Connecting green HRM practices to pro‐environmental behavior through green human capital in the hospitality sector

Abstract The increasing focus on environmental sustainability has opened up a new area of research that explores the role of green “human resource management (HRM)” practices. Scholars in this field are investigating how these practices can support efforts toward achieving environmental sustainability. Although there is growing interest in studying green HRM practices, there have only been a few studies that have looked into how these practices affect the abilities, experience, expertise, intelligence, knowledge, skills, and training of employees in relation to pro‐environmental behavior (PEB). This is important as PEB can help to reduce negative environmental activities and promote green sustainability in the hospitality sector. To bridge this empirical gap, the investigation of the effects of green HRM practices on PEB was carried out, with a particular emphasis on the mediating function of green human capital (GHC). A research study was conducted on 269 stable participants in the Nigerian hospitality sector using the “partial least squares [PLS]” approach. The study successfully shows that green HRM practices, such as green hiring, green training and development, green discipline management, and environmental performance, can directly predict GHC. The analysis was based on both PLS and social cognitive theory (SCT). According to the study, green HRM practices are connected to PEB through GHC, except for green compensation. The study indicates that PEB can be predicted by environmental performance and GHC. This study has significant theoretical implications for green HRM practices and provides valuable insights to hospitality managers. Moreover, it offers suggestions for potential areas of future research.