Chapter 6: Transforming Human Resource Management into Green Human Resource Management Towards the Path of Sustainability: Through the Lenses of Just Transition Theory

In recent years, there has been a notable upsurge in the impact of environmental adversities on the overall quality of life. Customers’ growing desire for environmentally friendly products, mounting pressure from regulatory organisations, and enacting new legislation are all intended to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Thus, examining the green insurgency in human resource management (HRM) and defining its fundamental principles are essential since the field and issue of green human resource management (GHRM) research have surged in prominence over the past few years. It is necessary to optimise the balance between environmentally friendly practices and corporate goals to accomplish the demands of stakeholders by combining green practices and business methods. Yet, there are concerns about the hazards and costs of such a transition. Considering the changing environment, the notion of just transition (JT) hence provides an open space for developing an interdisciplinary approach to produce social formations focussed on justice. From the perspective of JT, this study addresses how GHRM contributes to organisational sustainability and proposes a new framework. In this study, four governance measures – economic diversification, coalition building, broad and robust government assistance, and specialised financial sources – are utilised to achieve a JT which is examined in the light of the conversion of GHRM. The study’s theoretical and managerial implications will be noteworthy because the JT theory can serve as a foundation for transforming HRM into GHRM adoption. Additionally, managers from different industries may opt for GHRM sensibly to ensure sustainability by employing this study’s pertinent insights.