’s reputation, which opens the way for further research based on empirical studies to enrich knowledge and apply the concept from several points of view.

5.3. Limitations

Despite the contributions made by the current study, the work has limitations. The first limitation is the use of only scholarly articles published in the specified publications. Although these publishers are among the strongest and best scholarly publishers, broadening the scope will make the analysis deeper and more dependable. Additionally, the focus was only on English articles and disregarded other languages, among which there might be articles of notable contribution.

5.4. Future Research

Due to the criteria that were determined when selecting the scientific articles, some other articles may need to be included. In addition to the above, only the scope of management, business and organization is specified for the selected search, limiting the number of search results, so future research can expand or select another scope. There is heterogeneity in the data reported within research on GHRM in both developing and developed countries as well as industries, so more studies across cultures and sectors should be prepared.