Assessing the Effect of Green Human Resource Management Practices on Employee Environmental Awareness and Pro-Environmental Behavior: A Quantitative Study of SECMC, Thar Coal Energy Project, Pakistan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24002/kinerja.v30i2.14442Keywords:
Green Human Resource Management, Employee Environmental Awareness, Pro-Environmental BehaviorAbstract
This study examines the effect of Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) practices on Employee Environmental Awareness (EEA) and Pro-Environmental Behavior (PEB) at Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC), Pakistan. Data collected from 73 employees via structured questionnaires was analyzed using quantitative, cross-sectional design. Scales for GHRM and EEA showed acceptable reliability, whereas PEB showed borderline consistency. Linear regression revealed GHRM significantly predicted EEA and PEB, while EEA significantly predicted PEB (). Mediation testing indicated EEA had a partial, statistically non-significant indirect effect between GHRM and PEB. Thus, GHRM influences behavior primarily through direct pathways rather than exclusively through awareness. Aligned with the Ability-Motivation-Opportunity framework, GHRM practices—specifically training and recognition—build capability and motivation for sustainability. This study provides context-specific evidence from Pakistan's rarely examined coal energy sector and offers practical guidance for organizations using HR practices to foster environmental responsibility.
References
Afsar, B., Shahjehan, A., & Shah, I. (2018). Leadership and employee pro-environmental behaviours. In Research handbook on employee pro-environmental behaviour (pp. 185–209). Edward Elgar Publishing.
Ahmad, J., Al Mamun, A., Masukujjaman, M., Mohamed Makhbul, Z. K., & Mohd Ali, K. A. (2023a). Modeling the workplace pro-environmental behavior through green human resource management and organizational culture: Evidence from an emerging economy. Heliyon, 9(9). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19134
Ahmad, J., Al Mamun, A., Masukujjaman, M., Mohamed Makhbul, Z. K., & Mohd Ali, K. A. (2023b). Modeling the workplace pro-environmental behavior through green human resource management and organizational culture: Evidence from an emerging economy. Heliyon, 9(9). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19134
Alherimi, N., Marva, Z., Hamarsheh, K., & Alzaaterh, A. (2024). Employees’ pro-environmental behavior in an organization: a case study in the UAE. Scientific Reports, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-66047-4
Alreahi, M., Bujdosó, Z., Kabil, M., Akaak, A., Benkó, K. F., Setioningtyas, W. P., & Dávid, L. D. (2022). Green human resources management in the hotel industry: A systematic review. Sustainability, 15(1), 99.
Al-Sabi, S. M., Al-Ababneh, M. M., Al Qsssem, A. H., Afaneh, J. A. A., & Elshaer, I. A. (2024). Green human resource management practices and environmental performance: the mediating role of job satisfaction and pro-environmental behavior. Cogent Business & Management, 11(1), 2328316.
Amrutha, V. N., & Geetha, S. N. (2020). A systematic review on green human resource management: Implications for social sustainability. Journal of Cleaner Production, 247, 119131.
Anwar, N., Nik Mahmood, N. H., Yusliza, M. Y., Ramayah, T., Noor Faezah, J., & Khalid, W. (2020). Green Human Resource Management for organisational citizenship behaviour towards the environment and environmental performance on a university campus. Journal of Cleaner Production, 256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120401
Bos-Nehles, A. C., Van Riemsdijk, M. J., & Kees Looise, J. (2013). Employee perceptions of line management performance: Applying the AMO theory to explain the effectiveness of line managers’ HRM implementation. Human Resource Management, 52(6), 861–877. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21578
Choudhary, P., & Datta, A. (2024). Bibliometric analysis and systematic review of green human resource management and hospitality employees’ green creativity. The TQM Journal, 36(2), 546–571.
Daily, B. F., & Huang, S. (2001). Achieving sustainability through attention to human resource factors in environmental management. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 21(12), 1539–1552.
Doghan, M. A. A., Abdelwahed, N. A. A., Soomro, B. A., & Alayis, M. M. H. A. (2022). Organizational Environmental Culture, Environmental Sustainability and Performance: The Mediating Role of Green HRM and Green Innovation. Sustainability (Switzerland), 14(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127510
Esen, E., & Caliskan, A. O. (2019). Green human resource management (GHRM) and environmental sustainability. PressAcademia Procedia, 9(1), 58–60.
Grimshaw, D., Rubery, J., Cooke, F. L., & Hebson, G. (2023). Fragmenting work: Theoretical contributions and insights for a future of work research and policy agenda. Human Resource Management Journal, 33(3), 578–591.
Guan, X. (2025). Exploring the unintended consequences of GHRM: the mediating role of felt green accountability in influencing employee blame avoidance. Employee Relations: The International Journal, 47(8), 1294–1310.
Guerci, M., Longoni, A., & Luzzini, D. (2016). Translating stakeholder pressures into environmental performance – the mediating role of green HRM practices. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 27(2), 262–289. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2015.1065431
Gupta, R., Kaur, H., & Bhat, D. A. R. (2025). Green Human Resource Management, Green Organisational Citizenship Behaviour and Organisational Sustainability in the Post‐Pandemic Era: An Ability Motivation Opportunity and Resource Based View Perspective. Business Strategy & Development, 8(2), e70126.
Khan, K., Gogia, E. H., Shao, Z., Rehman, M. Z., & Ullah, A. (2025). The impact of green HRM practices on green innovative work behaviour: empirical evidence from the hospitality sector of China and Pakistan. BMC Psychology, 13(1), 96.
Kim, Y. J., Kim, W. G., Choi, H. M., & Phetvaroon, K. (2019). The effect of green human resource management on hotel employees’ eco-friendly behavior and environmental performance. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 76, 83–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2018.04.007
Liu, R., Yue, Z., Ijaz, A., Lutfi, A., & Mao, J. (2023). Sustainable business performance: Examining the role of green HRM practices, green innovation and responsible leadership through the lens of pro-environmental behavior. Sustainability, 15(9), 7317.
Peduzzi, P. (2019). The Disaster Risk, Global Change, and Sustainability Nexus. In Sustainability (Switzerland) (Vol. 11, Number 4). MDPI. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11040957
Porya, A., Chowdhary, N., Vajpai, G. N., Jana, S., & Mondal, D. (n.d.). Mapping the Intellectual Landscape of Green Human Resource Management: A Bibliometric Analysis and Future Research Agenda. Available at SSRN 5405676.
Rana, G., & Arya, V. (2024). Green human resource management and environmental performance: mediating role of green innovation–a study from an emerging country. Foresight, 26(1), 35–58.
Renwick, D. W. S., Redman, T., & Maguire, S. (2012). Green Human Resource Management: A Review and Research Agenda*i jmr_328 1..14. https://doi.org/10.1111/(ISSN)1468-2370/homepage/teaching___
Sajuyigbe, A. S., Ayeni, A. W., Inegbedion, H. E., Ighomereho, O. S., & Peter, A. (2024). Green Human Resource Management Practices and Environmental Performance: The Mediating Effect of Organizational Culture. Interdisciplinary Journal of Management Studies, 17(4), 1155–1172. https://doi.org/10.22059/ijms.2024.343182.675108
Saleh, H. M., & Hassan, A. I. (2024). The challenges of sustainable energy transition: A focus on renewable energy. In Applied Chemical Engineering (Vol. 7, Number 2). Arts and Science Press Pte. Ltd. https://doi.org/10.59429/ace.v7i2.2084
Shah, P., Singh Dubey, R., Rai, S., Renwick, D. W. S., & Misra, S. (2024). Green human resource management: A comprehensive investigation using bibliometric analysis. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 31(1), 31–53.
Shahani, R. (n.d.). Development-Induced Dispossession in Pakistan: A Study of Political Economy of Thar Coal-Power Plants, a CPEC Project under the Belt and Road Initiative. 9(3). https://doi.org/10.35484/pssr.2025(9-III)51
Venesia, V. (2026). Green Human Resource Management as a Workforce Management Innovation to Support Sustainability and Poverty Reduction. KINERJA, 30(1), 137–156.
Xie, X., Hoang, T. T., & Zhu, Q. (2022). Green process innovation and financial performance: The role of green social capital and customers’ tacit green needs. Journal of Innovation and Knowledge, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2022.100165
Yasin, R., Huseynova, A., & Atif, M. (2023). Green human resource management, a gateway to employer branding: Mediating role of corporate environmental sustainability and corporate social sustainability. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 30(1), 369–383.
Yucedag, C., Kaya, L. G., & Cetin, M. (2018). Identifying and assessing environmental awareness of hotel and restaurant employees’ attitudes in the Amasra District of Bartin. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 190(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-017-6456-7
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Qeemat Rai Meghwar, Touheed Ahmed

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.












