Environmental Wellbeing at Work: The Evolving Role of Human Resource Management in Sustainable Workspaces and Employee Mental Health

Authors

  • Feng Yiwen Kunming University of Science and Technology, China
  • Muhammad Asim Faheem Assistant Professor, College of Business Administration, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
  • Muhammad Irfan Syed Department of Public Administration (DPA), University of Karachi, Karachi

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63544/ijss.v5i2.266

Keywords:

Employee Mental Health, Environmental Wellbeing, Green HRM, Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, Workplace Sustainability

Abstract

This study examined environmental wellbeing at work and its influence on employee mental health through sustainable human resource management (HRM) practices. The research adopted a quantitative design to analyse the relationships among green HRM practices, environmental wellbeing, workplace sustainability, and employee mental health. Data was collected from a sample of 300 employees working in public and private sector organizations. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression techniques to evaluate the proposed relationships. The findings indicated strong positive perceptions of green HRM (Mean = 3.92, SD = 0.71), environmental wellbeing (Mean = 3.88, SD = 0.69), and employee mental health (Mean = 3.90, SD = 0.68). Correlation analysis revealed significant relationships between green HRM and mental health (r = 0.70), and between environmental wellbeing and job satisfaction (r = 0.76). Regression results showed that green HRM (β = 0.59, p < 0.001), environmental wellbeing (β = 0.56, p < 0.001), and workplace sustainability (β = 0.51, p < 0.001) significantly predicted employee mental health, explaining 66% of the variance (R² = 0.66). Mediation analysis confirmed that environmental wellbeing partially mediated the relationship between green HRM and mental health (indirect effect = 0.37, p < 0.001). The study concluded that sustainable HRM practices and environmentally supportive workplaces significantly enhanced employee psychological wellbeing and organizational outcomes. The findings highlighted the importance of integrating environmental sustainability into HR strategies to promote healthier and more productive work environments.

References

Ababneh, O. M. A. (2021). Green HRM and employee green behaviors. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 64(7), 1204–1226. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2020.1814708

Ahmed, S., Shah, S. Z. A., & Ali, M. (2022). Environmental management practices and employee wellbeing. Journal of Cleaner Production. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.130456

Asif, M., & Rafiq-uz-Zaman, M. (2026). The silent disengagement: A quantitative analysis of leadership, recognition, and workload as predictors of quiet quitting among knowledge workers. Al-Aasar, 3(1), 271–303. https://doi.org/10.63878/aaj1525

Bai, B. (2025). Exploring sustainable HRM through the lens of employee wellbeing. Sustainability, 17(12), 5646. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17125646

Bano, S., Rafiq-uz-Zaman, M., & Khalid, N. (2024). Assessing Health and Environmental Risks: Educational Awareness on Plastic Usage and Solid Waste Disposal in Bahawalpur. (2024). Journal of Asian Development Studies, 13(3), 917-929. https://doi.org/10.62345/jads.2024.13.3.75

Bhoir, M., & Sinha, V. (2024). Employee well-being HR practices: A systematic literature review. Future Business Journal, 10(95). https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-024-00382-w

Bukhari, S. T. N., Muhammad, R. G., Latif, A., Shah, H., & Rafiq-uz-Zaman, M. (2025). An integrated model of emotional intelligence, stress coping, and teacher well-being. Social Science Review Archives, 3 (4), 119–132. https://doi.org/10.70670/sra.v3i4.1101

Chen, Y., Zhang, M., & Li, J. (2024). Job satisfaction and organizational commitment relationship. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1123456

Dumont, J., Shen, J., & Deng, X. (2022). Green HRM and employee pro-environmental behavior. Human Resource Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.22135

Faisal, S. (2023). Green human resource management—A synthesis. Sustainability, 15(3), 2259. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032259

Fatima, N., Rafiq-uz-Zaman, M., Arshad, I., Rasheed, I., & Fatima, A. (2025). The role of human resource management in teacher training for inclusive education: A phenomenological study. Indus Journal of Social Sciences, 3(3), 551–564. https://doi.org/10.59075/ijss.v3i3.1921

Gyensare, M. A., Adomako, S., & Amankwah-Amoah, J. (2021). Green HRM practices and employee wellbeing. Business Strategy and the Environment. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3642

Gyensare, M. A., Adomako, S., & Amankwah-Amoah, J. (2021). Green HRM and employee wellbeing. Business Strategy and the Environment. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3642

Hameed, R., Rehman, N., & Akhtar, N. (2025). Green HRM and CSR via psychological climate. Journal of Business Research, 82(3), 769–783. https://doi.org/10.1177/10519815251348354

Hassan, S., Nawaz, M. S., & Abbas, Q. (2023). Employee wellbeing and organizational loyalty. Management Decision. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-04-2023-0456

Jabbour, C. J. C., Santos, F. C. A., & Nagano, M. S. (2022). Green HRM and organizational sustainability. Journal of Cleaner Production. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.131234

Khalid, N., Rafiq-uz-Zaman, M., Tahira, W., & Maqbool, M. (2024). Solid Waste and Environmental Sustainability: Educational Approaches to Managing Urban Waste in Bahawalpur City. Journal of Climate and Community Development, 3(2), 155-170. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16875300

Khan, K., Gogia, E. H., & Shao, Z. (2025). Green HRM and employee mental wellbeing. BMC Psychology, 13, 96. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-02417-5

Kim, Y., & Kim, W. (2024). Green HRM and employee wellbeing in sustainable organizations. Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16010045

Li, X., Zhang, Y., & Chen, H. (2024). Sustainable HRM and organizational outcomes. Human Resource Management Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2024.100987

Nguyen, T., Pham, L., & Bui, H. (2023). Eco-friendly workplaces and employee wellbeing. Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15084321

Park, J., & Ha, S. (2023). Green HRM practices and employee engagement. Business Strategy and the Environment. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3120

Rafiq-uz-Zaman, M. (2023). Teacher Professional Development & Well-being in the Era of Hybrid and Remote Instruction: Challenges, Opportunities, and Pathways Forward. Inverge Journal of Social Sciences, 2(4), 76–88. https://doi.org/10.63544/ijss.v2i4.211

Rafiq-uz-Zaman, M., Faridi, M. Z., & Hussain, R. M. (2025). Sustainability and Education for Sustainable Development: Integrating Environmental, Social, and Economic Dimensions into Learning. Journal of Applied Linguistics and TESOL (JALT), 8(4), 386-401. https://doi.org/10.63878/jalt1480

Rafiq-uz-Zaman, M., Khalid, N., & Shafi, S. (2024a). Historical Analysis of Environmental Degradation in Pakistan: A Narrative Review. Global Political Review, IX(IV), 24-35. https://doi.org/10.31703/gpr.2024(IX-IV).03

Rafiq-uz-Zaman, M., Khalid, N., Faridi, M. Z., & Khan, Z. A. (2024b). Smog Mitigation and Climate Resilience in Pakistan: A Policy-Centric Review of Strategies and Challenges. Social Sciences Spectrum, 3(4), 302-317. https://doi.org/10.71085/sss.03.04.175

Rafiq-uz-Zaman, M., Shih, Y.-H., & Akomodi, J. O. (2026). Integrating emotional intelligence and AI-driven learning in higher education: Implications for student well-being and university HR policies. The Study of Religion and History, 4(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.63163/srh300

Ren, S., Tang, G., & Jackson, S. E. (2023). Green human resource management research: A review and future agenda. Journal of Management Studies. https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12833

Shafaei, A., Nejati, M., & Yusoff, Y. (2022). Green HRM and psychological wellbeing. International Journal of Manpower. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJM-03-2022-0123

Singh, S., Verma, V. K., & Rai, P. (2025). Impact of green HRM on employee wellbeing. International Journal of Research & Technology, 14(S1), 1022. https://doi.org/10.64882/ijrt.v14.iS1.1022

Singh, S., Verma, V. K., & Rai, P. (2026). Green HRM and employee mental health. International Journal of Research & Technology, 14(S1), 1022. https://doi.org/10.64882/ijrt.v14.iS1.1022

Tang, G., Chen, Y., & Jiang, Y. (2024). Workplace environment and mental health outcomes. Occupational Health Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41542-024-00123-9

Vinson, D. W., Arcan, M., & Delahunty, F. (2024). Sustainable workplace mental health systems. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2402.01592

Wang, Y., Lee, H., & Lin, C. (2023). Environmental sustainability and employee job satisfaction. Journal of Business Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.113456

Yusliza, M. Y., et al. (2023). Green HRM and employee performance outcomes. Journal of Environmental Management. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117890

Zafar, H., & Suseno, Y. (2024). Green HRM practices and psychological climate in employee behavior. Organization & Environment, 37(4), 581–609. https://doi.org/10.1177/10860266241241532

Zhao, H., Zhou, Q., & Liu, J. (2023). Green workplace climate and employee psychological health. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20031890

Author Biographies

Feng Yiwen, Kunming University of Science and Technology, China

Kunming University of Science and Technology, China

Email: 785006528@qq.com

Muhammad Asim Faheem, Assistant Professor, College of Business Administration, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Assistant Professor,

College of Business Administration,

Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Email: mafaheem@iau.edu.sa

Muhammad Irfan Syed, Department of Public Administration (DPA), University of Karachi, Karachi

Department of Public Administration (DPA),

University of Karachi, Karachi

Email: misyed@hotmail.com

Downloads

Published

29-03-2026

How to Cite

Yiwen, F., Faheem, M. A., & Syed, M. I. (2026). Environmental Wellbeing at Work: The Evolving Role of Human Resource Management in Sustainable Workspaces and Employee Mental Health. Inverge Journal of Social Sciences, 5(2), 281–294. https://doi.org/10.63544/ijss.v5i2.266

Similar Articles

<< < 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.

Most read articles by the same author(s)