Towards Examining the Link Between Green HRM Practices and Employee Green in-Role Behavior: Spiritual Leadership as a Moderator

Introduction

The concept of “green HRM” has emerged as a central principle of eco-friendly HRM strategies.¹ Green HRM takes an eco-conscious stance and seeks to foster a green corporate culture to motivate workers to minimize the environmental impact on their behaviors.² Green HRM also strongly emphasizes teaching employees about environmental objectives and developing competitive advantages based on environmental factors.^3,4 In accordance with current green HRM policies and concepts, organisation comprises encouraging employee behavior to the environment, as well as hiring, rewarding, promoting personal development, and educating workers in line with the company’s environmental objectives.^5,6 Organizations with solid green HRM practices usually have the advantage of boosting and facilitating employees in role-green behavior.⁷ Post Covid-19 pandemic, employers and employees should align their roles in ensuring the organisation’s long-term viability, and their actions should align with the company’s green organisational practices.⁸ In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been substantial changes in how employees carry out their organisational tasks.³ Post-COVID-19 pandemic, organisations may achieve a balance between their economic, social, and environmental objectives by using green HRM practices.⁹ This immediately contributes to an improvement in the worldwide recovery from the pandemic. Green HRM is an emerging field that aims to improve organisational performance by reconsidering HR policies, practices, and technology and making them environmental friendly to reduce costs and increase efficiency while also minimising their impact on the environment. The ultimate goal is to get a company’s employees involved in its sustainability and green management initiatives.

Green HRM practices are now the focus of every organisation. “It is a set of policies, practices, and systems that stimulate the employee in-role green behavior to create an environmentally sensitive, resource-efficient, and socially responsible organisation”^10,11 defined green HRM as “HRM activities which enhance positive environmental outcomes” (p. 1075). In today’s business world, “green HRM” is essential for ensuring all employees’ activities, and job roles become eco-friendly. After the Covid-19 pandemic, organizations have taken an active role in determining the plan for facilitating workers’ returns to work, accommodating employees’ needs for alternative schedules, and promoting employees’ in-role green behavior.¹² This study aims to contribute to a more in-depth understanding of green HRM and its strategies to address environmental problems inside the organisations. Green HRM plays a significant role and considerable contribution to supporting green behaviour at work.⁶ The concept highlights the value of collaboration between employees and management in preserving a safe and productive workplace.¹³ Consequently, the study highlights the need to do more in-depth research on the adaptability, duties, and practices of green HRM in connection to ecologically sustainable activities after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Previous studies indicate that employee pro-environmental behavior is associated with green HRM policies and practices.^6,14 The study by Harvey, Zhang, and Thomas (2013) conducted in the airline industry found that green HRM practices are tough to implement. However, the study of Paillé, Chen, Boiral, Jin¹⁵ stresses green HRM practices more than general HRM policies. The study of Hameed, Khan, Islam, Sheikh, Naeem¹⁶ advocates that literature related to green HRM practices affects employee behaviour over different social and psychological processes. Green human resource practices improve in-role green behavior by increasing worker capability (acquiring applicable skills and competencies) and motivation (promoting optimistic attitudes and willingness to participate in green environment-related activities).^5,17 So far, research has scant that green HRM practices affect employee green workplace behavior after Covid-19 pandemic. This study aims to investigate the previous gap by identifying the influence of green HRM practices on employee in-role green behavior at workplace, referring to “in-role green behavior is defined as green formal tasks that are an integral part of an employee performance assessment.”¹⁸

Even though many studies have been done in this area, the process component of the subject has received very little attention. Most efforts have only concentrated on the content side. This field needs further study due to the dearth of studies addressing the psychological underpinnings that reveal when and how green HRM practices affect people’s green behaviours.^19,20 The “psychological green climate”—employees’ perceptions of the organisations’ “green climate”—the degree to which employees are attached to the management systems of environmental change—is left unaddressed in those scant studies, which serve as a bridge between green HRM and employees’ role-green behaviours.^3,21 Here, the current research highlights “psychological green climate” as a cutting-edge underlying mechanism that clarifies how and why green HRM influences workers in their position as exhibiting in role green behaviours.

Further, there has been a spiritual crisis at work due to the COVID-19 outbreak. When faced with adversity, workers often react in two ways: shut down or lash out. This is made more difficult by COVID-19, the current political climate, and events like “the great resignation”, in which many employees resign from their jobs due to the pandemic’s impact.²² In this pandemic situation, leadership practices need to consider ethics and spirituality. If you are in a leadership position, regardless of the corporate sector, it is expected to offer true spiritual care to the individuals you are responsible for leading.²³ This study will examine the moderating influence of spiritual leadership in the link between psychological green environment and employee in-role green behaviour at the workplace by adopting the well-known supplies-value fit theory.²⁴ Therefore, this study’s overarching the objective by highlighting the role of spiritual leadership that encourage “green HRM practises” to engage employees in role green behavior. Figure 1 presents the theoretical model of this study.

Figure 1 Conceptual Model.

Many theoretical advances are expected from this study. First, it contributes significant knowledge to the body of literature on behavioral HRM by investigating the work outcome of green HRM practices, which is not studied in previous literature, to deliver and best investigate its concepts and magnitude after the Covid-19 pandemic. The description of green HRM practices is still lagging behind its implications regarding its influence on individual work outcomes.^25,26 Therefore, this study further enhances the knowledge in the emerging field of green HRM from the perspective of existing theories after the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, the study of Cooke, Schuler, Varma²⁷ further call that there is a dire need for a better understanding green HRM practices outcomes post Covid-19 pandemic. Many studies also investigate factors that endorse workers' in-role green behaviour. Still, less research has been focused on employee in-role green behavior at the workplace compared to individual green behavior outside the working environment.⁵ However, most research studies focused mainly on extra role green behavior workplace behavior and its influence on organisational stability programs.²⁸ Past research focuses less on the influence of worker engagement while executing practices and organisational policies. Some of the studies argued that employees who agree and are inclined toward green behavior must be involved in the workplace and can easily implement practices and policies related to green HRM.^17,29 Policies and practices related to green HRM have high chances of engagement and their important role in enhancing in-role green behavior. Therefore, the current study aims to contribute to organisational behaviour literature to recognise employee antecedent’s in-role green workplace behavior.

Third, behavioral HRM studies argue that green HRM practices do not need to affect workers’ outcomes at work directly; rather, indirect mechanisms like social and psychological processes are used by green HRM practices.³⁰ The current research explored the underlying mechanism, such as psychological green climate, between the relationship of green HRM practices and employee in-role green behavior. According to Berberoglu,³¹ the “psychological green climate” is considered the perception at the individual level about the environment. Previous studies argue that psychological green climate and organisational culture are different constructs compared to more stable, deep and everlasting concepts than organizational climate.³² Lastly, organizations may now be considered as spiritual entities since individuals spend a lot of time at work and hence their spiritual identities are ingrained in their organisations. Thus, this study extends the role of spiritual leadership to encourage a psychological green climate where green HRM practices enhance employee’s in–role green behavior. Employees eventually have a variety of options for how they conduct themselves in the job when guided by spiritual leader.^6,33

Theory Underpinning and Hypotheses Development

Supplies-Values Fit Theory

According to the “supply-values fit theory”,²⁴ employees evaluate the supplies provided by the organization in light of their values and are satisfied when the supplies outweigh the values. These kinds of emotions have the potential to boost the sense of a good match between corporate and personal goals.³⁴ When we think about the process behind S-V fit, we presume that green HRM practices as supplies offered by the organisation. Workers prefer to value these supplies by adopting in role green behaviours.³ In addition, the S-V fit theory proposes that when the organization’s resources equal or surpass the individual’s values, a fit scenario occurs, leading to favourable attitudes and actions.⁶ Previous research has shown that when employees feel that their values align well with those of the organization, they have good attitudes and behaviours toward their jobs and the organization. When employees have the impression that green HRM practices are following the values, we think it is reasonable to expect them to feel fit and, consequently, demonstrate in role green behaviours.³⁵

S-V²⁴ fit theory also suggests that the best match for the organisation acquired from green HRM practices is employees who have a high value for the environment (ie, Psychological green climate) and display green behaviour in their roles. However, people who place a premium on ecological concerns in their work are more likely to be negatively affected by an organization’s inability to provide for these values (eg, via ineffective green HRM practices), which they see as a negative organisational element. The existence of a green psychological climate will improve the fitness of the workplace and, as a result, will lead to more environmentally conscious actions on the part of workers.¹⁶

Green HRM Practices and Employee in-Role Green Behavior

After the COVID −19 pandemic, most organizations are changing their corporate policies to be more environmentally friendly. HRM practices are focusing on this agenda and expand its scope by integrating environmental management into the basic function of human resource management.³⁶ Previous studies found that the core function of HR is to measure and promote employee behaviors related to performance, attitudes, behaviors, motivation, and knowledge.³⁷ Therefore, organisations use green HRM practices to implement and practically apply sustainable green strategies.²⁶ To illustrate that organisations adopting green HRM practices are a more effective force in promoting in-role green employee behaviors in the workplace. Organisations employ recruitment strategies designed to attract applicants with values and perspectives aligned with the organization’s goal and vision, since this will increase the likelihood of the organisation’s success. Effective training that raises understanding about the need of achieving environmental objectives; strategies for employee success, growth, and fair remuneration that shift mindsets toward a focus on environmental performance.²

Green HRM practices promote in-role green behavior intended to promote social acceptance and friendship;³⁸ from a realistic point of view, individual monotonous workplace green behavior must comprise in-role green behavior³⁹ and positively contribute to organisation outcomes. The use of HRM practices may assist in developing workers’ competencies, increasing employees’ levels of motivation, and winning employees’ engagement in environmental activities.^40,41 Green HRM can achieve these goals.⁴² Chaudhary concluded that green HRM practices provide a workplace that applicants who have green considerations and values find desirable because of the green organisational considerations that are shown in those practices. Green human resource management (HRM) practices include recruiting, selection, and training, raising workers’ environmental consciousness, polishing their green abilities, and preparing them to spot environmental issues and implement solutions.⁴³ Further, green HRM practices (such as performance evaluation and incentives approaches) attempted to bring about this same alignment between the requirements of the organisation and those of its employees.^44,45

Hypothesis 1: Green HRM practices have a significant relationship with employee in-role green behavior.

Mediating Role of Psychological Green Climate

Behavioral HRM literature stated that green HRM practices affects the organisation’s overall performance via work attitudes and employee behaviour.¹⁶ Furthermore, the research on behavioural HRM suggests that green HRM practices are the most important factor in determining employee in-role green behavior.⁴⁶ Green HRM practices have an impact on in-role green behaviour in the workplace for a wide range of reasons. First, the main focus of the green HRM practices, like propagating the information related to the green focus of the organisation highlighting the person’s green values in the process of recruitment and selection, and encouraging green values of employee via training, probably enhance individual green recognition.²⁶ Second, the primary step in developing the mentality of workers to engage in environmentally friendly activities is to provide green training practices. These practices are meant to advance employees’ knowledge, competence, and skills.³ Third, an employee’s expectation that their organisation would adopt certain environmentally conscious HRM policies is what the literature on HRM claims will determine the practice’s impact on the employee’s productivity on the job.⁴⁷ According supplies–values fit theory, an employee’s actions will be in line with the organisation’s green policies if the company employs a respectable and amiably interlinked set of green HRM practices and strategies that are designed to enhance employee in-role green behavior.⁴⁸ Workers are more likely to engage in and contribute to environmental protection efforts when their employers provide incentives that reflect in the employees’ green performance.²⁶ Therefore, green HRM will simplify individual accomplishment in the workplace of in-role green task behavior.⁴

Previous studies show that there is no direct influence of green HRM on individual behavior; relatively, there are some other underlying mechanisms through which it effect.³⁰ This scholarship studied that green HRM practices affect individual workplace in-role green behavior via an underlying psychological green climate mechanism. Psychological green climate states “individual perceptions of work environment characteristics”⁴⁹ or “employees’ perceptions of their organisations”.⁵⁰ Literature defines “green climate” as an atmosphere prevalent in businesses that have achieved long-term success by using environmentally friendly practices.^15,51 Therefore, individuals perceive a psychological green climate as the company’s pro-environmental policies, practices and processes that imitate the firm’s green value. According supplies–values fit theory, employee social interaction results in a developed psychological climate, through which individuals identify the firm’s policies and its values, practices and techniques that both individuals and firms perceive in the workplace.⁵² Previous studies suggest that individuals accept and understand the firm’s HRM policies and practices, and in results make their perceptions of the firm’s and their values to increase employee in-role green behavior.^53,54

During their cognitive process, individuals develop their opinions about the psychological green climate of the firm.⁵⁵ When firm projects with a solid environmental agenda, the organisation give clear direction to individual ethics and values that are essential to the firm.⁵⁶ Implementing green HRM practices, the firm’s shared message to the workers about pro-environmental policies which are beyond the economic gains, and also pursues to involve workers in the decision-making process related to green behavior.^26,57 Dumont, Shen, Deng³ stated that to encourage employees to participate in green activities, organisations need to explain workplace green duties via effective job design and assessment, suitable incentives for green behaviour, and increased employee understanding of green principles. As a result, green HRM practices will have a good impact on the psychological green climate of employees and affect employee in-role work behavior positively.

Hypothesis 2: psychological green climate mediates the link between green HRM practices and employee in-role green behavior.

Moderating Effect of Spiritual Leadership

Previous research states that the relationship between employee green behaviour in the workplace and leadership style is well studied.^6,58 Spiritual qualities of leadership, for instance, were shown to promote a spiritual workplace atmosphere, which in turn encouraged workers to engage in environmentally responsible actions.⁵⁹ Ali, Usman, Pham, Agyemang-Mintah, Akhtar⁶⁰ found that workers were more likely to engage in environmentally friendly practices when spiritual leadership was instituted. It was also noted that the actions of those who follow a spiritual leader with an emphasis on the environment were positively influenced by this leader.⁶¹ Spiritual leaders have a widespread reputation for their ability to foresee the green behaviors of their followers. It has been seen by others that task-specific leadership affects the environmentally friendly actions of those who follow.⁶² Leaders who focus on environmental issues, for instance, often motivate their followers to take better care of the environment.⁶³ Spiritual leaders may influence the actions of their followers in a more environmentally friendly direction simply by setting a good example. Spiritual leaders, who are able to effectively manage moral individuals, may inspire their followers to adopt eco-friendly practices in the organisation.⁶⁴

Spiritual leaders create multi-tiered systems of communication and the highest moral standards for their followers.⁶⁵ Workers tend to look up to spiritual leaders and strive to model their own actions after those of the most admired and respected members of the community. The supplies-values fit (S-V fit) theory states that spiritual leaders’ supplies will have a positive effect on psychological green climate and employee in-role green behavior link.²⁴ When an individual thinks that their ambitions and objectives are compatible with the goals or values of an organisation, this is termed a supplemental fit.⁶⁶ We make the assumption, based on supply-value beliefs, that spiritual leaders are considered suppliers from the organisation and that people appreciate the actions of such spiritual leaders.⁶ Thus, in the workplace, when workers see positive actions taken by management, they are more likely to do such actions themselves. The spiritual conduct of leaders is highly valued by their followers, and as a result, followers’ in-role work behavior increases.⁵⁹ Organisations are morally obligated to prioritise sustainability and psychological green environmental climate since doing so ensures employee in-role green behavior.⁶⁷ Leadership is essential in environmentally conscious organisations because leaders shape strategy, foster a psychological green environment, and serve as role models to enhance in-role work behavior.⁶⁸ Priyankara, Luo, Saeed, Nubuor, Jayasuriya⁶⁹ also highlighted that staff members were more likely to engage in environmentally responsible practices if they believed their supervisor was on their side. Employees’ freedom of choice in the workplace is influenced by a number of variables, including the style and effectiveness of their leadership.⁶⁹ Leaders are believed to have an effect on both of these in-role environmental behaviours. Sustainable actions in the workplace are influenced by spiritual leadership in a two-way relationship. Human resource management (HRM) techniques that are green and a greener mental environment are the fruits of spiritual leadership.

Hypothesis 3a: The positive effects of a psychologically green climate on employees’ in-role green behaviour will be enhanced under strong spiritual leadership and reduced under poor spiritual leadership.

Methods

Participants and Procedures

The data was collected from employees working in Chinese Multinational Corporation. The data was collected from employees through questionnaires. The study purpose was briefly discussed with the respondents before data collection and also make them assure confidentiality. Before distributing questionnaires codes were given to each employee’s questionnaires, so that we match questionnaires at all phases. The data were collected in three phases by adopting convenience sampling technique with time lag. In first phase, we distributed 444 questionnaires and collected 417 complete data regarding employee’s demographic variables and green HRM practices (response rate = 93.91% of the total). In the second phase, we collected psychological green climate data and received 389 complete questionnaires (response 87.61% of the total). In the last phase, we collected data regarding spiritual leadership and employee’s in-role green behavior. In the last phase, we received 381 complete questionnaires (response 85.81%). After removing the missing values (07 questionnaires has been removed), we have 374 complete data for the study.

Measures

Green HRM Practices (α=0.72)

The six-item scale developed by³ Dumont et al measured Green HRM practices. Sample items are “my company sets green goals for its employees”.

Psychological Green Climate (α= 0.86)

Five items scale developed by⁷⁰ Chou was used to examine psychological green climate. A sample item is “Engaging in and supporting green and sustainable initiatives is important in this company.”

Spiritual Leadership (α=0.83)

A sixteen-item scale was used to assess spiritual leadership with three e dimensions adapted from Fry, Vitucci, Cedillo⁷¹ scale. Vision and hope/faith contain five items dimensions each, whereas altruistic love has a six-item. Sample items are “I am committed to my organisation’s vision”.

Employee in-Role Green Behavior (α=0.86)

Three items scale developed by³⁶ Bissing-Olson et al was used to measure in-role green behavior. A sample item for in-role green behavior is “This employee adequately completes assigned duties in environmentally friendly ways”.

Control Variables

It is hypothesised that employee in green HRM practices and in-role green behaviour were influenced by demographic characteristics in the previous study.⁷² Thus, we made sure to control for factors like age, education level, employment status, and length of service.

Results

Confirmatory Factor Analysis

In order to verify the factor structure of our survey measures, we ran a series of confirmatory factor analyses using AMOS.⁷³ These analyses confirmed the factor structure of our survey measures. In order to satisfy the specified parameters’ need to sample size ratio for estimate (1:5), we included the variables that were the subject of the study into our tests (Bentler, 1987). We perform series of CFA models. The results in Table 1 shows that the four-factor model best match the model: χ²/df = 2.43, χ²= 156.32, p < 0.001, SRMR = 0.05, RMSEA = 0.03, TLI = 0.91, CFI = 0.91, GFI = 0.90. The values of GFI, CFI, and TLI were all greater than 0.90. The values of RMSEA were less than 0.10 and χ2/df values were in the given range (χ2/df<3), which shows that the four-factor model represents best fit of the model. Upon finding evidence for our model, we may now test our study hypotheses. In addition, the variance that was retrieved by the common method factor on which the items were loaded was 0.237, which was lower than the stated threshold of.50⁷⁴ and was either lower than or equivalent to the variance that was found in previous research⁷⁵ (0.29). These findings showed that the common method variance in the current study was not a significant problem.

Table 1 Results of Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Descriptive Statistics

In Table 2, means, standard deviations, correlations and reliability of scales were discussed. Internal consistency between all variables was satisfactory and acceptable. The correlation between variables was all in given direction. The scale reliability of the variables was in the acceptable range (α > 0.70). There was a good correlation between the green HRM practices and the employee’s in-role green behaviour (r = 0.193, p < 0.01), between green HRM practices and psychological green climate (r = 0.271, p< 0.001), between green HRM and spiritual leadership (r = 0.375, p < 0.001).

Table 2 Correlation and Descriptive Statistics

Direct and Mediating Analysis

The data we obtained were nested. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to test hypotheses as presented in Table 3. After controlling for age and work experience, green HRM practices significantly positively impacted employee in role green behavior (β = 0.059, p < 0.001, Model 4). Thus, green HRM practices positively affect employees in role green behavior, providing support for H1. Psychological green climate mediates the link between green HRM practices and in role green behavior (indirect effect = 0.5950, SE = 0.0809, 95% CI = 0.4406, 0.7614). Thus, it confirms H2.

Table 3 Results of Hypotheses Testing

Moderating Effect Analysis

Hypothesis 3 stated that spiritual leadership significantly moderated the positive relationship between psychological green climate and in role green behavior as shown in Table 3 (B = −0.2672***SE = 0.0707, p < 0.01, 95% CI = −0.4061 −0.1283). The effect of the interaction is shown in Figure 2, which we provided so that it would be simpler to understand. Slope tests served as a fundamental method for evaluating spiritual leadership (ie, +1 and −1 SD from the mean).⁷⁶ The results show a significant path between the psychological green climate and employee in role green behavior when a spiritual leadership was high (B = 0.8866***SE = 0.0697, p < 0.01, 95% CI = 0.7496, 1.0236); as compare to when it is low (simple slope = 0.3924, SE = 0.1076, p < 0.001, 95% CI = 0.1808, 0.6040). The results confirm hypothesis 3.

Figure 2 Moderation effect of spiritual leadership.

Moderation Mediation Analysis

We examined the moderated mediation by using⁷⁷ PROCESS macro model 14. We conducted an integrative examination of the moderation mediation analysis of the hypothesis as proposed by Hayes (2017) (One SD above and below the mean of a moderator). Basic slope tests (ie, +1 and −1 SD from the mean) were used to measure spiritual leadership.⁷⁶ The results show that spiritual leadership effect the indirect link between green HRM practices and in-role green behavior via psychological green climate (see Table 4), when spiritual leadership is high (β = 0.6389***SE = 0.0880, p < 0.01, 95% CI = 0.4680, 0.8142); as compare to when it is low (simple slope = 0.5210, SE = 0.0700, p < 0.001, 95% CI = 0.3896, 0.6619).

Table 4 Moderated Mediated Results for Green HRM Practices and Employee in Role Green Behavior Across Levels of Spiritual Leadership

Discussion

Effects of green HRM practices on employees’ green behaviour in the workplace after Covid 19 are analysed in this study. We determined the importance of green HRM practices on employees’ in-role green behaviour as a first step toward this study’s goal. Second, we examined at how green HRM practices may predict the green behaviour of workers in their jobs via psychological green environment. Third, we used²⁴ supplies-values fit theory to investigate the moderating influence of spiritual leadership, as well as the interaction effect of green HRM practices and psychological green climate on employee in-role behaviour. The findings indicate that green HRM practices were associated, both directly and indirectly (through psychological green climate), to the in-role green behaviour of employees while they were doing their jobs. This result strengthens the behavioural HRM literature from the following angles: (1) The effect of green human resource management practices on employee behaviour in the workplace is a key driver of business success;⁷⁸ (2) Green HRM practices’ factors predict how they will influence workers’ actions (Bowen & Ostroff, 2004; Nishii et al); and (3) In the workplace, green HRM practices may affect employee outcomes through certain basic mechanism,³⁰ such as organisational climates.⁷⁹ The study also demonstrates that spiritual leadership helps to maximise the effect of psychological green environment on individuals’ ability to perform in-role green behavior. Such results support the role of leadership in enhancing employees positive behavior by practicing green HRM.⁸⁰ This study lends credence to²⁴ supplies-values fit theory, which proposes that a congruence between spiritual leadership explicitly shown by an organisation and good employee workplace outcomes is a necessary condition to flourish.

Theoretical Implications

Following the Covid-19 outbreak, a significant addition was made to the green HRM literature by the introduction of green HRM practices and linked to employee in-role behavior. These results contribute to the behavioural HRM research that was examined post Covid-19 pandemic. This establishes a solid foundation for further work towards creating a more universally applicable measure of green HRM practices that can be used across cultural boundaries post Covid-19 pandemic to enhance employee in-role green behavior. Researchers have just lately begun to recognise the managerial potential of green HRM practices, hence there is little evidence of them in the existing literature. Previous studies on HRM, eg, Renwick, Redman, Maguire^26,81 examined employee work outcomes. Many empirical research have looked at the link between HRM and environmentally friendly actions taken by workers. On the other hand, these studies either did not address green HRM at all or they focused on HRM in general post Covid-19. This study justifies the results that post Covid-19 green HRM practices play an important role to develop psychological green climate that will help an employee to perform in-role green behavior after such a stressful situation.

This study contributes to the body of literature on human resource management by expanding our understanding of the social and psychological mechanisms through which green HRM practices affect employee behaviour in the workplace. This research found that green HRM practices in organisations are connected to employees’ green behaviour in their roles via a variety of social and psychological channels. This result is interpreted by us in the sense that employee green conduct in their roles is officially rated, acknowledged, and tied to incentives; it is also ordinary workplace behaviour; and it is directly influenced by green HRM practices. In-role green behaviour is not formally rated and rewarded; rather than being directly impacted, this conduct is mostly driven by individual views of psychological green climate, which are the outcome of implementing green HRM practices.

Additionally, the supply values fit theory is expanded upon as a result of our research²⁴ giving empirical evidence that spiritual leadership moderates the influence of psychological green climate on role green behaviour. This conclusion is in line with previous research showing that a pro-environmental mindset moderates the daily influence on proactive pro-environmental behaviour.³⁶ It is important to highlight, however, that our research does lend credence to the conclusions reached by Bissing-Olson et al,³⁶ who stated that the effects of daily effect on task pro-environmental behaviour are moderated by pro-environmental mindset. Our results are best understood in light of the expectation that workers would exercise less discretion due to personal beliefs in regards to job responsibilities than in regards to in-role behavior.⁸² Understanding the insightful social and psychological mechanisms by which green HRM practices impact these behaviours is crucial, and the results addressing the moderating effects of spiritual leadership and the mediating effects of psychological green atmosphere are vital in this respect.

Further, our results add to S-V²⁴ Fit theory by indicating that spiritual leaders encourage organisational green HRM practices that not only bring people’s values into line with those of the organization, but also provide psychological green climate to motivate employee to act in environmentally friendly ways (ie, in role green behaviour). We hypothesise that followers respect the actions of spiritual leaders because they are seen as a valuable source of inspiration, or supply, to the organisation. Employees thus often copy such actions and strive to make the workplace better. Employees are expected to act in ways that are important for the organization by following spiritual leadership values.

Implications for Practices

Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has developed into a significant threat to the health of people all over the globe. Because of the widespread transmission, the Covid-19 virus has become a dangerous and perhaps fatal illness. In this circumstance, it is vital to manage human resources that pay attention to environmental issues and protection to effectively fulfil the work duties that are assigned to them. Green human resources management is an appropriate strategy for managing workers during a pandemic to encourage in-role green behavior. This study was carried out within the setting of China’s national context; nonetheless, it has major implications for management in general, particularly given that green management has become a modern worldwide concern in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak.⁵¹ It has been argued by an increasing number of studies, such as Jackson et al, that firms should embrace green HRM practices to execute corporate green policies successfully.

This research suggests that organisations must use green HRM practices to establish and implement a green goal agenda effectively. In particular, employers should ensure that their workers have access to sufficient green training and education opportunities and design work activities to conform to the standards set by the company’s environmental policy. In particular, they should provide staff with sufficient green training and education possibilities and create work activities to conform to standards. There are several benefits to receiving such training. First, it assists staff members with the knowledge and abilities essential for effectively implementing green management objectives. Second, employees learn more about green management practices and the company’s commitment to environmental sustainability. To encourage and inspire workers to engage in green activities and to contribute to green management goals, organisations should conduct appropriate evaluations of employees’ green behaviour in the workplace and relate it to promotion possibilities, pay, and compensation. Employing these sustainable human resource management methods should guarantee the successful rollout of green programmes inside a firm. One aspect of green HRM that is to be taken by the organisation to “examine attitudes toward green management in recruiting and selection”. Nonetheless, our study shows that spiritual leadership mitigates the impact of the psychological green environment on employees’ in-role green behaviour, which is critical to reaching the green objectives of organisations as proposed by Paillé et al Another crucial green HRM practice, according to experts like Renwick et al, is hiring people who have a pro-environment outlook. As a result, organisations should take steps to improve alignment between their green values and those of their staff. We propose that, as part of the hiring and selection process, spiritual leadership be taken into account to help spread the word about the organisation’s green goal. Furthermore, and probably most importantly, organisations should clearly and successfully convey their green policies and environmental principles to current and prospective workers.

Research Limitations and Further Research Directions

Green human resource management (HRM) and green management (GM) may look quite different depending on the organisation, the industry, and the country. The organisation involved in this research is a multinational corporation in China. Multinational corporations’ human resource management (HRM) practices are affected by their countries of origin.⁸³ Therefore, it is possible that our data does not really include the industry in China as a whole. Furthermore, China’s national-level green management rules and standards may differ from those in other nations. China is making strides toward a green economy, which mitigates some of the sample concerns. Future research that aims to reproduce our findings would be useful, but we think it would be even more so if it were undertaken in cross-level contexts so that the results could be applied to a wider range of situations. The cross-cultural study is crucial to create a green HRM metric with universal applicability. Second, the human resource management literature implies that HRM impacts employee job outcomes through many factors.³⁰ We were limited in our ability to control for all potential mediating and moderating factors in the green HRM-green behaviour connection. Human capital (improving one’s skills) and motivational (feeling fulfilled in one’s work) perspectives are two areas that might be explored more in the future to add depth to this line of investigation. Third, multilevel modelling shows great promise in human resource management.⁸⁴ Employee outcomes of HRM practices are thus sensitive to organisational contextual effects, as employee perceptions of HRM practices tend to be consistent across workers within the same company but vary between firms.⁸⁴ Investigating the relationships between green HRM and employee green behaviour at macro levels, such as departmental and corporate ones, may thus be essential. A multilevel strategy would have been ideal for our investigation; however, the small sample size prevented us from using it. To better understand the impact of organisational context on HRM, we recommend that future studies use a multilevel approach. Finally, in this study, we focused only on the criterion variable of green behaviour in the workplace among employees. According to the perspective of motivating HRM, a certain set of HRM procedures may produce a variety of employee outcomes at the workplace.³⁰ Therefore, green HRM’s impact may extend beyond just encouraging eco-friendly conduct on the job. However, the current research on green HRM has only hypothesised the connection between green HRM and employee or organisational green outcomes. Green HRM practices effect on employees’ non-green attitudes and actions on the job has received little attention. Therefore, we recommend more studies into green HRM’s effects on employees’ attitudes and actions toward the environment. Studies of this kind will add significantly to the HR literature by shedding light on the impact HRM has on workplace outcomes for employees.

Conclusion

Employees’ activities and duties inside the organisation have been drastically impacted due to the global COVID-19 epidemic. After the COVID-19 epidemic, firms may strike a better work-life balance by adopting green HRM practices, which can help the world recover faster. Green HRM is a relatively new field that aims to improve environmental sustainability by modifying existing human resources policies, practices, and products to encourage eco-friendly workplace actions. This research concludes that to reap the benefits of Green HRM, organisations must first recognise its importance and then integrate Green HRM practices into their operations. The ultimate goal is to have all employees participate in the organisation’s green management and sustainability initiatives. Moreover, ecological challenges have an impact on human resources as well. Therefore, HR professionals must include the issues and solutions related to becoming green into their regular in-role behavior. Our aim is to promote a better understanding of spiritual leadership and its applications to the problem of environmental loss in organisations. In order to fully understand the effects of green HRM on employee in-role green behaviour in the workplace.