Human Resource Management in the Twenty-First Century: Sustainable HRM

In the human resource management field, there are many courses that provide insight into the management issues that affect financial bottom line of organizations. However, there is limited understanding of how implementation or overuse of certain human resource management (HRM) practices may have sustainable and unsustainable impacts on organisational outcomes and stakeholders (employees, their families, environment and communities) respectively. Sustainable HRM practices is about enhancing both profit maximization for the organization and simultaneously minimizing the unsustainable impacts on human/social and environmental sustainability based on the synthesis perspective. The aim of the chapter is to introduce the field of sustainable HRM to advanced human resource and management students. To achieve this aim of the chapter, initially multiple definitions for sustainable HRM are discussed. Subsequently, the evolution of HRM practices is discussed to highlight the value addition of sustainable HRM (a relatively latest development in the field of HRM) to strategic HRM and providing a short overview on different approaches to sustainable HRM. Finally, an attempt is made to discuss the synthesis effects framework of sustainable HRM to align with the business and stakeholders’ expectations so that the 21st century business can achieve corporate sustainability outcomes.