International Journal of Commerce and Finance, Vol. 8, Issue 2, 2022, 130-179 

* 

1 İstanbul Ticaret University, Faculty of Business Administration, Departmant of Business Administration Istanbul, Turkey, 

ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-6414-8029, Prof. Dr., tkarabulut@ticaret.edu.tr 
** İstanbul Ticaret University, Faculty of Business Administration, Departmant of Business Administration Istanbul, Turkey, 

ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-1603-2520, Res. Asst., nyavuz@ticaret.edu.tr  

 

A Study of Green Human Resources Management (GHRM) Practices in the 

Strategic Management Perspective 

 
 

Ahu Tuğba Karabulut* 

 

Nihan Yavuz Aksakal** 

 

 

 

 

 
Submitted: 12.08.2022                Accepted: 28.10.2022               Published: 01.11.2022 

Abstract 

 

The recent increase in environmental problems has made it necessary for organizations to create 

environmental strategies. “Green culture” becomes even more important, especially if the raw 

materials used, the production process and the product itself can harm the environment. As 

environmental awareness, sustainability and environmental responsibilities become more and 

more important, organizations include environmental elements in their strategies. The effective 

and efficient carry out of environmental strategies in the organization is possible with the 

support of managers and the participation of employees. Green human resources management 

(GHRM) takes an active role in the environmental and sustainability goals of organizations and 

the HR department turns into a key strategic unit. It’s important for the whole organization that 

human resources management and practices gain a “green” dimension. This study aims to reveal 

the relation between strategic management and GHRM and its practices. The research was 

designed with qualitative features. In-depth interviews were used in the research. The results of 

the study have revealed that green human resources management practices are carried out even 

if green human resources management are not directly involved in the strategic management 

process. In addition, it has revealed which green human resources management practices are 

used in the organizations. 

Keywords: Strategic Management, Green Human Resources Management, In-depth Interview, 

Environment Management, Sustainability. 

 

mailto:orcid.org/0000-0001-6414-8029
mailto:tkarabulut@ticaret.edu.tr
mailto:nyavuz@ticaret.edu.tr


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1.Introduction 

According to Victor (2001), in the 21st century, the interest in environmental problems is 

increasing in all fields in the world (Ahmad, 2015: 2). Haden et al. (2009) define the 

environmental management as the process of creating innovation throughout the organization 

on issues such as sustainability, waste reduction and social responsibility by adopting 

environmental goals and strategies integrated with the organizational goals and strategies 

(Jabbour, 2011: 98). Therefore, properly combining environmental thinking in an organization 

with its operations and vision can lead employees to environmental practices and initiatives 

(Acquah et al., 2021: 269).  

Human resources are very important for the implementation of organizational strategies and 

policies. The initiation and implementation of green initiatives, and the spread of green culture 

cover all employees in the organization and at this point the top management plays an important 

role (Yusliza et al., 2019). It is stated that as a result of the support given by the top management 

to environmental problems, green practices in the organization are perceived positively among 

the employees and result in sustainable environmental performance (Haldorai et al., 2022: 2). 

The support of the top management on environmental issues creates the necessary resources for 

the successful implementation of green human resources management (GHRM) (Haldorai et 

al., 2022: 2). From this point of view, Teixeira et al. (2016) emphasize the importance of 

organizational human resources strategies being compatible with environmental targets (Bag 

and Gupta, 2020: 1097). 

In this regard, the role of the human resources department and its practices are considered very 

important. It is suggested that with human resources practices, employees can be motivated on 

environmental management in the organization. If human resources practices such as 

recruitment, training, performance evaluation, culture, learning and teamwork include 

environmental issues, environmental management can become proactive in the organization 

(Jabbour, 2011: 98-99). 

It is stated that in order to be a “green worker”, an individual must take on four roles: 

“preservationist, conservationist, non-polluting and maker”. The Preservationist seeks to 



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protect the environment from harm or adverse changes. The conservationist is very careful in 

using the environment so that the natural environment can last for a long time until future 

generations. It has non-polluting behaviors which prevent pollution of the environment. It tries 

to prevent the pollution of water, air and atmosphere through toxic substances and wastes. 

Maker tries to create gardens and similar natural spaces. It is claimed that these four roles are 

important for a “green employee” and these green employees are nature lovers (Opatha and 

Arulrajah, 2014: 102-103). For this reason, GHRM is very important in terms of the 

performance of the organization and its relationship with the environment through green 

employees. 

This study aims to address GHRM within the framework of the strategic management process. 

Firstly, a review of the available literature on GHRM is presented. Then, related studies in the 

literature about the concept of green human resources management are included and 

synthesized with research methodology. Qualitative research was used in the research. In-depth 

interviews were conducted with human resources managers of 7 international companies in the 

energy sector and research findings were presented. The article ends with the discussion of the 

results of the research and recommendations for future researches. 

2. Literature Review 

2.1.Strategic Management Perspective 

Strategic management which consists of four basic elements: environmental scanning, strategy 

formulation, strategy implementation, evaluation and control (Wheelen et al., 2018: 46), is a set 

of managerial decisions and actions which enable to reveal the long-term performance of the 

organization (Wheelen et al., 2018: 37).  

The purpose of environmental scanning, which is the observing, evaluating and spreading 

information from external and internal environments, is to identify internal and external 

elements which can be used in strategic decisions in the organization. With the SWOT analysis 

made on this subject, the strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the organization 

are determined (Wheelen et al., 2018: 46). 



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Strategy formulation consists of research, analysis and decision-making processes in order to 

gain the competitive advantage. Strategy formulation consists defining the competitive 

advantages of the organization, describing weaknesses which affect the organization’s ability 

for growing, creating its mission, setting achievable goals, and determining policy guidelines 

(Wheelen et al., 2018: 48). 

The strategy implementation process is the step in which strategies and policies are put into 

practice. Various elements such as culture, structure and/or management system in the 

organization may change during the implementation of the strategy. (Wheelen et al., 2018: 52). 

The evaluation and control process is monitoring organizational activities and performance 

results in order to compare the current performance with the targeted performance. Managers 

at various levels of the organization use the information obtained to take “corrective action” 

and solve the problems. The evaluation and control process can also identify weaknesses in the 

strategic plans which emerged and were solved in the previous stages of the strategic 

management process. From this point of view, the evaluation and control phase can enable the 

whole process to start again (Wheelen et al., 2018: 53). 

“Human resources”, which was seen as a cost element with Fordist-Taylorist thought until the 

1980s, gained a strategic importance with globalization, international competition, rapidly 

changing technology and modern management models. It is argued that behind the mentioned 

strategic importance of human resources management is its contribution to organizational 

performance and the competitive advantage it provides to the organization (Bayat, 2008: 73). 

It is seen that organizations which have competitive advantages in the international arena with 

globalization interpret the human element differently and emphasize the increasing importance 

of human resources on the basis of their success (Tikici and Akdemir, 2002: 861) (Öğüt et al., 

2004: 282). “Human resources” can be the key factor in achieving sustainable competitive 

advantage for the organization. From this point of view, it is thought that the long-term single 

resource advantage may be in the field of qualified human resources (Wheelen et al., 2018: 

189). 



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Human Resource Management practices play a supportive role in achieving environmental 

sustainability goals throughout the organization (Dubois and Dubois, 2012) (Sathasivam et al., 

2021: 124). Jackson et al. (2011) state that in terms of corporate environmental management 

practices, it is necessary to consciously contribute to the strategic planning activities of human 

resources management and its practices (Shah, 2019: 772). From this perspective, green human 

capital is seen as a main strategic resource in terms of providing sustainable competitive 

advantage for organizations (Yong et al., 2019) (Agyabeng-Mensah and Tang, 2021: 1379). 

GHRM, on which more research has been conducted in recent years, has an important role in 

the sustainable development strategies of organizations (Pham et al., 2019: 845).  

Green human resources management practices integrate the strategic human resource 

management dimensions of the organization as well as human resources management practices 

compatible with environmental objectives (Gholami et al., 2016) (Pham et al., 2019: 847). 

In terms of human resources, strategic management is considered as the execution and 

maintenance of human resources activities parallel with the organizational strategy to achieve 

organizational goals (Zehir, et al., 2016; Armstrong, 2009) (Yıldırım et al., 2020: 36).  

The first steps of strategic management and human resources management practices are to 

determine the strategic direction. In order to ensure this match, it is important for human 

resources managers to understand the business culture and ethical rules by considering the 

mission, vision and values. Human resources management should also clarify its goals, values 

and ethical principles while determining its strategies and policies for its own department in 

line with the business strategy (Yıldırım et al., 2020: 37). 

External and internal environmental analyzes play important roles in human resource planning 

as well as in the strategic management process (Wheelen and Hunger, 2012).  

Information from internal and external environments is very important for organizations to 

make strategic plans. At the same time, organizational competencies, strengths and weaknesses, 

threats and opportunities are also shaped according to internal and external environmental 

analysis. At this point, human resources management department managers create strategies 



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which are compatible with the business strategy by considering internal and external 

environmental analyzes (Mondy and Martocchio, 2016) (Yıldırım et al., 2020: 37-38). 

After the strategies are developed, action plans are started to be implemented by cooperating 

with the middle and lower management levels under the responsibility of the top management. 

In the strategy implementation phase, the establishment of the organizational structure suitable 

for strategies, the selection and training of human resources capable of fulfilling the strategies, 

the selection of the appropriate management units and leaders, and the appropriate 

organizational climate environment should be prepared (Ülgen and Mirze, 2004-2005) (Kaya, 

2010: 33). 

The competencies of the human resources department are shaped according to strategic goals 

of the organization. According to strategic goals of the organization, elements and systems such 

as communication, job design, recruitment, training-development, performance measurement 

and rewarding can be affected. The systems and practices of the organization which are 

compatible with the strategic orientation also affect the results of human resources management 

practices (Yıldırım et al., 2020: 39). 

2.2.Green Human Resources Management (GHRM) 

Green Human Resources Management (GHRM) includes the environment in its human 

resources policies and practices in order to achieve the sustainability goals of the organization 

and increase the environmental awareness of the employees (Acquah et al., 2021: 269).  

GHRM is seen as an element of the green philosophy that which deals with the role of human 

behavior in environmental management (Jackson and Seo, 2010) and sustainable development 

(O’Donohue and Torugsa, 2016) (Mishra, 2017: 763).  

Jabbour, Santos, and Nagano (2008) mention the role of education, teamwork, non-financial 

rewards and organizational culture in the improvement of environmental performance (Tang et 

al., 2018: 33). The purpose of GHRM applications is to improve the sustainable environmental 

performance of the organization (Arulrajah et al., 2015: 2).  



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Studies indicate that functions such as recruitment and selection, training, performance 

management, wage and reward systems, and employee involvement are included in green 

human resources management practices (Jabbour et al., 2010; Jackson et al., 2011; Renwick et 

al., 2013; Zibbaras and Coan, 2015) (Tang et al., 2018: 33). 

2.2.1.Green Recruitment and Selection 

The green recruitment and selection process is the recruitment and placement of candidates who  

have high potentials to contribute to environmental issues in connection with the organization 

(Tang et al., 2017) (Jamal et al., 2021: 6). This process begins during job analysis and design 

(Opatha, 2013) (Bombiak and Marciniuk-Kluska, 2018: 6). 

Job description with green features includes duties and responsibilities in green human 

resources management perspective (Renwick et al., 2008) (Yusliza et al., 2019: 2057). In an 

organization with green human resources management practices, candidates’ attitudes towards 

the environment are also taken into account (Jackson and Seo, 2010; Renwick et al., 2013) 

(Bombiak and Marciniuk-Kluska, 2018: 6). In this direction, organizations can select and attract 

candidates with green awareness (Milkovich and Boudreau, 2000) (Tang et al., 2018: 33-35). 

Job descriptions which require employees’ knowledge about environmental management and 

encourage them to expand their knowledge are included in the job analysis of organizations 

which care about environmental performance (Jabbour, 2011: 99). 

In green job design and analysis, it is recommended to include duties related to environmental 

protection in job descriptions, green competencies in all positions, and establish positions 

responsible for environmental corporate governance (Bangwal and Tiwari, 2015; Arulrajah et 

al., 2015; Renwick et al., 2013; Opatha, 2013; Ahmad, 2015; Mathapati, 2013; Opatha and 

Arulrajah, 2014) (Bombiak, 2019: 1651). 

Environmental aspects of the candidate/employee can be emphasized in the green recruitment 

process and job descriptions. In this context, it is suggested that questions about the candidate’s 

environmental knowledge, values and beliefs can be asked to the candidate (Renwick et al., 



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2013) (Tang et al., 2018: 35). At this point, person-organization harmony is very important for 

both the candidate and the organization.  

When Willness and Jones (2013) look at the subject from the perspective of the green employer 

brand, it is argued that when candidates perceive harmony between their values and 

organizational values, they can be happy to work in an organization with a positive 

environmental reputation (Tang et al., 2018: 35). 

The green recruitment process, on the other hand, consists of the recruitment process to reveal 

environmental values and attract candidates who are competent in ecology to the organization. 

In this regard, the use of methods such as minimizing paper consumption in the recruitment 

process is also seen as a part of the green recruitment process (Bombiak and Marciniuk- Kluska, 

2018: 6). 

Factors such as including environmental factors and values in job advertisements in the green 

recruitment and selection process, reflecting the organization’s commitment to the 

environment, including questions about the environment in recruitment interviews, and giving 

priority to candidates with environmental knowledge and experience are considered important 

by various authors (Bangwal and Tiwari, 2015; Arulrajah et al., 2015; Renwick at al., 2013; 

Opatha, 2013; Ahmad, 2015; Mathapati, 2013; Opatha and Arulrajah, 2014) (Bombiak, 2019: 

1651).  

2.2.2.Green Training and Development  

The green education and development process includes activities to protect the environment 

and achieve environmental goals, and provide employees with various skills and competencies 

about the environment (Jabbour, 2011).  

It is suggested that training activities can increase employees’ awareness, knowledge and skills 

on environmental issues (Fernandez et al., 2003) (Tang et al., 2018: 35). 



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The green training and development process is considered important (del Brío et al., 2008) in 

raising the awareness of the employees about the environment and implementing the 

environmental strategy and policies of the organization (Unnikrishnan and Hegde, 2007) (Yong 

et al., 2019: 215).  

In the green training and development process, it is considered important to analyze training 

needs, organize trainings about the environment, and enable employees to develop green 

competencies (Bangwal and Tiwari, 2015; Arulrajah et al., 2015; Renwick at al., 2013; Opatha, 

2013; Ahmad, 2015; Mathapati, 2013; Opatha and Arulrajah, 2014) (Bombiak, 2019: 1651). 

Trainings given in the digital platform can be given on security, energy efficiency, waste 

management, recycling as well as green management issues (Hosain and Rahman, 2016: 57). It 

is stated that providing the education process in a digital environment will contribute to the 

development of “green culture” (Hosain and Rahman, 2016: 57). 

2.2.3.Green Performance Management 

Green performance management evaluates the performance of employees within the framework 

of environmental management (Jabbour et al., 2008) (Tang et al, 2018: 36). Green performance 

appraisal is the process of evaluating the performance of employees on environmental issues 

and giving feedback on this issue (Jabbour et al., 2010: 1057) (Yong et al., 2019: 215). While 

green targets play a key role in green performance management, it is also important to raise 

awareness of employees about the environment (Hosain and Rahman, 2016: 57). 

It is considered important to carry out environmental audits in the green performance 

management process, add environmental issues to the performance evaluation process, 

determine the goals and responsibilities for ecological initiatives, and provide regular feedback 

to employees about environmental targets (Bangwal and Tiwari, 2015; Arulrajah et al., 2015; 

Renwick at al., 2013; Opatha, 2013; Ahmad, 2015; Mathapati, 2013; Opatha and Arulrajah, 

2014) (Bombiak, 2019: 1651). 

 



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2.2.4.Green Career Management 

Although there are many studies in the literature on GHRM, green career management is often 

not included in the studies. The complexity of career progression, green jobs and green 

competencies in green human resources management can be seen as the reason for this. The 

study by Diritsky (2014: 70) includes information on typical occupation areas, job titles, 

education requirements. Lab technician, construction equipment operator, plant operators, 

urban forester and plant curator, engineering technician, electricians, wind turbine service 

technician, construction manager, environmental science and protection technician, chemical 

technician, logistic technicians, ındustrial production, operations manager, route manager, 

engineering drafter and automotive service technician (Diritsky, 2014: 70) are suggested as 

some of the occupations in this field.  

It is argued that there is no exactly a specific career path for sustainability-related jobs and many 

employees in sustainability-related jobs are the responsibility of the collaborator (Hamilton, 

2012: 4). It is argued that careers and education should be reformed and changes should be 

aligned with the needs of green organizations. It is stated that new standards will help to 

systematize the skills of the green workforce, and new occupations such as green collar 

occupations will help green industries grow (Scully-Russ, 2013: 9-10). 

2.2.5.Green Pay and Reward 

The green pay and reward function aims to motivate employees to contribute to environmental 

goals; consists of financial and non-financial rewards (Jabbour et al., 2013; Mandip, 2012) 

(Tang et al, 2018: 36-37). The green behaviors of the employees are seen as helping the 

organization to reach its green goals (Alhaddi, 2015). And for this reason, green payment can 

be seen as a motivation tool for employees (Jabbour et al., 2010) (Khan et al., 2017: 3).  

A study conducted with UK-based organizations on this subject reveal that employees are 

rewarded for exhibiting green behavior. It is also stated that financial rewards can motivate 

employees on environmental issues (Delmas and Pekovic, 2013) (Khan et al., 2017: 3).  



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It is recommended that reward packages can be designed to reward green competence and green 

behavior. It is stated that bonuses may be given to employees who take care of issues such as 

using the workplace cleaner, paying attention to health and safety standards, and reducing paper 

usage (Hosain and Rahman, 2016: 58). 

2.2.6.Green Employee Relations and Green Employee Involvement 

It is important for employees to take an active role in environmental issues such as reducing 

waste and pollution and using resources effectively (Florida and Davison, 2001). Effective 

participation of employees in environmental practices is considered important in preventing 

pollution and evaluating environmental opportunities (Renwick et al., 2013). In this context, in 

order to measure the participation of employees in green culture, Tang et al. (2018: 37) reveal 

five different elements: “a clear green vision, a green learning environment, various 

communication channels, green practices and promoting green participation”. In addition, it is 

stated that the human resources department can encourage employees’ participation in 

environmental practices through training and reward systems (Pellegrini et al., 2018) (Roscoe 

et al., 2019: 739). 

It is considered important to ensure that taking part in environmental issues for employees (in 

green activities), supporting ecological initiatives of employees, making corporate 

recommendations for the solution of environmental problems and sharing information with 

employees regarding green employee engagement (Bangwal and Tiwari, 2015; Arulrajah et al., 

2015; Renwick at al., 2013; Opatha, 2013; Ahmad, 2015; Mathapati, 2013; Opatha and 

Arulrajah, 2014) (Bombiak, 2019: 1651). 

3.Methodology 

3.1.The Aim, Importance and the Development Process of Research  

It is stated that when companies green their activities and include them in their missions and 

strategies, employees will be more likely to work in an environmentally friendly way (Harvey 

et al., 2013). (Haddock-Millar et al., 2016: 193). Aligning greening with the corporate strategy 



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is a key point in improving environmental sustainability in organizations (Haddock-Millar et 

al., 2016: 194). It is claimed that the participation and motivation of the top management and 

employees and the integration of the environment with the strategy are effective on the 

environmental performance of the organization (Brı´o et al., 2007).  

Haden, Oyler, and Humphreys (2009) emphasize that integrating the environmental objectives 

with the strategic objectives of the organization results in an effective environmental 

management system. It is very important to include environmental goals and strategies in the 

organization's strategic development goals (Ahmad, 2015: 4). It is argued that environmental 

culture lays the groundwork for the implementation of GHRM as a strategic aspect of the 

organization (Shafaei et al., 2020). In this direction, organizations should offer different HRM 

practices in line with their strategic goals (Labella-Fernández, 2021: 2). 

Environmental and sustainability strategies will be successful when they are well aligned with 

human resources practices. In this regard, human resource management and practices play very 

important roles. It is argued that as GHRM associates “employees” with environmental 

sustainability, it helps to bridge the gap between the existing and required skilled workforce for 

the successful implementation of environmental management systems (Mishra, 2017: 764). 

Again with a parallel view, GHRM is accepted as a holistic perspective to align employees with 

the environmental strategy of the organization (Mathapati, 2013: 2).  

Green HR policies aim to develop an environmentalist corporate culture (Mathapati, 2013: 3). 

The responsibility of HR managers here is to include the green human resources philosophy in 

the human resources policies, which is the corporate mission statement (Mathapati, 2013: 4).  

As a study reveals, with a strategic approach to reward management, there is an evidence that 

organizations have developed reward systems to encourage practices related to environmental 

management (Renwick et al., 2013: 13). Research on the effective implementation of 

environmental practices in organizational strategy is quite limited. This study is considered 

important to fill this gap. Therefore, this study aims to address GHRM within the framework 

of the strategic management process. 



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Considering the importance of literature review and GHRM practices, the following hypothesis 

is put forward in this study. 

Hypothesis: GHRM practices and organizational strategy are interrelated. 

3.2.Sampling and Data Gathering 

The research was designed as an exploratory research and qualitative. The data were obtained 

by an in-depth interview technique. The in-depth interviews were conducted between February 

2022 and April 2022. Each in-depth interview lasted between 45 minutes and 1 hour on average. 

The sample of the research consists of 7 human resource management experts from the fuel and 

energy sector.  

An in-depth interview is a qualitative research method which is conducted with a small number 

of participants and tries to reveal perspectives of the participants through intensive individual 

interviews (Boyce and Neale, 2006: 3).  

In-depth interview analyzes relationships between categories by creating categories from the 

data obtained from the participants. (Charmaz, 1990: 1162) (Dworkin, 2012: 1319).  

It is stated that in-depth interviews are supportive in obtaining in-depth information on the 

thoughts and behaviors of the participants or in researching new topics in details (Boyce and 

Neale, 2006: 3).  

In the in-depth interview, it is stated that 5 to 50 participants will be sufficient for the sample 

(Morse, 2000: 1) (Dworkin, 2012: 1319). In-depth interview is suggested to consist of the stages 

of planning, developing a tool, collecting data, analyzing data and revealing findings (Boyce 

and Neale, 2006: 3). 

The data was analyzed by the content analysis method. At the beginning of the interview, 

approval was obtained to record the interviews with participants. In the research, it has been 

tried to reveal the existence of green culture in companies, starting from the framework of the 



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strategic management process. It is investigated whether green human resources management 

are applied in companies and if so, what kind of applications are made. Data were collected by 

an in-depth interview method, one of the qualitative research methods. 25 questions were asked 

to the participants through a semi-structured questionnaire. The reason for using this method is 

allowing researchers to delve deeper into the subject and gather comprehensive information. 

The universe of the research includes international organizations operating in the fuel and 

energy sector in Turkey. The sustainability reports of fuel and energy sector companies were 

examined and companies which give importance to the concepts of green human resources 

management, environmental management and sustainability were selected as a sample. Seven 

human resources management experts who agreed to be interviewed constitute the sample of 

the study. The reason for focusing on the fuel and energy industry is that concepts such as green 

culture and green management, environment and sustainability are the main focus of the 

research. Green culture becomes more important, especially if the used raw materials, the 

production process and the product itself can harm the environment. One of the sectors most 

related to issues such as environment and sustainability is the fuel and energy industry. In order 

for the sample to provide the sufficient information on GHRM, the annual reports of the 

companies were examined. The number of distributor companies in the fuel sector has been 

reached from the September 2021 report of the EPDK. There are nearly 50 distributor 

companies in the fuel sector in Turkey. For this reason, the main population of the study is these 

50 companies. However, with the time and cost constraints in order to examine the importance 

given to environmental, sustainability and “green” issues in the companies’ annual reports 

researchers interviewed with human resources management experts of seven companies as the 

sample of this research.  

3.3.Data Analysis and Reliability 

The data collected in the research was analyzed by the content analysis method. The content 

analysis is used to convert systematically collected data into quantitative form such as 

frequency and percentage for research purposes. Content analysis is a method which provides 

flexibility and is used to make valid inferences according to the researcher’s theoretical and 



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basic interests and the problem being examined (Rosengren, 1981; Weber, 1990) (Yavuz, 

2020).  

Content analysis, which allows for the creation of new opinions, starts with accessing similar 

source data through coding or keywords. It continues with bringing the concepts together and 

making classifications according to a certain methodology. After the scanning, the data set 

created is examined. Categories such as the content, order, and number of repetitions of the 

coding are being developed. The findings are associated with the research purpose, organized 

and deep interpretations are given (Cıgara, 2019) (Yavuz, 2020: 2675).   

Due to the confidentiality of personal data, the names of the participants and their organizations 

were not given. Participants are given as P1, P2, P3, etc.. Audio recordings of the interviews 

were decoded. Directly relevant and repeated answers of the participants were revealed. Similar 

meaningful expressions in the answers were coded. In the next step, the expressions and codings 

of the participants were analyzed. 

Possible researcher bias can be reduced by involving participants in the process of checking 

and validating the results. The method applied by involving participants in the research process 

is known as member checking or participant validation. Member checking is used to confirm, 

support or assess the trustworthiness of qualitative results (Doyle, 2007) (Birt et al. 2016). In 

this study, participant validation was carried out to ensure validity and reliability. In this 

direction, after the data collection, the data were summarized and the participants were asked 

to express their opinions about the accuracy. In addition, an expert review was conducted by 

two field experts for the entire research process. In order to ensure the consistency of this study, 

a similar attitude was displayed in the interviews with all the participants, and the questions 

were asked in the same way and in the same order. 

In the creation of questions to obtain information about the strategic management process 

associated with the green culture of companies Wheelen and Hunger’s (2012) strategic 

management model was used. In order to reveal the practices related to green human resources 

management in the interview questions, in-depth interview questions were created based on the 

green human resources scale used by Öner (2021) in his doctoral thesis. 



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3.4.Data Solutions 

Table 1. Gender of Participants 

Participants Gender 

P1 Woman 

P2 Man 

P3 Man 

P4 Woman 

P5 Woman 

P6 Man 

P7 Woman 

There are two main issues in this study, namely the strategic management process and green 

human resources management. The strategic management process consists of four main themes, 

the purpose of environmental scanning, strategy formulation, strategy implementation and the 

evaluation and control process. GHRM consists of six main themes: green recruitment and 

selection, green training and development, green performance management, green career 

management, green pay and reward and employee relations and green employee involvement. 

The main themes and sub-themes coded as a result of processing (filtering) the data of the 

participants are given in Table 2. 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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Table 2. Sub-Themes of the Sample 

Main Themes 

 
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Sub-Themes           

Sustainability P4, 

P3 

P1, 

P2, 

P3,P4, 

P5,P6, 

P7 

 P7, 

P2, 

P3 

   P4   

Reducing 

waste 

generation and 

zero emissions 

P2, 

P6 

P2  P5, 

P4 

      

Effective use 

of resources 

P7 P7  P4       

Society and 

environmental 

awareness 

P2 P4, 

P6, P3 

P3, 

P4 

   P7 P7   

Harm 

reduction 

P1, 

P6 

         

Renewable 

energy 

sources 

P5          



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Digital HR 

applications 

  P1 P6, 

P1 

      

Online 

interviews, 

tests and 

training 

  P5, 

P1, 

P4, 

P7 

       

Environmental 

trainings 

  P5, 

P3, 

P7 

  P3, 

P6, P7 

    

Occupational 

health and 

Safety 

 

  P2, 

P3, 

P6 

P7  P5, 

P1,P6, 

P4 

    

Volunteering       P7 P7   

Not a direct 

performance 

criterion 

      P1, P2, 

P3, P4, 

P5, P6 

   

Not a direct 

career 

planning 

criterion 

       P1, 

P2, 

P3, 

P5, 

P6 

  

Spiritual 

reward 

        P1, 

P2, 

P4, 

P6, 

P7 

 

Feedback and 

ppinion on the 

platform 

         P1, 

P4, 

P7, 



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Meetings          P4, 

P6, 

P7 

Projects about 

CSR and 

environmental 

         P3, 

P5, 

P6 

 

Table 3. Interview Questions and Codings 

Interview Questions Codings 

1. Do you give importance to nature and environmental 

circumstances in external and internal environment analysis 

(SWOT)? 

Sustainability 

Reducing waste generation 

and emissions 

Effective use of resources 

Environmentally friendly 

activities 

Environmental risk 

Harm reduction 

Energy and water efficiency 

Renewable energy sources 

2. Do you include environmental activities in your 

company’s mission and vision? 

Zero emissions 

Society and environmental 

awareness 



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Respect for the environment 

Environmental protection 

and sustainable values 

3. Do you include environmental activities in your company’s 

objectives? 

Renewable energy sources 

Zero emissions 

Sustainable activities 

Occupational health and 

Safety 

Effective use of resources 

4. Do you include environmental activities in your 

company’s strategies and policies? 

Low-carbon business 

investments 

Sustainability focused on 

people and the environment 

Carbon emission reduction 

activities 

Energy efficiency 

5. Do you include environmental activities in your human 

resources strategies? Is it in line with your corporate 

strategies? 

Sensitivity towards the 

environment and society 

Sustainability 

Volunteering practices for 

social responsibility 

Digital HR applications 



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6. Are there practices for green human resources in your 

company’s corporate culture? 

Making working conditions 

safe and secure 

Environmental trainings 

Digital HR systems 

Online interviews, tests and 

training 

Human rights policies 

7. Do you direct your employees in leadership practices 

towards green human resources and environmental practices? 

Executive interviews 

Field trips 

Leading projects 

Announcement by 

mail/news 

8. Do you include green human resources and environmental 

regulations in your organizational structure?  

OHS Team 

E-transformation 

applications 

Quality and Environment 

Team 

Health, Safety, Environment 

and Security Team 

Sustainability Presidency 

9. Do you allocate resources to green human resources 

practices in terms of resource allocation? And does your 

budget allocate expenses for this issue? 

Job creation for green 

growth 



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Digital HR and electronic 

HR systems investments 

Volunteering activities 

budgets 

Occupational health and 

safety investments and 

budgets 

10. Do you control and evaluate the process in terms of 

environmental practices? 

Emission calculations 

Activity reports 

Sustainability reports 

Waste management 

applications 

E-transformation 

applications 

Legal regulations 

Internal audits and reports 

11. Do you include environmental duties and responsibilities 

in employee job descriptions and job requirements? 

Available on select 

departments and teams 

Technical based job 

descriptions and job 

requirements 

12. Do you use environmental corporate image in job postings 

to attract environmentally conscious candidates? 

Energy emphasis 

Company introduction 



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Global energy 

transformation 

Zero carbon emissions 

13. Are there questions to measure the environmental 

knowledge and awareness level of the candidate in the 

recruitment interviews? 

Environmental awareness 

Social responsibility 

Volunteering 

Values 

14. Do you use electronic platforms for job interviews and 

candidate recruitment-selection processes?  

Reducing paper 

consumption 

Digital form and tests 

E-trainings 

Online interviews 

15. Do you develop training programs to raise environmental 

awareness for employees in the orientation process on 

environmental management? 

Environmental education 

OHS training 

Introducing the company’s 

environmental projects 

Hazardous wastes etc. 

trainings 

16. Do you develop special training programs for the 

environment? Are you trying to raise environmental 

awareness of your your employees via these programs? Do 

you expect your employees to do applications in this 

direction? 

Environmental management 

practices trainings 

Waste management 

trainings 



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OHS trainings 

Health, safety, environment 

and security training 

Energy efficiency trainings 

17. Are there individual or team/department based 

environmental performance criteria among the performance 

criteria? 

Volunteering 

Awareness 

Criteria for field workers 

Only competency and 

technical assessment 

18. Is there an assessment of environmental sensitivities of 

your employees in career planning? 

Goal-oriented approach 

Equality and fairness 

Sustainability goals 

Leadership traits 

19. Is there an assessment of environmental performance 

achievement of your employess in promotions or 

appointments? 

An indirect effect 

No effect 

Effective for specific 

departments 

20. Has an award system been developed in your company for 

those who bring innovative suggestions on environmental 

issues? Has a monetary or non monetary reward system been 

developed for the realization of environmental goals? 

Spiritual reward 

Earn points with the 

recommendation platform  

A piggy bank of ideas 

21. Do you involve employees in an environmental strategy 

formulation and decision-making? 

Get feedback quarterly 



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Satisfaction surveys 

Opinion on the platform 

Communication meetings 

Occupational Health and 

Safety Board representatives 

Company newspaper 

Environmental projects 

participation 

22. What kind of environmental practices do you have 

regarding occupational health and safety? 

Security Management 

System 

Respiratory Mask Use 

Training 

OHS Talks 

Saving energy and 

consumables 

Accident-incident 

notification tracking, 

suggestion records 

23. Has a suitable environment been created for employees 

in your company regarding environmental issues? (creating 

waste bin, brochures, recycling areas, etc.) 

Separation of garbage 

Battery waste bins 

Hazardous waste, electronic 

waste, packaging waste, etc. 



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Reducing the use of paper 

cups etc. 

Reducing paper usage 

Waste warehouses 

Warning signs and texts 

24. Do you direct your employees to team work in order to 

raise environmental awareness and sensitivity? 

Volunteering 

Social responsibility 

projects 

Environmental awareness 

25. Do you apply a flexible working system to reduce the 

negative effects of your business on the environment? 

Hybrid system 

Remote work for training 

and meetings 

Working remotely on a 

specific day 

Flexible working hours 

 

It is seen that the answers given by the majority of the participants to the first question are 

generally focused on sustainability, environmentally friendly activities, efficient use of 

resources, renewable energy sources, and reducing environmental damage. All of the 

participants state that the company they work for gives importance to nature and environmental 

conditions in the SWOT analysis. It’s stated that they use methods such as preparing action 

plans, making improvement studies, not avoiding the necessary investments, and performing 

data analysis. Some notable statements of the participants are as follows: 



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 “..Especially in the SWOT analysis, external environmental risks are an important topic for us 

within the scope of risks. Maximum attention is paid to legal regulations. Analyzes are made 

taking into account environmental effects and performance.” (P3, Man) 

“We are aware of our responsibility within the scope of the social and environmental impact 

caused by our operations. In this context, we pay particular attention to our weaknesses.” (P4, 

Woman) 

“It is important to reduce energy efficiency, water efficiency, emissions, and waste generation. 

Awareness raising efforts to reduce consumption are one of our strengths. We are doing 

analysis on this. But at the same time, these concepts can also be counted among our 

weaknesses due to the damage to the environment. Zero accident target is one of the aspects 

we want to strengthen.” (P6, Man) 

According to the answers given by the participants to the second question, companies include 

statements about the environment in their missions and visions, although not directly. Some 

notable statements of the participants are as follows: 

 “The environment is not directly involved in the mission and vision; however, our company 

values include "respect to the environment.” (P5, Woman) 

“The mission and vision are not directly related to the environment. However, we have the 

value of "social and environmental awareness.” (P6, Man) 

“…The firm now presents itself as an integrated energy company with a direct zero-emissions 

goal. However, the term "environment" is not included in the mission and vision.” (P2, Man) 

“Yes. We have the themes of “energy orientation” in our vision and “sustainable value and 

environmental protection” in our mission.” (P3, Man) 



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According to the answers given by the participants to the third question, companies include 

various environmental activities in their objectives. Below are some notable statements of the 

participants outside of the coding:  

“Yes. Due to the high environmental impact of the sector in which we operate, we carry out 

biodiversity, effective use of resources projects and environmentally sensitive investments.” 

(P7, Woman) 

“Yes, we care a lot about renewable energy sources, especially in recent years.” (P1, Woman) 

“Combating the climate crisis, reducing carbon emissions, using resources in a sustainable 

way, energy efficiency, clean technologies, protecting water and human rights are among the 

activities we care about.” (P5, Woman) 

According to the answers given by the participants to the fourth question, companies include 

environmental statements in their strategies and policies. Some notable statements of the 

participants are as follows: 

 “Due to the sector in which we do business, our product is a very risky product in terms of the 

environment. Therefore, the company considers environmental activities as its main strategy.” 

(P2, Man) 

“Human and environment-oriented sustainability is at the core of our strategy.” (P3, Man) 

“Yes, we are constantly updating our environment, occupational health and safety, quality and 

energy policies to make them a long-term strategic approach.” (P7, Woman) 

According to the answers given by the participants to the fifth question, companies include 

environmental expressions in their HR strategies. Some notable statements of the participants 

are as follows: 



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 “In line with the company strategy, we aim for a dynamic HR strategy that is sensitive to the 

environment and society. We care most about sensitivity and education in this regard.” (P4, 

Woman) 

“We become more sensitive with the digitalization of HR and social responsibility projects. We 

reduce the paper load. We conduct online interviews and assessments. I can evaluate them 

within the HR strategies for the environment.” (P1, Woman) 

“We are looking for talents who are in line with the vision of the " The energy company of the 

future". We prefer candidates who have a sustainability understanding. We care about 

volunteering in projects.” (P5, Woman) 

According to the answers of the participants to the sixth question, there are green human 

resources management practices, albeit partially. Some notable statements of the participants 

are as follows: 

 “In-class trainings are given in digital environment.” (P5, Woman) 

“Making working conditions healthy and safe, reducing occupational diseases and 

occupational accidents, complying with legal regulations, creating environmental trainings 

and awareness projects are among the practices we do.” (P6, Man) 

“In fact, we support the company strategy as HRM here. In the welcome kit of newly hired 

personnel, we present environmentally friendly products such as gifts with less paper waste and 

recyclable materials, glass bottles, and cloth bags. We want the employee to be aware of this 

situation.” (P1, Woman) 

“There is no direct, but there are indirect applications. OHS and social responsibility projects, 

environmental trainings, online interviews, tests and forms are among these examples.” (P7, 

Woman) 



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According to the answers given by the participants to the seventh question, it is stated that the 

leaders try to direct the employees to environmental practices. Some notable statements of the 

participants are as follows: 

“Managers go to the field and tour the stations. They might see something risky or notice 

something about security.” (P2, Man) 

“Hearing something from a president or CEO can motivate employees more. That's why our 

leaders take active roles.” (P1, Woman)  

“Our managers often conduct motivating interviews to raise awareness of the employees as 

required by the sector and make their promotions to increase participation in environmental 

projects.” (P4, Woman) 

According to the answers given by the participants to the eighth question, it is revealed that 

there are generally responsible units or individuals for environmental regulations. Some notable 

statements of the participants are as follows: 

“There is a Health, Safety, Environment and Security Team.” (P2, Man) 

“There is a Quality and Environment Team. There is also the Sustainability Department. They 

create the necessary strategies and projects for the management of environmental risks. Apart 

from that, there are suggestion boxes in the company.” (P7, Woman) 

“The OHS team is a particularly responsible department. Applications such as e-

transformation applications are also one of the environmental regulations in the organizational 

structure.” (P6, Man) 

According to the answers of the participants to the ninth question, they generally do not allocate 

resources directly for green human resources management; however, it is stated that a certain 

investment has been made indirectly. Some notable statements of the participants are as follows: 



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 “There is no budget with the title of green human resources management. However, there is a 

budget allocated for waste bins, occupational health and safety, and environmental projects.” 

(P7, Woman) 

“Indirectly yes. We started to use electronic information management system. To reduce paper 

consumption, employee overtime and labor costs. In this process, a certain budget and 

resources were allocated.” (P6, Man) 

“There is no specific title about it. But the budget allocated for the digitalization of HR can be 

the answer to this question. We allocate a budget for the complete digitalization of the 

recruitment process. Booklets, orientation, exit process, etc. are completely online.” (P1, 

Woman)  

According to the answers given by the participants to the 10th question, it is revealed that all 

companies control the process in terms of environmental practices and make evaluations in 

certain periods. Below are some notable statements of the participants: 

 “Yes. We follow the evaluation and feedback of all applications. For example, when we do 

afforestation projects, we always measure paper savings, the number of trees planted, and how 

much water is given to nature. In addition, we monitor how much we reduce paper consumption 

with e-transformation applications.” (P6, Man) 

We constantly share sustainability and annual reports with the public. At the same time, we try 

to evaluate the process by calculating air emissions.” (P4, Woman) 

“We develop applications for efficient use of natural resources, materials and waste. At the 

same time, we take care to comply with the legal regulations by checking them frequently. We 

are making internal reports on this issue.” (P3, Man) 

According to the answers of the participants to the 11th question, it is revealed that they usually 

add environmental duties and responsibilities to the job descriptions and job requirements of 

certain departments. Some notable statements of the participants are as follows: 



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 “Yes, for a job directly related to the environment. But we do not use it in job descriptions of 

jobs which are not directly related to the environment.” (P3, Man) 

“Yes for the Department of Health, Safety and Environment and OHS team.” (P7, Woman) 

According to the answers given to the 12th question of the participants, it is understood that the 

majority of them do not use the environmental image in job advertisements, but use them as 

advertisements or visuals.  

 “We use it not in job postings, but in advertisements.” (P1, Woman) 

“We use visuals to highlight the energy”. (P4, Woman) 

According to the answers given by the participants to the 13th question, it is revealed that 

companies follow different strategies. While some companies try to reveal environmental 

awareness in their recruitment questions, some companies ask environmental questions only to 

candidates who will work in the relevant departments. Some companies state that they ask 

questions to get to know the candidate for environmental awareness, not as an evaluation 

criteria. Some notable statements of the participants are as follows: 

“It is asked to candidates who will work in departments directly related to the environment. 

However, we do not ask if there will be recruitment for different departments.” (P7, Woman) 

“We don't ask for elimination factor. But we prefer the candidate to be conscious and sensitive. 

That's why we talk about social responsibility, volunteering, environmental projects in which 

candidates participate.” (P6, Man) 

“Our values include the environment. Environmental awareness and sensitivity are important. 

That's why we have questions about the environment.” (P2, Man) 

According to the answers given by the participants to the 14th question, all companies benefit 

from the electronic platforms in different ways in the recruitment process. Some notable 

statements of the participants are as follows: 



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“We implement processes to reduce paper consumption in order to ensure recycling”. (P4, 

Woman) 

“We conduct online interviews and tests”. (P3, Man) 

“We use e-forms and e-tests. Most of our training processes are conducted online.” (P5, 

Woman) 

According to the answers given by the participants to the 15th question, it is revealed that most 

companies add environmental training to their orientation programs. Especially in this process, 

OHS trainings are more prominent. Some notable statements of the participants are as follows: 

“We provide orientation and occupational health and safety trainings. Different trainings for 

the environment such as using chemicals, hazardous wastes, sorting wastes and using masks 

are also provided. But these trainings are provided according to the department in which the 

personnel will work.” (P6, Man) 

“I can say that there is an OHS training for the environment in our orientation program.” (P7, 

Woman) 

According to the answers of the participants to the 16th question, most companies create special 

training programs for the environment. Some notable statements of the participants are as 

follows: 

“Yes, we provide training on environmental management, combating climate change, and 

energy efficiency.” (P7, Woman) 

“We have occupational health and safety trainings on this subject.” (P3, Man) 

“All employees get training periodically about subjects such as environmental effects and their 

dimensions, waste management, and efficient use of energy.“(P6, Man) 



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According to the answers given by the participants to the 17th question, most companies state 

that there is no environmental criteria as a performance criteria. Some participants report that 

the environmental practices are criterias only for departments working on environmental issues. 

Some participants state that they only evaluate environmental practices in terms of awareness 

and volunteerism. Some notable statements of the participants are as follows: 

  “Environmental practices are criterias of departments such as OHS, but we do not evaluate 

them in other departments.” (P4, Woman) 

They are used for benchmarking of field workers. However, they are considered as a 

responsibility, not performance criterias for other employees.” (P2, Man) 

“There is a difference between departments in this regard. For example, they are not 

performance criterias for the finance department. However, they are performance criterias in 

the smart systems or OHS departments.” (P5, Woman) 

According to the answers of the participants to the 18th question, most of them state that 

environmental issues are not evaluated in their career planning. Some notable statements of the 

participants are as follows: 

“Career planning is based on job goals, leadership qualities and performance. Not based on 

the environment….” (P1, Woman) 

“Performance criterias suitable for the main function of the department are taken into 

consideration.” (P3, Man) 

“When measuring performance, environmental impacts are also taken into account. If the 

performance is good, career advancement, bonus etc. can have such consequences.” (P2, Man) 

According to the answers given by the participants to the 19th question, most companies state 

that promotions are not made according to environmental issues. Some notable statements of 

the participants are as follows: 



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“When we consider the performance, I can say that they have indirect effects.” (P2, Man) 

“They exist for those who work directly related to the environment. Competence and 

performance in the field are at the forefront in the promotion processes of other departments.” 

(P6, Man) 

According to the answers given by the participants to the 20th question, most of the companies 

state that they do not give financial rewards; but they give moral rewards. Some notable 

statements of the participants are as follows: 

“We can say that there are more spiritual rewards. Like motivating employees for encouraging 

other employees...” (P4, Woman) 

“Yes, we have practices such as giving small plaques and awards. Environmental projects or 

responsibilities can be scored with special tracking cards.” (P6, Man) 

“It is not directly related to the environment, but there is an application where employees can 

enter their suggestions on any subject. In this application, employees can congratulate each 

other. There are symbolic rewards and spiritual rewards such as making people more visible..” 

(P1, Woman) 

According to the answers of the participants to the 21st question, all companies include their 

employees in the decision-making processes in different ways. Some notable statements of the 

participants are as follows: 

“We have a company newspaper about it. We publish the newspaper together with all our 

employees. That's how we involve employees in all processes, projects and decisions.” (P3, 

Man) 

“We hold communication meetings with all our employees. We also have an Occupational 

Health and Safety Board. There are representatives from different departments and have roles 

on this board so that they can represent all employees.” (P4, Woman) 



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“General feedback and comments are received from employees quarterly about new ideas, or 

things which are lagging and dissatisfiying. We also expect them to be effective in decisions by 

conducting satisfaction surveys.” (P1, Woman) 

According to the answers of the participants to the 22nd question, there are various OHS 

practices in all companies. Some notable statements of the participants are as follows: 

 “There are different applications and units such as the accident-incident notification tracking 

system, the follow-up of health records, and the Health-Safety-Environment Department” (P7, 

Woman) 

“There are various documents about the safety management system, OHS conversations, mask 

use, waste training and OHS.” (P3, Man) 

“There are applications such as the use of safety clothing, OHS trainings, awareness studies 

about transformers.” (P6, Man) 

According to the answers given by the participants to the 23rd question, an effort is made to 

create a suitable environment for the environment in all companies. Some notable statements 

of the participants are as follows: 

“There are various applications such as energy saving, energy and consumables, waste sorting, 

battery waste bins. There are also places such as absorbent filters, hazardous waste facilities, 

and waste storage areas.” (P7, Woman) 

There are applications of recycling bins, sorting paper, using products such as glass cups and 

cloth bags.” (P4, Woman) 

We are trying to reduce plastic and harmful waste. Apart from this, there are warning signs 

and writings in various parts of the office.” (P2, Man) 



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According to the answers given by the participants to the 24th question, employees in all 

companies are involved in environmental decisions and practices. Some notable statements of 

the participants are as follows: 

“Yes, this is more volunteer based. We carry out social responsibility projects together with 

volunteers.” (P7, Woman) 

“We accept the cooperation of all employees without any specific criteria to increase 

responsiveness.” (P1, Woman) 

According to the answers given by the participants to the 25th question, flexible working 

practices are applied in all companies. Some notable statements of the participants are as 

follows: 

“We practice remote working one day per week. And we provide working option besides core 

hours in working hours.” (P1, Woman) 

“We apply it as a hybrid system. It's like 60% working in the office, 40% working from home. 

We work from home especially in situations such as meetings and training.” (P2, Man) 

 

4. Conclusion and Discussion 

As environmental awareness, sustainability and environmental responsibilities become more 

and more important, organizations include environmental elements in their strategies. “Green 

culture” becomes even more important, especially if the raw materials used, and the production 

process and the product itself can harm the environment. However, research on the effective 

implementation of environmental practices based on the organizational strategy is quite limited. 

This study tries to reveal the relationship between organizational strategy and green human 

resources management and present GHRM practices. 

Theoritical implications 



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This research deals with the strategic management process and GHRM together and helps the 

readers better understand the reflections of the strategic management process on GHRM. It is 

suggested that future research should look at GHRM in different sectors, as there is a lack of 

space in dealing with these two concepts together. 

This paper contributes to the GHRM literature by promoting the relationship between 

organizational strategy and GHRM. The organization's strategy on the environment is a key 

factor in GHRM practices. In this study, the focus is on environment, sustainability and green 

culture in the organization's strategy, mission, vision, goals and policies. As a result of this, 

GHRM practices and application evaluations of the organizations are presented. 

One of the interesting findings of this study is that even if the green culture is not directly 

involved in the missions, visions, goals, strategies, and policies of the organizations, they 

definitely do at least one green human resources management practice. From the answers of the 

participants, it is understood that they implement green human resources management practices 

with the indirect effect of environmental responsibility and sustainability. Even if the green 

culture is not fully present in the organization, green human resources management practices 

can find a place in the organization’s objectives, strategies, policies or values with the 

awareness of environmental responsibility and sustainability. Therefore, this study can broaden 

perspectives of researchers on GHRM. 

Another interesting finding of this study is that the participants discussed digital HR 

applications and human resources information management systems by directly integrating 

them with green human resources management practices. The digitalization of systems, online 

interviews and online tests, the use of softwares, without mentioning the issue of digitalization 

are considered as green human resources management applications. 

Another important result is that there is a unit or employees directly responsible for 

environmental responsibility and activities in almost every organization. Organizations have 

generally established various units such as health-education-environment department, 

sustainability committees, etc. The “creation of positions responsible for environmental 

corporate governance” mentioned in the green recruitment process (Bombiak, 2019: 1651) is 



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seen in all organizations where the participants work. From this, it is thought that they play an 

important role in positive activities towards the environment, raising awareness of the society 

and employees. In particular, zero emission and waste issues are seen in the foreground. In 

addition, minimizing paper consumption, exemplified by Bombiak and Marciniuk- Kluska 

(2018: 6), is also seen in most of the organizations where participants work. 

According to the results, organizations and participants are aware of green human resources 

management. Organizations generally do not include the environmental issues in their job 

postings. However, in the recruitment process (interviews), they give importance to the 

environmental awareness and environmental responsibility indirectly. It has been observed that 

"directing questions about the candidate's environmental knowledge, values and beliefs" 

mentioned in the study of Tang et al. (2018) is also applied in many organizations. 

In the results of the research, especially the education and development function related to the 

environment become more important. The fact that occupational health and safety trainings are 

held in all companies makes a difference. In addition, due to the sector in which the sample is 

taken, there are trainings for increasing environmental awareness and minimizing damage to 

the environment and safety. When looking at career management and performance evaluation, 

employees are not evaluated based on a “green” criterion generally. The complexity of career 

progression, green jobs and green competencies in green human resources management can be 

seen as the reason for this. Non-monetary rewards for creativity, idea generation and 

environmental awareness provide motivation for employees on environmental practices which 

support the strategic approach. In addition, the active role of managers in GHRM processes 

encourages and motivates employees. According to the results of this study, organizations 

implement the following practices as green human resources management practices: Digital HR 

systems, e-tests, online interviews, environmental trainings (such as waste training, chemical 

substance training, etc.), OHS trainings, social responsibility and environmental projects, 

voluntary participation, awareness, and non-monetary awards. 

Managerial implications  



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This study expects to help managers develop strategies which are aligned with environmental 

goals for improving understanding of how they can adopt environmental practices. Employees 

play important roles in the sustainability process of organizations as they are the source of 

competitive advantage of the organization. In this direction, managers can adapt GHRM 

practices in line with environmental strategic goals. Online interviews, digital HR processes, 

various environmental training contents, environmental practices in performance evaluation, 

environmental issues in the career planning process, monetary and non-monetary reward 

systems can play important roles. 

GHRM practices are tools for organizations to increase their social awarenesses about the 

environment and achieve sustainability. Green HR practices adopted by organizations support 

the strategic sustainability of the organization. In this direction, managers should show full 

support by including the environmental sustainability of their organizations in their missions. 

The organization's environmental strategies and policies must be integrated into its human 

resources processes so that employees can focus on green practices. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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