Green Human Resources Management in terms of Environmental Performance: An Analysis of the Compatibility between Theory and Practice in Turkish Enterprises

Year 2025, Volume: 9 Issue: 3, 922 - 941, 29.09.2025

Fatma Büşra Polat

https://doi.org/10.29023/alanyaakademik.1627157

Abstract

The increasing interest in environmental sustainability issues has gained momentum in recent years, driven by the impact of global environmental challenges. At this point, the role of human resource management (HRM) emerges as a critical factor in the successful implementation of environment-oriented strategies. Without the contribution of employees, it is very difficult for businesses to achieve their environmental goals. Green HRM plays an important role in achieving environmental sustainability goals by involving employees in the process, increasing their environmental awareness and encouraging environmentally friendly behaviors. However, empirical studies on how green HRM is realized in practice and how green HRM activities take place in practice are limited in the literature. This study aims to evaluate the tangible effects of green HRM practices and the alignment between theory and practice by analyzing the integrated annual reports or sustainability reports of three organizations selected from Turkey's top 500 industrial enterprises. Qualitative content analysis was used in the study and the data were analyzed with MAXQDA program. The findings of the research show that the most common code in the analyzed businesses is green organization. Another finding is that employee participation in green processes is closely related to training and sharing aimed at raising environmental awareness. A strong circular relationship was also observed between the evaluation of green performance indicators, green compensation and reward practices, and the promotion of green behavior. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the role of human resources in shaping the environmental performance of businesses.

Keywords

Green Human Resources Management , Eco-Friendly Organization , Employee Participation

Çevresel Performans Açısından Yeşil İnsan Kaynakları Yönetimi: Teori ile Pratik Arasındaki Uyumun Türkiye'deki İşletmeler Üzerinden Analizi

Abstract

ÖZET
Çevresel sürdürülebililirlik konularına yönelik artan ilgi son yıllarda küresel çevre sorunlarının etkisiyle ivme kazanmıştır. Bu noktada çevre odaklı stratejilerin başarıyla uygulanmasında insan kaynakları yönetiminin (İKY) rolü kritik bir unsur olarak öne çıkmaktadır. Çalışanların katkısı olmadan işletmelerin çevresel hedeflerine ulaşabilmesi çok güçtür. Yeşil İKY, çevresel sürdürülebilirlik hedeflerine ulaşmada çalışanları da sürece dahil eden, onların çevresel farkındalıklarını artıran ve çevre dostu davranışları teşvik eden önemli bir rol üstlenmektedir. Ancak literatürde yeşil İKY’nin pratikte nasıl karşılık bulduğuna ve yeşil İKY faaliyetlerinin uygulamada nasıl yer edindiğine dair ampirik çalışmalar sınırlıdır. Bu çalışma, Türkiye'nin en büyük 500 işletmesi içinden seçilen üç işletmenin entegre faaliyet raporları veya sürdürülebilirlik raporlarını inceleyerek, yeşil İKY uygulamalarının somut etkilerini ve teori ile uygulama arasındaki uyumu değerlendirmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Nitel içerik analizine başvurulan araştırmada verilerin analizi için MAXQDA programı kullanılmıştır. Araştırma bulguları incelenen işletmelerde en yoğun karşılık bulan kodun yeşil işyeri olduğunu göstermiştir. Bir diğer bulgu, yeşil süreçlere çalışanların katılımı ve çevresel farkındalığın artırılmasına yönelik eğitim ve paylaşımların yoğun ilişkili olduğu şeklindedir. Yeşil performans göstergelerinin değerlendirilmesi, yeşil ücret ve ödüllendirme uygulamaları ve yeşil davranışın teşviki arasında da güçlü bir döngüsel ilişki dikkat çekmiştir. Bulgular, işletmelerin çevresel performansları üzerinde insan kaynağının etkisine yönelik daha derinlemesine bir anlayış geliştirilmesine katkı sağlamaktadır.

Keywords

Yeşil İnsan Kaynakları Yönetimi , Çevre Dostu İş Yeri , Çalışan Katılımı

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