Fostering environmental sustainability through green HRM green leadership and work commitment

Abstract

This study examines how green recruitment, green training, green compensation, and green leadership influence environmental sustainability through employees’ green work commitment. Using a quantitative cross-sectional survey of 407 employees working in international organizations in the IT, manufacturing, and education sectors in Pakistan and Uzbekistan, the study estimates a mediation model in SmartPLS 4. The model tests 13 hypotheses, comprising nine direct effects and four indirect effects through green work commitment. Findings show that green recruitment, green training, green compensation, and green leadership positively influence green work commitment, and green work commitment positively influences environmental sustainability. The direct effects of the antecedent variables on environmental sustainability are not statistically significant, whereas the indirect effects through green work commitment are significant, indicating full mediation. This study is meaningful because it shows that the mechanism that links green HRM practices to green environmental sustainability outcomes is green work commitment of employees. It demonstrates that employee buy-in and commitment to organizational sustainability efforts are more likely to be effective when they are ingrained in their daily practices. This study contributes to the sustainability literature by integrating leadership and GHRM practices within a single employee-commitment framework in two emerging-market contexts. Limitations include the cross-sectional design, self-reported data, and non-probability sampling.