Green human resource management, employee green creativity and green voice: The moderating role of ecological identity

Abstract

The challenges of sustainable development require organisations to rethink their production processes and daily activities. Involving employees in identifying potential solutions to internal ecological challenges can help organisations become greener. Yet, research is still incipient in how incorporating environmental issues into human resources management can provide workers with the awareness, resources, and space they need to share their ideas on how to integrate ecological objectives into organisations' performance and strategies. In this context, the objectives of this study are threefold: (1) to characterise the perceived level of investment in green human resource management (GHRM) practices; (2) to examine if GHRM practices are related to increased employee green outcomes, namely green creativity and green voice; (3) to analyse if the effect of GHRM differs depending on individual characteristics, namely ecological identity, a well-established predicted of adopting pro-environmental behavior in the workplace. A quantitative study is ongoing, based on an anonymous and voluntary online survey of employees from different organisations (current sample n=252). Preliminary results indicate that organisations’ investment in GHRM is relatively low, with two-thirds of participants indicating it as nonexistent or very reduced. In addition, results provide initial support for a positive relationship between GHRM and employees’ green voice through increased green creativity. GHRM's effect on creativity seems stronger for workers with higher ecological identity. We will discuss the relevance of incorporating green goals in human resources management to foster the contribution of organisational members to greener organisational processes.