HRM Chapter 12

Nature of environmental sustainability

● Corporate environmental performance refers to organisational performance in

managing natural resources and the natural environment in the process of
conducting business
● This includes increasing energy efficiency, waste reduction and recycling, water
conservation and workers use of alternative low carbon forms of transportation
● A more inclusive definition of environmental sustainability focuses on 4 areas, first
quality of life, second present in future generations, third equity and justice in
resource allocation, 4th living within environmental limits

Workers Pro environmental behaviours

This includes all types of voluntary or prescribed activity undertaken by employees that aim
to protect the natural environment or improve organisational practices that decarbonise the
workplace

Motivation for embedding sustainability strategies

● Internal drivers to adopt sustainability initiatives include personal or ethical values of

managers, employee environmental champions, desire to reduce operational costs,
employee engagement, organisational culture, investor pressure and CSR
● External drivers are associated with legislative and regulatory compliance, eg.
climate change act. Other external drivers of changing clothes increased energy cost,
gaining competitive advantage, access to government funds as well as pressure from
suppliers, trade unions and public opinion

Environmental leadership
Goal is to motivate followers to achieve high levels of environmental performance, this can
include encouraging innovation among employees, competency building, community ideas
on sustainability, Dissemination of information rewards and recognition and management of
goals and responsibilities

Reframing organisational culture

● This can be done through leadership processes that create the motivation to change
behaviours with particular emphasis on their symbolic content. Example replacing
plastic cups with ceramic
● Reframing social networks of symbols and meanings through artefacts and language,
ceremonies etc. Example best employee award
● Initiating new HRM practices to change work conduct. Example Training new and
existing employees about the need and benefits of reducing carbon emission

Creating a low carbon workplace

● Low carbon behaviours occur at three levels: individual level influences act on
individual motivators, for example personal awards. Social level influences act on
employees when operating in teams, for example social norms, communities of
practice. Lastly material level influences act on organisational structure and
processes example products technology and environment.
● Goal is to reach awareness and improve understanding with individual employees
and groups, build social meaning and norms around pro-environmental low carbon
working practices and support employees with technology they need, backed up with
consistent policies.
 ● Recruitment and selection - One way to embed ecological values in the workplace
is by selecting people with green related skills and values. The selection process
may be designed to ensure that employees committed to the environmental issue
have a potential to be higher than those who do not show an ability to lead the
environmental management.

● Performance management - This can be one of the criteria of performance

appraisal, there can be a reward system that recognises employees who meet
certain levels of innovation in terms of how they deal with waste reduction, reuse and
recycling. Workplaces can encourage environmental activities using non monetary
rewards as well such as employee recognition. time off from work, gift certificate and
paid vacations

● Employee voice in sustainability - When workers are engaged through employee

participation processes they will better understand how they can contribute towards
environmental sustainability. This can be done by increasing levels of participation in
managerial decisions such as1) welfare decisions 2) shop floor operational decisions
3) tactical business decisions and 4) strategic business decisions

Critiquing corporate oriented sustainability

It is argued that mainstream management approaches to environmental sustainability feel to

engage with the Dynamics of capitalism and the nature of the capital state. Deliberative
democracy principles need to be employed and a recognition is needed for the development
of a shared will to move beyond the immediate self interest of affected parties.

Eg. Employees and their Union representatives can be involved in strategic decision making
with potential for social partnerships for better environmental outcomes in the workplace.

HRM sustainability & globe