Setting a Sustainable Human Resource Strategy in the Context of Sustainable Business and Marketing Principles

Introduction

The majority of organizations worldwide, whether they are small family businesses or large organizations, strive to maximize profit based on the fundamental principle of the invisible hand of the market that leads individual actors to efficient results, to the efficient use of scarce resources within the economy and society as a whole. However, there is not sufficient non-monetary appreciation of the context. A narrow focus on monetary profit alone can lead to consequences that are in direct conflict with the concept of sustainable development, which respects the social and environmental aspects of life on the planet of Earth and observes human rights. The development of sustainability perception is evolving very rapidly, seeking to react to the turbulent environment and to flexibly respond to changes.

Stakeholders´ expectations as well as changing business conditions are forcing organizations to respond and build their activities on the principles of sustainable business and sustainable human resource management (SHRM).

The ubiquitous paradigm of development brings increasing disillusionment related to its unclear meaning and especially its practical implications. This threatens to change the concept of sustainable development and SHRM into a fashionable and rhetorical phrase. In the absence of practical examples and identification of practices on how to fulfill the content of theoretical declarations, this development paradigm will only remain an academic concept (Mensah, Casadevall, 2019).

The importance of SHRM increases every year, the reason being quite simple - quality employees are a valuable resource that can ensure the desired performance, success, and achievement of the set goals. And for this reason, the importance of human resources marketing is also increasing, when its focus can be seen in ensuring and supporting the creation of a “good reputation of the organization”, thanks to which it is possible to stand out from the competition and thus increase your attractiveness as an employer. Human resource marketing can be said to sell the organization as an employer in the labor market. This then helps promote the sustainability of human resources and the need for a strategic view of human resource management. Due to the current war for talent, the modern approaches of organizations and their attractiveness are essential. Employees no longer only want to identify with the job itself, but also with their employer. Diversity management is one of the primary directions of focus of current employers for acquiring and retaining quality employees

Diversity management is a concept and part of human resource management strategy that is based on respecting a range of differences and diversities of employees (cultural, sexual orientation, racial, religious, etc.). Age management plays an important role. Addressing the age distribution of employees in organizations and their management is very important, not only due to the growing proportion of 50+ people in the population (Urbancová, 2017). Learning and development play a pivotal role in the running of the organization, they are included in both the organizational strategy and the organization´s vision. The current situation implies the need for quite significant changes related to the setting of intergenerational cooperation and organizational culture and climate. The following sub-chapters present the procedures and examples of good practices in the Czech Republic.