Barriers to Implementation of Green Human Resource Management Practices in Pharmaceutical Companies: Evidence from Sikkim

Abstract

Environmental sustainability has emerged as a central concern for contemporary organizations to inspire them to integrate environmental responsibility into their core strategies. As a result, sustainability has evolved from a peripheral compliance issue to a strategic organizational priority to give birth to a mechanism called Green Human Resource Management (GHRM), which refers to the integration of environmental objectives into human resource policies and practices such as recruitment, training and development, performance appraisal, and reward systems. Despite growing interest in GHRM, empirical evidences indicate that many organizations struggle to translate green HR policies into effective practice. These challenges are amplified in the resource-intensive and hazardous waste generating production processes of pharmaceutical industry especially in the ecologically sensitive regions such as Sikkim, a Himalayan state characterized by fragile ecosystems and strong environmental priorities.

With the help of primary and secondary data the present descriptive and analytical research study intends to identify and examine the key barriers affecting the implementation of GHRM practices in pharmaceutical companies operating in Sikkim. With the purposive sampling technique primary data was collected from 254 respondents including 74 managers and 180 employees working in pharmaceutical companies in Sikkim. Data so collected are analyzed with the help of descriptive statistics, mean score analysis, and the Garrett Ranking Technique. The findings of the study reveal that the effective implementation of Green Human Resource Management practices in pharmaceutical companies is constrained by multiple interrelated barriers rooted from lack of top management commitment, inadequate green training and awareness, absence of formal and well-defined GHRM policies, financial constraints, weak green reward and incentive systems, resistance to organizational change, and limited employee empowerment.