Green Recruitment Practices

Introduction

In the present era, across the globe, leading researchers from many different fields like business, engineering and, politics, to name a few, have begun to show interest in environmental issues. Obaid &Alias (2015) postulate that the global quest to address climate change has resulted in increased interest in environmentalism. Research reveals that, given the dangerous effects of pollution and the excretion of toxic chemicals and waste by industries, governments, non-profit making organisations, practitioners, organisations and civil societies across the world are increasingly designing policies and legal frameworks to combat the negative effects of the industrial pollution (Shrivastava & Berger, 2010). Similarly, scholars such as Ahmad (2015) and Mwita (2018) argue that environmental conservation has become a major concern for many international and local organisations, and even for individuals. Scholars have supported the view expressed by Alias (2015) that currently the importance of environmental issues and sustainable development has captured the attention of researchers in both developing and developed nations. Furthermore, Sharma & Gupta (2014) concur with the aforementioned scholars that the growing concern for the global environment and the development of international standards for environmental management has created a need for business to adopt “green practices”.

Scholarly literature suggests that Human Resource Management (HRM) is considered an important area of management that focuses on the most vital asset of the organisation, the human resources. Sustainability has become the focus of almost all areas of study, including HRM and it is contended that Green Human Resource Management is the most important component of sustainability. According to Sudin (2011), green HRM/management is an important concept in forward-thinking businesses around the world. It is believed that understanding and increasing the scope and depth of green HRM practices, has the potential to improve the environmental performance of organisations in a more sustainable manner (Sudin, 2011). Aruljah, Opatha & Nawaratne (2015) point out that Green HRM practices are powerful tools in making organisations and their operations green. Dutta (2012) conceptualises green HRM as the utilisation of HRM policies, practices and processes to promote sustainable use of resources within business organisations and, more generally, to promote the cause of environmentalism. In addition, Mampra (2013) sees green HRM as the practices and policies of HRM for the encouragement of sustainable resource use in businesses and the promotion of environmentalism helpful for boosting the satisfaction and hence, morale of the employees within organisations. Zoogah (2011, p.19) explains green HRM as “the practice of philosophies and policies of HRM to promote ecological usage of business resources and prevent any harmful environmental effect arising with the operations of the firm.” There exist different green HRM practices in organisations. These include green recruitment, green selection, green talent management, green human resource planning, green training, etc. However, the focus of this chapter is on green recruitment.