Green work-life synergy? Exploring pathways from green HRM to organizational environmental performance

Abstract

Individuals’ environmental values, attitudes, and behavior are influenced by both personal and professional experiences. This interplay between individuals’ environmental mindset and work and private life is known as the green work-life balance, a concept that is part of the broader field of green HRM (Human Resource Management). The objective of this study is to examine how this interaction influences the relationship between green HRM and organizational environmental performance. To this end, we suggest a serial mediation analysis that, to the best of our knowledge, is a route not previously explored in the literature. Our data comes from 237 employees of a Portuguese consultancy firm that is certified for its pro-environmental practices and initiatives. The findings underscore the vital role of green HRM practices – specifically recruitment and selection, performance appraisal, and rewards – in promoting organizational environmental performance. Furthermore, they also highlight the importance of the serial mediation model as a novel framework for monitoring behavioral changes in employees exposed to green HRM practices, thus boosting long-term environmental performance. While adopting green behavior both at work and in personal life is advantageous, it has a lesser influence on organizational environmental performance compared to the strategic implementation of green HRM practices.