Toward a Sustainable Human Resources Management: Linking Green Human Resources Management Activities with ISO Standards

Abstract

The main idea of this study focuses on how green human resource management (GHRM) can be utilized effectively by discovering practical implementation areas in organizations. The purpose of this research is to link GHRM activities with ISO standards, and contribute to effective utilization of GHRM as a result of implementation of ISO standards in organizations, help in wider practical use of both, thus contribute to sustainability and environmental management (EM). Three hundred seventeen studies on GHRM activities were examined in the scan performed using the Scopus database (as an auxiliary step), 10 prominent GHRM activities were selected from these studies, and mapping the 10-item GHRM activity list with ISO standards formed the core body of the study. Methodologically, document analysis—supported by systematic literature review (SLR) and qualitative synthesis/analysis—was used. Separate links were established for each GHRM activity, each has its own findings detailed in its own subsection, and the established links are summarized in figures in Results & Discussion, depicting seven activities on primary link with 10 standards. Although the linkage of GHRM with ISO standards gives the expected result that HRM standards are dominant, the facts expressed by other related standards as a secondary benefit are also important. Along with the EM standard 14001, which is crucial to be employed in the background, it is observed that quality management (QM) and occupational health & safety (OH&S) management has also emerged as supporting fields in connection of GHRM activities with ISO standards.