Sustainability and Human Resources Management: Evaluating Challenges and Impacts for the Employee-Organization Relation

A special issue of Administrative Sciences (ISSN 2076-3387). This special issue belongs to the section "Strategic Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2022) | Viewed by 48593

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1. Polythecnic Institute of Coimbra/Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra - Escola Superior de Educação, Rua Dom João III, Solum, 3030-329 Coimbra, Portugal
2. ICNOVA – Instituto de Comunicação da NOVA/NOVA Institute of Communication, 1069-061 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: organizational studies; human resource management; management; behavioral science; organizational psychology
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1. ISEG – Lisbon School of Economics & Management, University of Lisbon, 1200-781 Lisboa, Portugal
2. SOCIUS – Research Centre in Economic and Organizational Sociology, 1200-781 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: human resources management; sustainability; corporate social responsibility
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The new millennium development agenda has brought with it the need for countries worldwide to develop policies aimed at the common purpose of fostering sustainable development. The agenda has emphasized the notion that organizations should develop their management areas in correspondence with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), appealing for commitment towards economic prosperity or the ending of poverty, while also protecting the environment.

Although sustainability is hardly a new subject for research, recent years have moved the theme towards the perspective of Human Resources Management (HRM). In effect, it has become a recent target of attention for HRM researchers, in search of valid ways to stimulate the area and be committed and resourceful regarding structural paths leading to overall sustainable development. Consequently, identifying the way in which Sustainable Human Resources Management (SHRM) practices that support organizational strategy, performance, or internal development can and should be built has become a challenge of investigation. HRM has always been a management area permeable to new challenges aimed at enhancing organizational productivity, internal efficiency, or organizational strategic development. Sharing this alignment with the new millennium development agenda, the area has recently been influenced by research dedicated to understanding in what ways sustainability can work alongside with HRM to achieve structural progress for organizations.

As research on the broad subject of SHRM expands, interesting steps are being taken in regard to collecting evidence towards viewing the area as a vigorous component of Corporate Sustainability’s (CS) purposes and challenges describing the way organizations achieve their goals for the business. The area of SHRM has been steadily aligning with the agenda’s SDGs, in particular the goals (a) decent work and (b) economic growth. Despite the encouraging path that SHRM is taking in this specific field, the medium- and the long-term effects on organizational performance are still yet to be understood. As such, it becomes relevant to study the impact of SHRM regarding the ways in which people can be managed and led, and the effects it can have on workers’ attitudes and behaviors.

The Special Issue that we are proposing is intended to discuss in what way SHRM can overtake the traditional approaches of strategic human resources management in regard to relevant aspects such as people management, leadership, team performance, internal communication and HRM, workers’ behavior and workers’ attitudes towards work environments. We are seeking submissions that focus on new approaches that can shed light on the challenges and impacts that SHRM may bring for the employee–organization relation.

Relevant theoretical perspectives might include (but are not limited to):

  • The impact of sustainability on human resource management;
  • Leadership and sustainability;
  • Sustainability and relational architecture;
  • Sustainability and remote workplace relationships;
  • SHRM and work–life balance;
  • Responsible leadership;
  • Green HRM;
  • Corporate Social Responsibility;
  • SHRM and diversity;
  • SHRM and well-being;
  • Sustainability and HR attraction and retention;
  • Sustainable work system;
  • Business Ethics;
  • Sustainable organization;
  • Sustainable HR strategy; 
  • Sustainable leadership.

Prof. Dr. Daniel Roque Gomes
Prof. Dr. ‪Neuza Ribeiro
Dr. Maria João Santos
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • leadership and sustainability
  • sustainable HR strategy
  • sustainable work system

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 474 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Empowerment on the Motivation of Portuguese Employees—A Study Based on a Structural Equation Model
by Marlene Sousa, Eulália Santos, Tânia Santos and Márcio Oliveira
Adm. Sci. 2023, 13(11), 230; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci13110230 - 27 Oct 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2442
Abstract
Over the last few years, in a continuous and growing way, the motivation of employees has been studied and it is currently agreed that it is an important work factor that significantly influences productivity and individual performance in an organisational context. As an [...] Read more.
Over the last few years, in a continuous and growing way, the motivation of employees has been studied and it is currently agreed that it is an important work factor that significantly influences productivity and individual performance in an organisational context. As an influential factor for this motivation, we can find psychological empowerment in the sense that it gives employees freedom and confidence. This study aimed to understand the role of psychological empowerment in employee motivation. Empowerment can be translated, in a business context, into the training and valorisation of collaborators with a sense of their commitment to better the individual and, consequently, global performance of the organisation. In this research, empowerment was considered a motivational factor in achieving organisational objectives. The methodology used was of a quantitative nature based on a questionnaire survey that aimed to analyse psychological empowerment and the motivation of 620 individuals working in Portuguese organisations in the industry and services sectors. The results obtained, which were based on a structural equation model, show that psychological empowerment at work positively influenced employee motivation, with the meaning and self-determination dimensions contributing the most to motivation. The results obtained in the study have the potential to benefit both employees and organisations, contributing to a more productive and healthy working environment. Full article
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17 pages, 884 KiB  
Article
Satisfaction with Internal Communication and Hospitality Employees’ Turnover Intention: Exploring the Mediating Role of Organizational Support and Job Satisfaction
by Ana Patrícia Duarte and Vítor Hugo Silva
Adm. Sci. 2023, 13(10), 216; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci13100216 - 1 Oct 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 6536
Abstract
Managing employee turnover is a key function in human resource management (HRM) that has become especially relevant given current staff shortages. The travel and tourism industry has been strongly affected, with many organizations having difficulty attracting and retaining workers. Portugal, as a prominent [...] Read more.
Managing employee turnover is a key function in human resource management (HRM) that has become especially relevant given current staff shortages. The travel and tourism industry has been strongly affected, with many organizations having difficulty attracting and retaining workers. Portugal, as a prominent player in tourism, is no exception, and the workforce shortage crisis has been discussed in various forums and has attracted media attention. The present study examined hotel employees’ turnover intention and its relationship with their job satisfaction and positive perceptions of internal communication and organizational support. The proposed theoretical model included that internal communication contributes to the quality of employee–organization relationships by increasing perceived organizational support and job satisfaction, which in turn serve as sequential mediators of hotel workers’ diminished intent to leave their employer. Multiple regression analyses were performed using data collected from 12 hotels (number = 370 workers). The results support the model as they confirm that a statistically significant negative relationship exists between employees’ satisfaction with internal communication and their turnover intention. These variables are both directly and indirectly connected through perceived organizational support and job satisfaction. Implications for HRM are discussed including the importance of refining internal organizational communication to strengthen employee–organization ties. Full article
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15 pages, 627 KiB  
Article
“Searching for Gold” with Sustainable Human Resources Management and Internal Communication: Evaluating the Mediating Role of Employer Attractiveness for Explaining Turnover Intention and Performance
by Daniel Roque Gomes, Neuza Ribeiro and Maria João Santos
Adm. Sci. 2023, 13(1), 24; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci13010024 - 16 Jan 2023
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 5540
Abstract
Objective: The main objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of sustainable human resources management (SHRM) and internal communication (IC) on turnover intention (TI) and employee performance (PER) while assessing the mediating role of organizational attractiveness (AT) over these relationships. In [...] Read more.
Objective: The main objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of sustainable human resources management (SHRM) and internal communication (IC) on turnover intention (TI) and employee performance (PER) while assessing the mediating role of organizational attractiveness (AT) over these relationships. In this sense, this study intends to evaluate the effect of SHRM and IC on employee PER and TI, with AT acting as the mediator in a joint model of analysis. Methodology: To achieve the aforementioned purposes, a cross-sectional quantitative study was prepared using the Structural Equation Model (SEM). In total, 177 individuals participated in the study. Regarding gender, 62.4% were female. Participants came from all districts of Portugal and were aged from 21 years old to over 55 years old. Results: The main results show that both SHRM and IC are significantly correlated with AT, PER, and TI. Additionally, AT has a total mediation effect in the relationship between SHRM, PER, and TI and also between IC, PER, and TI. Practical implications: These results seem to support the need for organizations to invest in combined strategies and practices that aim to intertwine SHRM and IC towards the benefit of the worker. Both areas have been shown to have solid effects over PER and TI, as well as on the development of favorable worker perceptions that identify the organization as a good place to work. Practitioners should look at both SHRM and IC as valid ways of stimulating the quality of the worker–organization relationship. Incorporating these areas into common strategic planning and consecutive practices seems advisable regarding workers’ performance and employee retention. Full article
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15 pages, 812 KiB  
Article
Predicting the Relationship between Green Transformational Leadership, Green Human Resource Management Practices, and Employees’ Green Behavior
by Afriyadi Cahyadi, Diah Natalisa, József Poór, Badia Perizade and Katalin Szabó
Adm. Sci. 2023, 13(1), 5; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci13010005 - 22 Dec 2022
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 5893
Abstract
Building on theories of Corporate Sustainability, Triple Bottom Line, and Natural Resource-Based View, this study aims to predict the positive relationship between green transformational leadership, green human resource management practices, and employees’ green behavior. It applies a quantitative approach to analyze 252 data [...] Read more.
Building on theories of Corporate Sustainability, Triple Bottom Line, and Natural Resource-Based View, this study aims to predict the positive relationship between green transformational leadership, green human resource management practices, and employees’ green behavior. It applies a quantitative approach to analyze 252 data collected from the customers who are prospective employees of small and medium enterprises in Budapest. An online questionnaire was sent to 252 samples with the Snowball sampling method for about a month in Hungary. Based on a structural equation modeling analysis, green transformational leadership and green human resource management practices positively influence employees’ green behavior. Green human resource management practices mediate the relationship between green transformational leadership and employees’ green behavior. Small and medium enterprises should consider solving the green behavioral problems of their employees by promoting the green concept in leadership and human resource management practices. Such initiatives contribute to sustainability in small and medium enterprises. Full article
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15 pages, 460 KiB  
Article
Examining the Mediating Role of Work Engagement in the Relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility and Turnover Intention: Evidence from Nigeria
by Olubanke Tolulope Bayode and Ana Patrícia Duarte
Adm. Sci. 2022, 12(4), 150; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci12040150 - 29 Oct 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2699
Abstract
The subject of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has drawn the attention of many scholars and practitioners in the administrative sciences field. However, few studies have been carried out on Nigerian employees’ perspectives on CSR and on how CSR affects their attitudes and behaviors [...] Read more.
The subject of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has drawn the attention of many scholars and practitioners in the administrative sciences field. However, few studies have been carried out on Nigerian employees’ perspectives on CSR and on how CSR affects their attitudes and behaviors at work. The present study sought to contribute to narrowing this gap by examining how CSR perceptions, work engagement, and turnover intention are related in a sample of Nigerian workers. More specifically, this study had triple aims: first, describe employees’ perceptions of their employers’ involvement in different CSR domains; second, examine how CSR perceptions were related to employees’ levels of work engagement and turnover intention; third, analyze work engagement intervention as a mediator in the relationship between CSR perceptions and turnover intention. The sample included 118 employees from different organizations who voluntarily participated in an online survey. The findings revealed that respondents consider that their employer organizations have relatively high involvement in CSR activities, especially activities towards customers, employees, and stockholders. Findings also revealed that employees’ perceptions of CSR are related to diminishing levels of turnover intention, via increased work engagement. Therefore, organizations can invest in CSR activities to foster positive employee outcomes in Nigeria. Full article
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16 pages, 786 KiB  
Article
Is Online Teaching Challenging Faculty Well-Being?
by Pilar Mosquera, Paula C. Albuquerque and Winnie Ng Picoto
Adm. Sci. 2022, 12(4), 147; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci12040147 - 27 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2426
Abstract
Organizations that practice Sustainable Human Resource Management are socially responsible and concerned with the safety, health and satisfaction of their employees. Under this sustainability orientation, it is very relevant to analyze whether the sudden transition to e-learning as a strategy of adaptation to [...] Read more.
Organizations that practice Sustainable Human Resource Management are socially responsible and concerned with the safety, health and satisfaction of their employees. Under this sustainability orientation, it is very relevant to analyze whether the sudden transition to e-learning as a strategy of adaptation to the COVID-19 pandemic affected the well-being of faculty. One hundred and two college teachers at a business school in Lisbon completed a web-based questionnaire administrated during the second lockdown due to the pandemic. The questionnaire included the Online Faculty Satisfaction Survey (OFSS) and the Work-Related Quality of Life (WRQoL) questionnaire. We use Partial Least Squares Path Modeling to derive to what extent the satisfaction with online teaching has impacted faculty well-being measured by the quality of working life. Results show that interaction with students, student engagement, flexibility and technology are the most relevant factors to faculty satisfaction with online teaching. Having control at work, good working conditions and general well-being are the most relevant factors for faculty overall well-being. As proposed, faculty satisfaction with online teaching positively and significantly influences faculty general well-being, home–work interface and job and career satisfaction. Full article
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14 pages, 452 KiB  
Article
An Investigation into the Effect of Knowledge Management on Employee Retention in the Telecom Sector
by Nurul Mohammad Zayed, Friday Ogbu Edeh, Khan Mohammad Anwarul Islam, Vitalii Nitsenko, Tetiana Dubovyk and Hanna Doroshuk
Adm. Sci. 2022, 12(4), 138; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci12040138 - 17 Oct 2022
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 5497
Abstract
Employees in the telecom sector are knowledge workers and, thus, managers, HR professionals, and policymakers in the industry need to retain them through knowledge management policies. It is against this premise that this study investigated the effect of knowledge management on employee retention [...] Read more.
Employees in the telecom sector are knowledge workers and, thus, managers, HR professionals, and policymakers in the industry need to retain them through knowledge management policies. It is against this premise that this study investigated the effect of knowledge management on employee retention in the telecom sector. Research design employed in this study is a cross-sectional survey with an accessible population of thirty telecom companies in the southeastern region of Nigeria using a simple random sampling technique. The sample size was determined with the Krejcie and Morgan sample size determination table. A questionnaire was used as an instrument for data collection. Respondents’ profiles were analysed with frequency distribution while the formulated hypotheses were analysed with linear regression. The study found that knowledge management dimensions have a significant effect on the measures of employee retention. The study concludes that knowledge management measured in terms of knowledge acquisition, knowledge storage, and knowledge sharing predicted employee retention that is measured by supervisor support, coworkers support, and flexible working arrangements. One of the implications of this study is that managers of telecom companies should liaise with their board of directors to make funds available that would be used to train employees to acquire relevant knowledge that is needed in the telecom industry. Full article
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16 pages, 467 KiB  
Article
Effects of ESG Activity Recognition Factors on Innovative Organization Culture, Job Crafting, and Job Performance
by Minsuck Jin and Boyoung Kim
Adm. Sci. 2022, 12(4), 127; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci12040127 - 28 Sep 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4888
Abstract
This study aims to verify the effects of organizational members’ ESG activity recognition on job performance with the mediation of innovative organizational culture and job crafting. To this end, a questionnaire survey was carried out based on previous studies, and 237 questionnaire response [...] Read more.
This study aims to verify the effects of organizational members’ ESG activity recognition on job performance with the mediation of innovative organizational culture and job crafting. To this end, a questionnaire survey was carried out based on previous studies, and 237 questionnaire response copies were analyzed. An empirical study was conducted on the effects of each ESG activity recognition factor on job performance with the mediation of innovative organizational culture and job crafting. According to the analysis result, the society factor had a positive (+) effect on innovation-oriented culture among the ESG activity recognition factors, the environment factor had a negative (−) effect, and the governance factor did not have any effect. In contrast, governance had a positive (+) effect on relationship-oriented culture in innovative organizational culture. However, the environment and societal factors did not have any effect. The innovation-oriented culture and relationship-oriented culture directly affected job crafting, but they were confirmed not to have a direct effect on job performance. Hence, the result shows that the ESG activity recognition’s society factor reinforces innovative organizational culture, and the governance factor can consolidate organizational relationships. Full article
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18 pages, 341 KiB  
Article
Corporate Social Responsibility: The Impact of Employees’ Perceptions on Organizational Citizenship Behavior through Organizational Identification
by Carla Freire, Joana Gonçalves and Maria Rita Carvalho
Adm. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 120; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci12030120 - 19 Sep 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4197
Abstract
The impact of the employees’ perceptions of CSR activities on the employee-organization relationship has been little explored in the literature. This study aims to analyze the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) perceptions (Environment-related CSR; Employee-related CSR, Customer-related CSR) on organizational citizenship behavior [...] Read more.
The impact of the employees’ perceptions of CSR activities on the employee-organization relationship has been little explored in the literature. This study aims to analyze the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) perceptions (Environment-related CSR; Employee-related CSR, Customer-related CSR) on organizational citizenship behavior through the mediating role of the organizational identification of employees in the hotel sector. A questionnaire was applied to a sample of 214 frontline employees who work in four- and five-star hotels. Using Model 4 of the PROCESS macro, a mediation model was designed to test the hypotheses. The results indicate that there is a mediation model that uses the effect of organizational identification in the relationship between perceptions of CSR and organizational citizenship behavior. This study concludes that an increase in identification with the organization based on environmental-related activities, employee-related activities, or customer-related activities impact on OCB. The results of this study represent contributions to the literature in the CSR field, as well as to the case of human resources managers who wish to enhance organizational citizenship behavior and identification among hotel staff. Full article

Review

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22 pages, 5193 KiB  
Review
Green Human Resource Management: A Bibliometric Analysis
by Jéssica Fachada, Teresa Rebelo, Paulo Lourenço, Isabel Dimas and Helena Martins
Adm. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 95; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci12030095 - 3 Aug 2022
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 6101
Abstract
Despite the growing attention which green human resource management (GHRM) has been gaining, the field is still remarkably young, and conceptual clarity is yet to be attained. A bibliometric review of GHRM from 2010 to 2020 was conducted on the Web of Science [...] Read more.
Despite the growing attention which green human resource management (GHRM) has been gaining, the field is still remarkably young, and conceptual clarity is yet to be attained. A bibliometric review of GHRM from 2010 to 2020 was conducted on the Web of Science and analyzed using the VOSviewer software package, version 1.6.16 developed by Van Eck and Waltman (Leiden, The Netherlands). The results show the exponential growth of this topic, although there seems to be no consensus regarding its definition, conceptualization and measurement. Concerning its conceptual development, GHRM seems to currently fit the second stage of development (evaluation and augmentation) of Reichers and Schneider’s three-stage model of the evolution of constructs. Future research seems to point in the direction of establishing the barriers separating GHRM from other human resource management topics, defining green practices and determining the antecedents and consequences of GHRM. Full article
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