Impact of Green Human Resource Management on Employee Performance: An empirical study in apparel manufacturing firms in Southern Province of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) is the use of human resource policies to enhance the sustainable use of resources within organizations to ensure the environmental sustainability. Green human resource management can become as an active partner by creating green human resource platform, where the employees have more job satisfaction and engaging with job related activities, thereby improving the employee performance and productivity in an organization. The study attempted to examine the effect of green training, green performance evaluation and green reward management on employee performance in apparel manufacturing firms in Southern province of Sri Lanka. Further the research was designed to investigate whether there is a significant difference between large apparel manufacturing firms and non-large apparel manufacturing firms with regard to the adaptation of green human resource management practices. The study was positioned with objectivism based on the ontological view. Quantitative method was used under deductive approach to test the theoretical relationships among variables. In consideration of the research objectives and questions of the study, it can be classified as the explanatory research in nature which attempted to establish causal relationships between variables. Data collection was done by adopting survey strategy through a self-administered questionnaire. Questionnaire was considered as the main measurement instrument to collect data of the study. The sample of 130 apparel manufacturing firms were selected via random sampling technique from the specified sample frame. Unit of analysis was the Human resource manager/Human resource executive in apparel manufacturing firms in southern province of Sri Lanka. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS 20) was used to analyze the data ensuring the validity and reliability to generate findings from the study. The internal consistency of the study constructs was tested by using Cronbach Alpha. Good internal consistency of the attributes measures of Green human resource management and Employee performance showing that instruments were sufficiently reliable. Four theory- driven pre-established hypotheses were tested by using multiple regression analysis and independent sample T test. According to multiple regression analysis it was proved that green performance evaluation and green reward management have a significant impact on employee performance. Green reward management proved to be the key factor in influencing employee performance in apparel manufacturing firms. Therefore, green reward management is vital to enhance employee performance. Green performance evaluation was the second most important dimension that affect employee performance. There is no significant impact of green training on employee performance. The possible reason for this would be the lower level of training received by the employees with respect to Green human resource management practices. Further it was found that there is no significant difference between large apparel manufacturing firms and non-large apparel manufacturing firms with regard to the adaptation of green human resource management practices.