E-ISSN:2583-1747

Research Article

Green HRM

Management Journal for Advanced Research

2025 Volume 5 Number 6 December
Publisherwww.singhpublication.com

Green HRM Practices: Exploring Awareness and Adoption across Demographic Groups

Mohanty R1*, Jethy J2, Agrawal S3
DOI:10.5281/zenodo.18073418

1* Rishita Mohanty, Research Scholar, Rama Devi Women’s University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.

2 Jayashree Jethy, Assistant Professor, Rama Devi Women’s University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.

3 Sweeta Agrawal, Research Scholar, Rama Devi Women’s University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.

Green Human Resource Management (Green HRM) refers to the integration of eco-friendly practices and policies within human resource management to enhance organizational sustainability. It incorporated environmental considerations into key HR functions, such as recruitment, training, performance evaluation, and employee engagement. Green HRM initiatives aimed to reduce paper usage, conserve energy, minimize waste, and cultivate a workplace culture that prioritized sustainability. This study primarily focused on evaluating the awareness and adoption levels of Green HRM practices among individuals with varying demographic characteristics, including age, gender, and education. Data were collected using a primary survey method, and correlation and regression analyses were conducted using SPSS to derive insights. The findings revealed that individuals with higher educational qualifications tended to adopt Green HRM practices but often lacked awareness of the concept. Conversely, individuals within the primary age group demonstrated both awareness and adoption of these practices.

Keywords: G-HRM practices, awareness, adoption level

Corresponding Author How to Cite this Article To Browse
Rishita Mohanty, Research Scholar, Rama Devi Women’s University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.
Email: 		Mohanty R, Jethy J, Agrawal S, Green HRM Practices: Exploring Awareness and Adoption across Demographic Groups. Manag J Adv Res. 2025;5(6):1-7.
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https://mjar.singhpublication.com/index.php/ojs/article/view/259

Manuscript Received Review Round 1 Review Round 2 Review Round 3 Accepted
2025-11-01 2025-11-21 2025-12-10
Conflict of Interest Funding Ethical Approval Plagiarism X-checker Note
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© 2025 by Mohanty R, Jethy J, Agrawal S and Published by Singh Publication. This is an Open Access article licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ unported [CC BY 4.0].

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Download PDFBack To Article1. Introduction2. Review of
Literature3. Objectives
of the Study4. Hypothesis
of the Study5. Research
Methodology6. Analysis
of the Study7. Findings and
ConclusionReferences
Mohanty R, et al. Green HRM Practices

1. Introduction

1.1 What is Green Human Resource Management?

Green human resource management, as the name suggests, refers to the practices used by the organization that can be user-friendly and have a positive impact on the environment. These practices are also sustainable and benefit the organization and society. It also helps increase in environmental performance. It can also be said that the process of integrating traditional practices with modern tools and techniques, so that it can bridge the gap between traditional and modern methods and can help in the overall development of an organization. Eco-friendly behavior and friendly practices can help to enhance the employees' behavior. Some of the practices included under the concept of green HRM include green recruitment, green selection, green training and development green rewards, green workplace practices, and so on.

1.2 Awareness of Green HRM Practices

When it is discussed about green human resource management practices, it is equally important to know about the concept of green HRM and how much individuals, organizations, and companies are aware of the concept. Here in the study the awareness level and the demographic profile are taken into consideration. The awareness level can be categorized into high awareness level, moderate awareness, and low awareness level. Environmental laws, training institutions, consumer preference for eco-friendly products over normal products, and the concerns arising about the environment are some of the key factors enhancing the awareness level of green HRM. Age, education level, and gender are the main aspects of the demographic characteristics when compared with the awareness level of green HRM practices.

1.3 Adoption Level of Green HRM Practices

After awareness of the concept of green HRM, the next step is always to check the adoption level of the green HRM practices. Although many organizations, companies, and institutions have adopted green HRM practices, still there are some organizations are still on the verge of adopting such practices. mostly lack of awareness in technology, difficulty in understanding the concept,

and weak laws relating to the environment are some of the challenges for which the adoption level has been low. Like the awareness, even the adoption level has its classification as high, moderate, and low adoption level. The adoption level of green HRM practices somehow depends on the demographic characteristics of the individuals.

2. Review of Literature

(Das and Dash,2024)this study states the importance of GHRM and its sustainability in the context of higher educational institutions in a developing country. 25 higher educational institutions were taken as a sample size with 180 responses of Odisha in it. To justify the study smart PLS was used to measure the model. To conclude, Green training and development and top management's commitment to getting the workforce showed a positive correlation and bridged the gap between green training and development and sustainability. So for the same employees are also encouraged to act sustainably through GHRM as a whole. (Yadav, 2023) This study focuses on Green HRM in Pune’s automobile industry, assessing employee perceptions and identifying contemporary initiatives, with descriptive analysis taking into consideration some natural factors that impact the automobile sector. concluding Green HRM plays a crucial role in enhancing the sector by reducing pollution.(Salim et al., 2022) Green HRM incorporates environmental management into human resource management to foster sustainability by involving employees. It encompasses environmentally responsible HR practices and the preservation of knowledge. This research focuses on Green HRM of how people are aware of these practices and how much it is being used and the challenges orgainsations face. The findings reveal that the interest in Green HRM is growing but there are obstacles in spreading the awareness and implementation of these practices. The second part of the study examined Environmental Sustainability (ES) and Environmental Performance (EP) by understanding by focusing on how Organisational Environmental Culture (OES) directly and indirectly influences them. It also focuses on CEOs, directors and middle managers in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Saudi Arabia. It also uses a quantitative method, collecting data from 236 participants by using a convenience sampling.


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Mohanty R, et al. Green HRM Practices

To conclude with Green HRM and Green Innovation (GI ) play an important role in linking with OEC with ES and EP, improving the sustainability in the SMEs of Saudi Arabia. (George et al. 2022) conveyed that Green HRM is a new area that works as an add-on to the sustainability of everyday business activities. The companies are shifting from traditional measures of success and are focusing more on environmental and social responsibility because of climatic change and COVID 19 pandemic. The findings reveal that businesses are becoming more interested in green practices and need stronger eco-friendly policies to support sustainable and smooth business operations and these changes are due to the pandemic. (Hmeedat & Albdareen, 2022) explored about the impact of Green HRM and how it acts as a link between an organisation’s commitment to social responsibility and its sustainable performance. The same data was collected from 200 employees using a questionnaire and for the same multiple regression analysis was used. The findings reveal that social responsibility has a positive effect on sustainable performance. It was also found that these practices make this relationship stronger. It also suggested that organisations should focus on environmental protection when recruiting and selecting candidates who are aware of the green values. It also includes that the companies include environmental and social goals in their mission and vision to improve sustainability. (Amjad et al., 2021) examine how Organisations should improve their Sustainability (OS) with the help of G-HRM practices. This research focused on three factors of GHRM practices and those are green training and development, green performance evaluation and green rewards and compensation. To add to it this research has also explored the relation between environmental performance and employee performance, which act as a mediator. For the same data was collected from 165 managers of Pakistan textile industry and a model was developed to analyse the results. The findings reveal about having a strong and positive effect of green practices on organisational sustainability. And both environmental and employee performance significantly affect these practices showing the mediating effects. (Malik et al., 2020) analyses the contribution of Green Human Resource Management (GHRM ) practices and green intellectual capital towards organisational sustainability. Cross sectional primary data was used an a model was proposed which was evaluated using PLS SEM (Smart PLS).

The results showed a positive and significant impact of Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) practices such as green recruitment, green selection and green rewards with the components of green intellectual capital which includes green human, structural and relational capital combinely affecting the organisational sustainability. The scope of the study was constrained to selected variables and focused on emerging economies giving a shape to the outcoms of the sustainability. (Arora & Kaul, 2020) aimed to explore the key elements of green human resource management (HRM), examine green HRM practices in various Indian sectors, and measure the differences in adoption across these sectors. Data was collected through a detailed questionnaire which mainly focused on the companies of the following sectors —IT/IT services, banking/finance, consultancy, and engineering/technology. The study found that most companies engage in green HRM practices to varying extents, with green recruitment, training, and health/safety management being the most common, while green performance appraisal was the least implemented. The IT/IT services sector showed the highest engagement with green HRM, while the banking/finance sector was more hesitant. A practical framework for effective green HRM implementation is provided. (Raut et al., 2020) this study analyzes the driving forces and dependencies of green human resource management (GHRM) indicators in the automotive service sector to identify the most critical factors. A literature review and semi-structured interviews with 15 experts identified the GHRM indicators. The Total Interpretive Structural Modelling (TISM) method explored the relationships among indicators and built their structural hierarchy. MICMAC analysis classified indicators based on their influence. The indicators ‘Green organizational culture and adoption of green strategy’ and ‘Green training and development’ were found most significant. Conversely, ‘Green employee relations and union management’ was highly dependent on others. While developed in the Indian automotive sector, the model offers insights for HR practitioners globally, albeit with potential expert bias.

3. Objectives of the Study

The key objectives of the study include:

  • To discover the relation between the awareness level of G-HRM practices with respect to gender in educational institutions.

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Mohanty R, et al. Green HRM Practices

  • To discover the relation between the awareness level of G-HRM practices with respect to age in educational institutions.
  • To discover the relationship between the awareness level of G-HRM practices and education in educational institutions.
  • To discover the relation between the adoption level of G-HRM practices with respect to gender in educational institutions.
  • To discover the relation between the adoption level of G-HRM practices with respect to age in educational institutions.
  • To discover the relationship between the adoption level of G-HRM practices and education in educational institutions.

4. Hypothesis of the Study

H10: There is no relation between the awareness level of G-HRM practices with respect to gender in educational institutions.
H20: There is no relation between the awareness level of G-HRM practices and age in educational institutions.
H30: There is no relation between the awareness of G-HRM practices with respect to education in educational institutions.
H40: There is no relation between the adoption level of G-HRM practices with respect to gender in educational institutions.
H50: There is no relation between the adoption level of G-HRM practices with respect to age in educational institutions.
H60: To discover the relationship between the adoption level of G-HRM practices and education in educational institutions.

5. Research Methodology

The data was collected from 119 respondents, who were stakeholders of the Educational institutions of Odisha. This study's data can be both primary and secondary. The literature review is secondary data, whereas, for the analysis part, purely primary data in the form of a questionnaire was collected, which included some in Google Forms and some in physical mode. Again, This was coded and converted to numerical form to analyze the collected raw data.

This study is based on the awareness and adoption level in relation to the demographic characteristics of the stakeholders of the educational institutions. The questionnaire was on the Yes and No questions along with some of the demographic characteristics of the individuals. To analyze the hypotheses of the study some of the coding were as follows which included the gender, Education level, age, awareness, and adoption level. On the basis of gender females and males are coded as 1 and 0 respectively. The awareness and adoption level as the answers demands are yes and No and accordingly they are coded as 1 and 0 respectively. The age group considered for the study ranges from 20 years to 60 years where 20 -30 is coded as 0, 30- 40 is coded as 1, 40 -50 is coded as 2, and 50 – 60 is coded as 3. The education level includes High school, Graduate, post-graduate, and Doctorate which as coded as 0,1,2, and 3 respectively. As per the hypotheses, it is required to find the relation between the variables, to determine the relation between the variables correlation analysis is used and it is done through SPSS software.

6. Analysis of the Study

H10: There is no relation between the awareness level of G-HRM practices with respect to gender in educational institutions.

Table 1: Correlations

1. Are you aware of the Green HRM policies implemented in your organization?3. Gender
1. Are you aware of the Green HRM policies implemented in your organization?Pearson Correlation1-.002
Sig. (2-tailed).985
N119119
3. GenderPearson Correlation-.0021
Sig. (2-tailed).985
N119119

Source: compiled by author

H20: There is no relation between the awareness level of G-HRM practices with respect to age in educational institutions.


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Mohanty R, et al. Green HRM Practices

Table 2: Correlations

1. Are you aware of the Green HRM policies implemented in your organization?2. Age Group
2. Age GroupPearson Correlation-.423**1
Sig. (2-tailed).000
N119119
1. Are you aware of the Green HRM policies implemented in your organization?Pearson Correlation1-.423**
Sig. (2-tailed).000
N119119
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
Source: compiled by author

H30: To discover the relationship between the awareness level of G-HRM practices and education in educational institutions.

Table 3: Correlations

1. Are you aware of the Green HRM policies implemented in your organization?4. Education Level
1. Are you aware of the Green HRM policies implemented in your organization?Pearson Correlation1.005
Sig. (2-tailed).954
N119119
4. Education LevelPearson Correlation.0051
Sig. (2-tailed).954
N119119

Source: compiled by author

H40: There is no relation between the adoption level of G-HRM practices with respect to gender in educational institutions.

Table 4: Correlations

2. Do your Institution offer training programs focused on environmental sustainability such as energy conservation, or waste reduction?3. Gender
2. Do your Institution offer training programs focused on environmental sustainability such as energy conservation, or waste reduction?Pearson Correlation1.127
Sig. (2-tailed).168
N119119
3.GenderPearson Correlation.1271
Sig. (2-tailed).168
N119119

Source: compiled by author

H50: There is no relation between the adoption level of G-HRM practices with respect to age in educational institutions.

Table 5: Correlations

2. Do your Institution offer training programs focused on environmental sustainability such as energy conservation, or waste reduction?2. Age Group
2. Do your Institution offer training programs focused on environmental sustainability such as energy conservation, or waste reduction?Pearson Correlation1.096
Sig. (2-tailed).301
N119119
2. Age GroupPearson Correlation.0961
Sig. (2-tailed).301
N119119

Source: compiled by author

H60: To discover the relationship between the adoption level of G-HRM practices and education in educational institutions.


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Mohanty R, et al. Green HRM Practices

Table 6: Correlations

2. Do your Institution offer training programs focused on environmental sustainability such as energy conservation, or waste reduction?4. Education Level
2. Do your Institution offer training programs focused on environmental sustainability such as energy conservation, or waste reduction?Pearson Correlation1.096
Sig. (2-tailed).297
N119119
4. Education LevelPearson Correlation.0961
Sig. (2-tailed).297
N119119

Source: compiled by author

7. Findings and Conclusion

The first three hypotheses is regarding the awareness level and the rest three hypotheses are about the adoption level of G-HRM practices of educational institutions. As per the first two hypotheses regarding age group and gender, the correlational values are -0.002 and -0.423 respectively. Gender and awareness level of G-HRM practices have a negative relation which is good for society that gender and awareness level have negative relation. This means there is no gender discrimination and both males and females are aware of the practices. Considering the age group it shows a negative relation when analysed it showed that with an increase in age, the awareness level decreases means that mosltly the age group above 45 to 60 is not aware of the G-HRM practices. And whereas the awareness level and Education have a positive value of 0.005, which means Education level and awareness are related and it rejects the null hypothesis of having no relation between education level and awareness. Here according to the null hypothesis and to the sample collection the correlation between the adoption level and gender is 0.127 which shows a positive relation between gender and the adoption level of G-HRM practices at Educational institutions rejecting the null hypothesis having no relation between gender and adoption level.

According to the second hypothesis regarding the G-HRM practices and age group, here the correlation value is 0.096 which also shows a positive relation between age group and adoption level of G-HRM practices rejecting the second null hypothesis. The correlation value of adoption level and Education is 0.096 which shows a positive relation between them rejecting the null hypothesis of having no relation between Education level and adoption level. So the study can be concluded by specifying that from the demographic profile that is age, Gender, and education are related to the adoption level and awareness level and are positively related.

References

1. Amjad, F., Abbas, W., Zia-UR-Rehman, M., Baig, S. A., Hashim, M., Khan, A., & Rehman, H. ur. (2021). Effect of green human resource management practices on organizational sustainability: the mediating role of environmental and employee performance. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28(22), 28191–28206. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11307-9

2. Arora, M., & Kaul, A. (2020). Green human resource management: An empirical study of India. Visegrad Journal on Bioeconomy and Sustainable Development, 9(2), 61–66. https://doi.org/10.2478/vjbsd-2020-0012

3. George, A., Swarnakar, C., Manna, T., & Pujari, M. (2022). Awareness of green HRM in Indian organizations. International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology, 7(6), 1680.

4. Hmeedat, O., & Albdareen, R. (2022). The impact of green human resources management practices on the relationship between commitment to social responsibility and sustainable performance. Information Sciences Letters, 11(4), 1013–1022. https://doi.org/10.18576/isl/110402

5. Malik, S. Y., Cao, Y., Mughal, Y. H., Kundi, G. M., Mughal, M. H., & Ramayah, T. (2020). Pathways towards sustainability in organizations: Empirical evidence on the role of green human resource management practices and green intellectual capital. Sustainability (Switzerland), 12(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/SU12083228


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6. Raut, R. D., Gardas, B., Luthra, S., Narkhede, B., & Kumar Mangla, S. (2020). Analysing green human resource management indicators of automotive service sector. International Journal of Manpower, 41(7), 925–944. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJM-09-2019-0435

7. Salim, A., Gogoi, N., & Dutta, S. (2022). Greening the workplace: A study of green HRM practices adopted by Indian corporates.

8. Sujata Das, & Madhusmita Dash. (2023). Green HRM- Need of the hour for environmental sustainability. International Journal of Reviews and Research in Social Sciences, 11(2):65-1. doi: 10.52711/2454-2687.2023.00011

9. Yadav, M. (2023.). A study of employees perception and awareness towards green HRM practices and contemporary green HRM practices at selected automobile industries in Pune district. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.14082.08643

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