Green HRM Practices and Employee Motivation Among Faculty Members in Higher Education Institutions in Pakistan

Abstract

Environmental sustainability has become a strategic priority for organizations, including higher education institutions (HEIs). This study investigates the impact of Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) practices on employee motivation through the mediating role of Green Employee Empowerment (GEE) among faculty members in Pakistani HEIs. Drawing on data collected from 320 faculty members across six public and private universities in Lahore, the study examines key GHRM dimensions, namely green recruitment and selection, green training and development, green performance management, and green reward systems. A quantitative research design was employed, using structured questionnaires and analyzed through SPSS and AMOS. Reliability, correlation, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) techniques were applied to test the proposed hypotheses. The findings reveal that all GHRM practices have a significant and positive effect on green employee empowerment, which in turn strongly enhances employee motivation. Moreover, GEE fully mediates the relationship between GHRM practices and motivation. The results highlight the importance of empowerment as a psychological mechanism through which sustainable HR practices translate into motivated faculty behavior. The study contributes to the limited GHRM literature in higher education and offers practical insights for university administrators seeking to integrate sustainability into human resource policies.