MN7234ES - People and organisations: principles and practices in global contexts - MBA

Introduction

What is Green Human Resource Management?

Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) is fast emerging name for Human Resource Management that takes charge in maintaining a workforce which is committed to a green company culture. Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) provides strategies and roles which sustain and protect the earth through its company personnel, resources and practices. Green behavior is encouraged as a company policy where employees are 'environmentally sensitive, resource-efficient, and socially responsible' Youmatter.world (2021).

Why is Green Human Resource Management strategic for Hotels?

Hotels, primarily, are known for their high consumption of resources and immense production of waste, especially within the Food and Beverage sector. With the rising expectations of green products and services in hotels, the hospitality sector staff are the main focus as they are the ones responsible in creating a truly 'green experience' for the guest. How can Green Human Resource Management achieve this? Through teaching and empowerment, hotel employees play a significant role in improving environmental outcomes and generating profit for their employers. Bohdanowicz (2005)

  Image of Green Human Resource Management corporate. 

(Source: Peoplematters, Deka, 2016)

Fredericks (2023) states that "One in three consumers prefer sustainable brands, and that the travel industry is taking note. TripAdvisor, for example has developed its GreenLeaders Program showcasing hotels with environmentally-friendly best practices to conscientious travelers, such as hotels going green with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)."'

The Go Green Initiatives taken by some hotels globally:

Meals served in restaurants have organic produce and use glass bottles, and hotels are reminding guests to reuse towels and sheets as often as possible; installing solar power energy, recycling, and managing waste are merely a few methods out of many that the hotels have taken to reduce its impact to the environment. These subtle, effective introductions in hotel products and services are the newest trend of the 'go green' movement, which promotes healthy eating, banning harmful pesticides in food and the environment, reducing single-use plastic, reducing high electricity bills, and conserving energy. 

Figure 1. Pollution from business activities and processes in the hotel 

(Source: Bebbington, 2001)

In the long run, 16% of hotels use water for laundry, and less frequent hotel laundry washes increase the lifespan of towels and linen and decrease their replacement costs.

Most high-spending tourists look to book 'green' and 'sustainable' hotels and services. Therefore, hoteliers must be more skilled in this sector than ever to address customers' environmental and sustainability concerns.

Clients search for faster check-ins at hotels – with little or no paper and prefer to fill in any guest registration forms digitally. Client passports are scanned and sent before preventing waste in paper through printing or photocopies on arrival, which is another advancement. Metal keys instead of plastic keycards for rooms is another Green Front office initiative. Smart switches with automatic turn on and turn off sensors whenever a guest isn't in the room. Smart showers and taps with sensors to minimize water consumption. Electric cars  to transport clients within the vicinity or beyond. Therefore a highly skilled staff are in great demand if they have an increased confidence in technology and are knowledgeable in green policies. 

Figure 2. GRM Practices (Source: Mahdy et al, 2023)

  

Philosophies underpinning the learning and development strategy as stated by Armstrong (2021)  lies in:

Long term capacity building’ versus ‘short term’ fixes such as:

• Green Human resource planning
• Green job design and analysis
• Green recruitment and selection

Importance is given to learning over training.

• Green performance management
• Green learning and development

Employees are empowered and not supervised

• Green empowerment and involvement
• Discretionary learning’ is encouraged.
• Green Employee Relations

Video (Source: Green HRM, 2016)

Relevance of GHRM in hotels - Where is the hospitality industry now, and where is it heading?

The world's hotel and tourism industry came to a grinding halt due to COVID-19 lockdowns in the early 2020s, which generated an acute crisis in the hotel and tourism industry in the preceding years. Many establishments downsized their staff with job cuts or roles were made redundant to survive the decline of tourist revenue during lockdowns. The pandemic reverberated shock waves of unemployment throughout the hospitality sector locally and globally; the hotel sector giant was down on its knees with decreased labor participation and rising unemployment rates (Euro found, 2020).

However, with travel and tourism areas opening again, hotels are looking to recruit highly skilled workers back into their arena. The pandemic altered the perception of service and the hotel experience, propelling guests towards experiential and sustainable tourism. 

Customers demand that hotels have eco-friendly dealings, adopt digital technologies, and promote environmental sustainability. Green human resource management (GHRM) is necessary for hotels as there is a global involvement in environmental-related issues. Therefore, innovative green policies and processes are a must.

Challenges of implementing strategic Green Human Resource Management in hotels

Cost:  at the start it is very expensive to purchase some of the eco-friendly technology

Lack of Knowledge:  in many countries, especially in developing countries, many people aren't educated in the ways of green practices and policies. Therefore teaching these practices to staff may be difficult and may conflict with their personal beliefs and ideologies. 

Organizational Culture: Some hotels would disagree with the 'Go Green Culture' as it may be a difficult concept to manage with their image, branding and policies.

Green Human Resource Management caters to the age old Maslow Hierarchy of Needs where emphasis was made on how an individual thrives when all his needs are met. This starts with the basic needs of food, shelter and safety, and continues on from love, belongingness to esteem needs and self actualization. An engaged employee of an organization or hotel, who knows his place and feels that he is making a difference in the world, is one who will be bound for success.

Figure 4. Manslow's Hierarchy of Needs. (Source, Balojan, 2022)

Conclusion:

Implementing strategic Green Human resource management is not only effective in hotels, but it is equally effective for other organizations since GHRM brings a positive change to the management of the company and as well the earth. GHRM improves soft skills of employees and generates a positive value to company branding due to increased concern and environmental awareness. EMS (Environmental Management Systems) or green initiatives maintains and protects the organizational workforce to promote environmentally friendly and cost-effective methods to generate revenue. However, the best outcome is that of a more worldly performance by an employee where Green Human Resource Management can positively influence the attitudes and behaviors of employees. GRM can nonetheless be implemented only in places of employment which support environmental awareness with the conviction of the top management and its stakeholders.

References:

Adekoya, O.D., Mordi, C. and Ajonbadi, H.A. (1970) Green Human Resource Management:An introduction, SpringerLink. Available at: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-35795-4_1 (Accessed: 14 March 2024).

Aguinis, H. and Glavas, A. (2019) On corporate social responsibility, sensemaking, and the search for meaningfulness through work, Journal of Management, Vol. 45 No. 3, pp. 1057-1086.

Ahrendt, D. et al. (2020) Living, working and covid-19, Living, working and COVID-19 | European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. Available at: https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/en/publications/2020/living-working-and-covid-19 (Accessed: 14 March 2024).

Armstrong, M. (2021) Armstrong’s Handbook of Strategic Human Resource Management: Improve Business Performance Through Strategic People Management. London: Kogan Page.

Barbe, W.B.et al. (1979). Teachng through modality strengths: concepts and practices. Columbus, Ohio: Zaner-Bloser.

Bohdanowicz, P. (2005) ‘European hoteliers’ environmental attitudes’, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 46(2), pp. 188–204. doi:10.1177/0010880404273891.

Bolojan, A. (2023) Understanding maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Thunder. Available at: https://www.thethunderteam.com/post/understanding-maslow-hierarchy-of-needs (Accessed: 15 March 2024).

Bynoe, S. (2020) Does reusing hotel towels save the planet or just money?, Asparagus Magazine. Available at: https://www.asparagusmagazine.com/articles/environmentalist-from-hell-looks-into-hotel-housekeeping-greenwashing (Accessed: 14 March 2024).

Fredericks, L. (2023) Sustainable hotel ideas: 25 ways to go green, 25 Eco-Friendly Hotel Ideas for Sustainable Properties | Cvent Blog. Available at: https://www.cvent.com/en/blog/hospitality/eco-friendly-hotel-ideas (Accessed: 15 March 2024).

Grottola, C. (2021) Green hospitality: 10 eco-friendly steps for your hotel, Ecobnb. Available at: https://ecobnb.com/blog/2021/05/green-hospitality-eco-friendly-steps-hotel/ (Accessed: 14 March 2024).

Hollander, J. (2023) Hotel Sustainability: 27 Statistics Illustrating the Growth of ESG in the Hotel Industry, HotelTechReport. Available at: https://hoteltechreport.com/news/hotel-sustainability-statistics (Accessed: 14 March 2024).

Irani, F.et al(2022) Taylor & Francis Online: Peer-reviewed journals, Impact of green human resource management practices on the environmental performance of green hotels. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/ (Accessed: 14 March 2024).

Jha, P. (2016) Green HRM, YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UYdQHHbxcU (Accessed: 15 March 2024).

Liere, L. (2020) Sustainability and ‘green’ skills in hospitality - how to make a sexy concept work?, PANTOUR. Available at:https://nexttourismgeneration.eu/sustainability-and-green-skills-in-hospitality-how-to-make-a-sexy-concept-work/ (Accessed: 14 March 2024).

Mahdy, F.et al (2023) Imperatives, benefits, and initiatives of Green Human Resource Management (GHRM): A systematic literature review, MDPI. Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/6/4866 (Accessed: 14 March 2024).

Rodrigo, A. (2024) Sri Lanka plans to draw higher spending tourists with southern cultural events, EconomyNext. Available at:https://economynext.com/sri-lanka-plans-to-draw-higher-spending-tourists-with-southern-cultural-events-147753/ (Accessed: 14 March 2024).