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HRM Dissertation Topics

Published by Carmen Troy at January 6th, 2023 , Revised On April 16, 2024

Introduction

Human resource management studies stated that employees should be hired, retained and managed. It is an extensive field that requires an in-depth understanding of the underlying factors and concepts.

As a human resource management student, you will study many different concepts, frameworks, and theories related to employee management. However, before your graduation, you will be required to submit a dissertation on a human resource management research topic of your choice.

Even though several topics and concepts are yet to explore in the field of human resource management, you will want to make sure that your proposed topic has sufficient literature to support and justify the content of a theoretical framework , or else you might struggle with data collection .

This article provides you with a comprehensive list of HRM topics that are relevant to your field and identifies some interesting literature gaps.

Choosing from our list of topics will certainly improve your chances of submitting an outstanding dissertation. So, go ahead and choose an HRM dissertation topic of your interest. We can even customize these topics based on your project needs.

PhD qualified writers of our team have developed the proposed topics, so you can trust to use these topics for drafting your dissertation.

Note –

You may also want to start your dissertation by requesting  a brief research proposal  from our writers on any of these topics, which includes an  introduction  to the topic,  research question ,  aim and objectives ,  literature review  along with the proposed  methodology  of research to be conducted.  Let us know  if you need any help in getting started.

Check our  dissertation examples  to get an idea of  how to structure your dissertation .

Review the full list of  dissertation topics for here.

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2024 HRM Dissertation Topics

Topic 1: how human resources departments achieve equal employment opportunities.

Research Aim: The research will aim to investigate how HR departments achieve equal employment opportunity in organizations. EEO, or Equal Employment Opportunity, is the notion everybody has an equal chance to pursue a job on the basis of merit, regardless of skin color, gender, or gender identity. It is the duty of HR department to give every employee and equal right in the organization. The research will examine how HR department keep the organization environment friendly by controlling equal employment opportunities.

Topic 2: The effect of motivating strategies on employee performance

Research Aim: The research will aim to find the impact of motivating strategies on employee performance. Employee motivation plays a huge part on performance. Employee engagement cannot be substituted by anything else in order for any organisation to run efficiently and without interruption. It is critical that a company and its employees not only have a strong connection with the top management, but also have a good and healthy relationship with their colleagues. The study will also make recommendations on what further might be done to obtain optimal results utilising motivating methods for the benefit of both the company and the individual.

Topic 3: Organizational Conflicts as Antecedents of Staff Turnover: Evidence from the UK Food Sector

Research Aim: The research will aim to review recent available literature on employee turnover in order to determine organizational conflicts as antecedents of employee turnover in the UK food sector in order to close gaps in the literature and present a broader range of turnover factors and understanding of employee motivational factors in their job decision.

Topic 4: How does AI involvement in HRM provide Zara with a competitive advantage?

Research Aim: The research will aim to inspect the benefit of competitive advantage at Zara through the involvement of artificial intelligence in their HRM. AI assists the human resources department in identifying their personnel’ skill sets and recommending a training programme based on their work positions. It combines all of the data and assists the HR staff in making succinct decisions about what training to do in which sector to boost abilities. The study will also explain the importance of AI in organizations and organizations success. It will also look into strategies and policies Zara used to achieve competitive advantage.

Topic 5: The role of HR in creating a respected working environment that contributes in sustainable revenue growth

Research Aim: The research aims to examine the role of HR in creating a respected working environment and sustainable revenue growth. The study will identify current misunderstandings and disparities in understanding of topics such as sustainable development, corporate social responsibility, and the link between strategic human resource management and sustainable HRM through a comprehensive literature review. It will also identify and recognise the challenges that sustainable HRM encounters in reality, with a particular emphasis on the prevalent strategic HRM schema and the misunderstanding of corporate social responsibility.

Covid-19 HRM Research Topics

The role of managers during the pandemic.

Research Aim: In this study, the Human resource management techniques which HR managers will adopt for performing their operations during the COVID -19 will be discussed.

The management techniques for employees.

Research Aim: This study will focus on how the employees are trained during the Coronavirus pandemic.

The economic Crisis for HR Managers during Covid-19

Research Aim: This study will discuss how the economic crisis will disturb the payroll and how the managers will work.

The policies of HR for affected employees.

Research Aim: In this study, HR will design policies on how HR will manage when there is a gap between employees working. How will the ill patients be provided with support by companies through HR?

The employees' cooperation for HR

Research Aim: This study will highlight how well the employees support the decisions of the HR policymakers during the pandemic.

HRM Dissertation Topics for 2023

Topic 1: effect of employee engagement on customer loyalty in the service-based industry.

Research Aim: Employees engagement means that employees are passionate and committed to their work. In the service industry, where employees’ performance can greatly influence the quality of service, it is worth exploring employee engagement in customer loyalty in the service-based industry. Therefore, in this study, survey-based research will be conducted to identify employee engagement in customer loyalty.

Topic 2: Contingent workforce and its impact on organisation’s performance – Evaluating the IT Industry

Research Aim: Nowadays, companies hire freelancers and contractual workers, unlike permanent payroll employees. Various cost benefits can be obtained by hiring such a workforce. However, such a workforce may not have the required skills to do a job as effectively as a trained staff would have done. Thus, the present study focuses on identifying the impact of a contingent workforce on its performance in the IT industry.

Topic 3: Factors of growing mental health issues of employees at workplace in service-based industries

Research Aim: The wellness of employees at the workplace is necessary for their mental health and work performance. This study will identify the factors that can increase employees’ mental health issues at the workplace based on survey-based of employees and managers of service-based industries.

Topic 4: Analysing the importance and impact of training and development on an organisation’s sustainability during economic crises.

Research Aim: to achieve organizational objectives and milestones, leaders and business owners have realized the importance of training and developing their workforce to align with the organizational objectives. This research aims to analyze the importance and impact of employee training and development on the organization’s sustainability during economic downturns.

Topic 5: How online digital platforms have helped organisations in recruiting effectively and efficiently

Research Aim: With the advent of technology, firms have revolutionized their business operations. Under this revolution, many organizations have adopted different techniques and methods to recruit talented employees. Therefore, this research intends to determine how online digital platforms have helped organizations find employees more efficiently and effectively.

Topic 6: Analysing the factors which directly impact an employee's personal decision to leave employment

Research Aim: Employee turnover rate has always been a major concern for many organizations regardless of their size and nature. A valuable and talented employee is usually hard to find and retain. However, it has been found out that different factors motivate an employee to search for a new job. Keeping this phenomenon in mind, the current research will be analyzing the factors that directly impact the employee’s personal decision to leave employment.

Topic 7: Critically analysing the concept of workplace flexibility and how it impacts employee and organisational performance

Research Aim: In today’s modern era, the workplace environment has been transformed drastically from a strict and conventional style to a more flexible one. Therefore, this research aims to critically analyze the concept of workplace flexibility and how it impacts employee and organizational performance.

Topic 8: A comparative analysis of employees' job satisfaction and motivational factors in public versus private organisations.

Research Aim: Job satisfaction and employee motivation are regarded as the most important element of HR practices. The main aim of HR policies is to satisfy, retain, and motivate employees. Therefore, this research aims to conduct a comparative analysis of the employee’s job satisfaction and motivational factors in public versus private organizations.

Topic 9: The influence of COVID-19 on virtual employee management practices by organisations

Research Aim: This research is highly useful in the current context of COVID-19. Organisations all around the world are getting impacted by the COVID-19 and are closed at the moment. The current study will focus on using different virtual employee management practices that companies can use in the current context of COVID-19. These practices will be beneficial for organizations in almost all business sectors.

Topic 10: The role of using transformational leadership style in the improvement of organisational creativity at Morrisons

Research Aim: The aim of this research will be the benefits of using the transformational leadership style by Morrisons’ leaders to improve organizational creativity. This study will research how leaders can get the advantage of a transformational leadership style for increasing creativity at the organization.

Topic 11: The green HRM practices and their impacts on the corporate image of IKEA

Research Aim: This study will aim to study different green HRM practices and their role in improving IKEA’s corporate image and reputation. It will be researched how companies can improve their corporate image by focusing on green HRM practices and processes. The findings will be beneficial for the management, customers as well as employees.

Topic 12: Involving employees in the decision-making process and its influence on employee productivity at Subway

Research Aim: It will be researched in this study how Subway and other companies in this industry can involve the workers in the decision-making process to improve employee productivity. It will be studied that employee productivity is increased by involving the employees in the decision-making process. The findings will be useful in designing useful HR practices by Subway.

Topic 13: The impact of a flat organisational structure on the decision-making process

Research Aim: The main objective of this study is to evaluate the decision-making difficulties and issues faced by HR managers of companies with a flat organizational structure. This study will also investigate the benefits and challenges related to the flat organizational structures used by companies. A case study approach will be used.

Topic 14: The role of workforce diversity in improving organisational capability and innovation at Toyota Motors

Research Aim: To carry out this study, an innovative company named Toyota Motors will be selected. The main objective for carrying out this study will be to analyze how the organizational capability and innovation at Toyota Motors are improved due to workforce diversity. The main emphasis will be on studying the workforce diversity present at Toyota Motors and its significance in improving innovation and organizational capability. The success factors of Toyota Motors for HR will be studied.

Topic 15: The impact of digitalization on changing HRM practices at Aviva

Research Aim: The contemporary business world moves towards digitalization due to technological advancements. This research will study the different impacts of digitalization in changing various HRM practices at Aviva. Different HRM practices used by Aviva before and after the digitalization era will be discussed, and the changes will be analyzed. This study will show how digitalization has changed HRM practices in the contemporary business world.

Topic 16: The influence of employee learning and development opportunities on employee satisfaction at British Airways

Research Aim: It will be studied in this research that how employee satisfaction at British Airways is influenced by employee learning and development opportunities. Different employee learning and development opportunities at BA will be studied, along with their impact on workforce satisfaction.

Topic 17: The impact of recognizing employee contributions on employee retention at Shell

Research Aim: This study’s main objective is to analyse whether Shell can retain its employees by recognizing their contributions or not. Different strategies used by Shell for recognizing employee contributions will be studied that lead towards motivating the employees, which ultimately impact the retention of workers.

Topic 18: The role of green HR practices in employee engagement and retention

Research Aim: Green HR practices is a newly emerged concept in HRM. The study will aim to research the impact of green HR practices on employee engagement and retention. It will be studied how companies can improve employee engagement and retention by focusing on green HR practices.

Topic 19: The role of providing daycare facilities in increasing the productivity of female employees

Research Aim: This study will be focusing on the productivity of female workers. It will be studied how female workers’ productivity is increased by providing daycare facilities for their children. The impact on the satisfaction level of female employees due to the daycare facility will also be explored.

Topic 20: The impact of artificial intelligence on enhancing the human resource practices of Zara

Research Aim: For this study, the researcher will focus on the concept of artificial intelligence and use it in the HR context. It will be studied that either the HR practices at Zara can be enhanced by implementing AI. The benefits and implications of implementing AI in the HR context will also be part of this study.

Topic 21: The role of e-leadership in improving employee productivity and motivation.

Research Aim: The contemporary business world has become highly advanced due to technological capabilities. The concept of e-leadership has emerged due to advancements in technology. The purpose of this study will be to analyse the impact of e-leadership in improving the productivity and motivation level of the workforce.

Topic 22: The role of effective HR planning in a successful strategic alliance process.

Research Aim: This study will study the importance of effective HR planning for the strategic alliance process. It will be studied how HR management can mould the HR practices and focus on effective HR planning to make the strategic alliance process successful.

Topic 23: The impact of different personality traits on teamwork at Microsoft

Research Aim: The main focus of this research will be studying Microsoft’s teamwork. It will be further analyzed how Microsoft’s teamwork is influenced by the personality traits possessed by different team members. Different types of personality traits will be studied in this research that impacts teamwork positively and negatively.

Topic 24: The impact of career growth opportunities on employee loyalty at HSBC Holdings.

Research Aim: This study will aim to review different types of career growth opportunities offered by HBSC Holdings to its employees. Moreover, it will also be studied how employee loyalty is improved due to various career growth opportunities. The findings of this study will be beneficial for the banking sector.

Topic 25: The role of adapted HR practices in improving organisational performance at the international branch of DHL.

Research Aim: The study’s main objective will be to analyse companies’ changes in their HR practices for international branches. How and why the HR practices are adapted by HR management for improving the organisational performance at the company’s branch, which is located outside the country. For this, the DHL case study will be selected, and it will be assessed how and why DHL has used adapted HR practices across different countries.

HR Learning and Development Dissertation Topics

All organisational activities aimed at improving the productivity and performance of groups and individuals can be classified as HRM’s learning and development function elements. Learning and development encompass three pivotal activities, including education, training, and development.

As such, the training activities help to evaluate an employee based on his existing job responsibilities. Educational activities include those focusing on jobs that an employee can expect to carry out in the future.

Finally, the development activities are those that the employer may partake in the future. If you’re interested in exploring this human resource topic in-depth, we have some interesting dissertation topics for you:

Topic 1:The importance of appreciative inquiry with respect to organisational learning and development culture – A case study of ExxonMobil

Research Aim: This research will discuss the importance of appreciative inquiry and its impact on organisational learning and development culture with a specific focus on ExxonMobil.

Topic 2:To establish the correlation between organisation competency development and learning activities & programmes

Research Aim: This research will discuss how organisational competency development and organisational learning activities are correlated.

Topic 3:An examination of knowledge management and organisational learning for sustained firm performance. A case study of British Telecom

Research Aim: This research will examine how organisational learning and knowledge management helped British Telecom sustain their firm performance.

Topic 4:Investigating learning and development of human resources in the public sector in the UK

Research Aim: This dissertation will evaluate the different ways of achieving the learning and development of human resources in the UK’s public sector.

Topic 32:The importance of HR learning and development activities for SMEs

Research Aim: This research will focus on how SMEs utilize HR learning and developmental activities to improve their employees’ performance.

Topic 33:Human resource practices and employees’ decision to quit – Does Lack of Learning and Development play a Role.

Research Aim: This research will focus on whether or not lack of learning and development in an organization leads to employee turnover,

Topic 34:Developing organisational competitive advantage through strategic employee training in computer knowledge

Research Aim: This dissertation will explore how companies can gain a strategic advantage over their competitors through employee training.

Topic 35:The impact of various training and learning based activities on employees’ productivity

Research Aim: The main aim of this research will be to determine the impact of different pieces of training and learnings on employees’ productivity.

Topic 36: The role of HR analytics and metrics in improving organizational performance at Tesco

Research Aim: This study aims to research a new concept in human resource management, named HR analytics and metrics. Moreover, their impact on improving organizational performance will also be studied. This study will be beneficial for Tesco in using HR analytics and metrics in different HR practices that can lead to improved organizational performance.

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HR Performance Review Dissertation Topics

A performance review, also known as a career development discussion, performance evaluation and employee appraisal, can be defined as a method to evaluate an employee based on their job performance, mainly for appraisals. This might be an interesting area to focus your dissertation on. Here are some interesting topics in this area of HRM:

Topic 37:To understand the relationship between performance review and employee motivation in large and diversified business organisations

Research Aim: This research will understand the relationship between employee motivation and employee performance review. Large and diversified businesses will be the main focus of this study.

Topic 38:Effective performance appraisal – A study to establish a correlation between employer satisfaction and optimising business results

Research Aim: This research will analyse the impact of performance appraisal on employer satisfaction and how it optimises business results.

Topic 39: Investigating the efficacy of performance appraisal from the perception of employees in UK retail industry – A case study of Tesco

Research Aim: This research will analyse the efficacy of performance appraisal concerning employees, with a specific focus on Tesco.

Topic 40: Employee performance appraisal and the role of fairness and satisfaction

Research Aim: This dissertation will explore whether employees report satisfaction and fairness when performance appraisal is conducted.

Topic 41:Investigating performance review and appraisal methods employed by human resource department of any large oil and gas company

Research Aim: This research will study the human resource department of a large oil and gas company and will investigate how “performance review” and appraisals are conducted.

Topic 42: Job satisfaction and performance appraisals – Are they Interconnected?

Research Aim: This research will study in-depth whether job satisfaction and performance appraisals are interconnected or not.

Topic 43:Investigating the relationship between public sector appraisals and the spinal pay reward

Research Aim: This research will talk about the spinal pay reward system and evaluate its effectiveness in the public sector.

Topic 44:Analysing the impact of performance management on employee performance improvement

Research Aim: This research will investigate how performance management helps companies improve their employees’ performance.

Topic 45: Can HR performance drive employee engagement? Studying the UK banking industry

Research Aim: This research will talk about the different ways through which HR performance review helps in improving employee engagement. The UK banking industry will be in focus in this study.

Topic 46:The role of HR performance review in increasing employee retention and productivity

Research Aim: This research will investigate how organisations utilize performance reviews as a tool to improve employee retention and productivity.

HR Employee Motivation Dissertation Topics

Employees need objectives and goals to remain focused. The quality of work may significantly drop if they are not constantly motivated by their employers.

Business organizations employ various employee motivation methods and techniques to keep their employees motivated. Thus, this is an interesting topic to explore for your final year dissertation. Here are some HRM dissertation topics related to employee motivation.

Topic 47:To investigate the role of motivation in HRM – A study highlighting the most important motivation factors for future business leaders

Research Aim: This research will discuss the different motivation factors organisations should use to develop future leaders. In addition to this, the role of motivation throughout HRM will be discussed.

Topic 48:Employee satisfaction and work motivation – Are they both related?

Research Aim: This research will understand the relationship between motivation and employee satisfaction and the different motivation techniques companies can employ to increase employee satisfaction.

Topic 49: Evaluating the Role of Employee motivation in performance Enhancement

Research Aim: This study will discuss the role of employee motivation concerning employee performance, i.e. whether it enhances performance or not.

Topic 50:Human resource management – Motivation among workers in large and diversified business organisations

Research Aim: This dissertation will talk about motivation in large and diversified organisations and how these companies ensure that their employees are motivated at all times.

Topic 51:Effects of motivational programmes and activities on employee performance

Research Aim: This research will focus on the different motivational techniques and programs that impact employee performance.

Topic 52: Does motivation play a role in decreasing employee turnovers? A case study of British Airways

Research Aim: This research will discuss the role of motivation in decreasing employee turnover with a specific focus on British airways.

Topic 53:Motivation and performance reward – Are the two interrelated?

Research Aim: This research will talk about motivation and performance rewards and will assess whether the two are interrelated and directly related.

Topic 54: Work productivity and the role of employee motivation programmes and activities

Research Aim: This study will assess employee motivation programs’ impact on employee productivity, i.e. if it increases or decreases.

Topic 55:To discuss the role of employee motivation in relation to retention levels

Research Aim: This research will analyze employee motivation’s role to help companies retain employees.

Topic 56:Differences and similarities between traditional and contemporary theories

Research Aim: This research will discuss and compare traditional and contemporary motivation theories implemented by companies.

Topic 57: The role of employee empowerment in employee motivation and satisfaction at British Petroleum.

Research Aim: This study will aim to analyse different strategies of employee empowerment carried out by British Petroleum and their impact on workers’ motivation and satisfaction. The research will be studied that either different employee empowerment strategies improve employee motivation and satisfaction. The findings will be beneficial for companies working in the petroleum sector.

Topic 58: The impact of open communication in improving employee engagement at Zara

Research Aim: In this research, different modes of communication used by organisations will be studied and especially the impact of open communication in improving employee engagement at Zara will be analyzed. The importance of open communication for different organisations in the fashion and retail sectors will be discussed. Moreover, different communication strategies that can help improve employee engagement at Zara will be discussed based on past literature, theories, and framework.

HR Performance Management Dissertation Topics

All processes and activities to consistently meet organisational goals and objectives can be considered the HR performance management mechanism elements. Different organisations employ different performance management strategies to gain a competitive advantage. To explore this area of human resources, here are some intriguing topics for you:

Topic 59:Investigating different performance management techniques for retaining employees

Research Aim: This research will talk about companies’ various performance management techniques to retain employees.

Topic 60:The role of performance management activities in improving employees’ skills and abilities

Research Aim: This research will discuss how performance management helps employees improve their skills and abilities and how it ultimately helps companies.

Topic 61:Managing performance of workers through performance management techniques – A Case Study of Google

Research Aim: This research will explore how organisations use different performance management techniques to manage employees and their performance. A specific focus of this study will be Google Incorporation.

Topic 62:Employee performance and performance management systems – A qualitative study

Research Aim: This study will conduct a qualitative study to understand the different performance management systems for improving employee performance.

Topic 63:Performance management examinations in human resource management of profit-oriented organisations

Research Aim: This research will understand performance management in profit-oriented companies regarding how their human resource department ensures optimal performance.

Topic 64:Exploring the essentials elements of the performance management framework

Research Aim: This research will explore its vital features and performance management framework.

Topic 65:Human resource management practices and business performance – The role of environmental uncertainties and strategies

Research Aim: This research will explore whether environment uncertainties and strategies play a role in employee and business performance.

Topic 66:The efficacy of performance management systems in the UK’s retail industry

Research Aim: This research will explore the UK’s retail industry’s performance management efficacy.

Topic 67:Towards a framework for performance management in a higher education institution

Research Aim: This research will investigate performance management in the educational setting.

Topic 68:Should wages be capped through performance management – A qualitative study

Research Aim: This research will analyse whether wages should be adjusted and capped concerning performance management with a focus on its effects.

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Strategic Human Resource Management Dissertation Topics

Strategic human resource management is tying the human resource management objective to the company’s goals and objectives. This helps companies in innovating and staying ahead of their competitors by gaining a competitive advantage.

Being a relatively new concept, there are various aspects of strategic HRM that are left to be explored. Here are some interesting strategic HRM dissertation topics for you:

Topic 69:The efficacy of communication processes and employees’ involvement plans to improve employee commitment towards organisational goals – A case study of Sainsbury

Research Aim: This research will study the role and efficacy of the communication processes and employees’ involvement in order to improve employees’ commitment towards organisational goals.

Topic 70:To investigate SHRM theory and practice in a call centre – A case study of any UK call centre

Research Aim: This dissertation will discuss the various SHRM theories and how it is implemented. A UK-based call center will be focused on this study.

Topic 71: Differences and similarities between SHRM strategies and policies employed by German and Japanese automobile companies

Research Aim: This research will compare the different SHRM techniques and policies implemented by German and Japanese automobile companies.

Topic 72: A resource-based view assessment of strategic human resources quality management systems

Research Aim: This research will understand the resource-based view of strategic human resources quality management systems.

Topic 73: To understand and critically evaluate the HRM strategies employed by small and medium sized enterprises in the UK

Research Aim: This research will discuss and evaluate the different strategic HRM strategies employed by small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK.

Topic 74: Relating organisational performance to strategic human resource management – A study of small scale businesses in the UK

Research Aim: This study will analyse whether organisational performance and strategic human resource management are interconnected by assessing small scale businesses in the UK.

Topic 75: Investigating strategic human resource management in Singapore – A qualitative study

Research Aim: This research will analyse strategic human resource management in Singapore by undertaking a qualitative method.

Topic 76: The role of organisational support programmes to enhance work outcome and employees behaviour

Research Aim: This research will understand the organisational support program in order to enhance employee work outcome and their behaviour.

Topic 77: To establish the most important components of strategic HRM for SMEs in the UK to develop a competitive advantage

Research Aim: This research will talk about the relationship between the different SHRM components for SMEs in the UK in order to gain a competitive advantage.

Topic 78: To establish the significance of the relationship between organisational performance and strategic human resource management

Research Aim: This research will explore the relationship between organisational performance and strategic human resource management and how it helps companies achieve their objectives.

Human Resource Theory Dissertation Topics

The human resource theory framework consists of a soft and hard approach to human resources management. Various theories cover the different aspects of the soft and hard human resource approach.

Exploring this area of HRM will help in understanding more about the soft and hard HRM approaches. Here are some dissertation topics in this area that you can choose from.

Topic 79: A comparative analysis of various human resources theory approaches

Research Aim: This research will discuss various human resource theories and approaches and provide a comparative analysis.

Topic 80:To study human resources systems practiced by Multinationals in the UK

Research Aim: This research will discuss the various human resource systems as practised by multinational companies operating in the UK.

Topic 81:The role of human resources management (HRM) in regards to addressing workers’ concerns.

Research Aim: This research will discuss the importance of human resources in understanding and addressing worker’s concerns.

Topic 82: Can HRM have a negative influence on the performance of business organisations – A qualitative study?

Research Aim: This research will discuss a unique aspect of human resource management, i.e. whether it harms the company’s performance or not.

Topic 83: Is Human resources the only option for employees? An exploratory study

Research Aim: This study will analyze human resources’ role in solving employee issues and assess whether it is the only option for employees.

Topic 84:Exploring the contribution of human resource to the success of organisations

Research Aim: This research will aim to understand the role and contribution of the human resource department in companies’ success.

Topic 85:To investigate the most predominant human HRM and control strategies employed by business organisations

Research Aim: This research will discuss an interesting topic, i.e. the most predominant HRM strategies organisations implement.

Topic 86:To investigate the role of HR as a shared service.

Research Aim: This study will discuss human resources’ role as a shared service in the organisation.

Topic 87:Does a supervisor has a role to play in implementing HR practices – A critical study

Research Aim: This study will critically analyze supervisors’ role in implementing human resource practices in an organization.

Topic 88:The ethics of firing employees – Do companies really follow it?

Research Aim: This research will focus on how employees are fired at organizations and whether human resources follow the ethics of firing or not.

HR Organisational Culture Dissertation Topics

Organisational culture, also known as organisational climate, is defined as the process by which an organisation’s culture can be quantified. The properties of the work environment that are either considered positive or negative by the employees (and that may influence their behaviour) are the most important components of the organisational culture framework.

Studying this aspect of human resources will help you gain an in-depth knowledge of the role of culture in human resource management. Here are some interesting dissertation topics in this area:

Topic 89:The role of leadership, HRM and culture in vitalising management systems in firms

Research Aim: This research will understand the role of leadership and culture in human resource management and how it helps companies manage their systems.

Topic 90:Finding the right balance between differentiation and standardisation of HRM practices and policies – HRM of multinational companies operating within the European Union

Research Aim: There are certain human resource practices that are standardized throughout the world. This research will investigate the differences between such standard policies with respect to culture. Multinationals operating in the European Union will be focused.

Topic 91:Cross-cultural human resource management – The role it plays in the success of different organisations

Research Aim: This research will study the role of cross-cultural human resource management in the success of companies.

Topic 92:The impact of cross-cultural competencies in start-up companies

Research Aim: A lot of companies do not encourage cross-cultural human resources in the workplace. This research will analyse how cross-cultural competencies help startups grow and succeed.

Topic 93:The role of organisational cultural on HRM policies and practices – A case study of Cambridge University

Research Aim: This research will aim to understand the role of organisational culture on human resource policies and practices. The main focus of this study will be at Cambridge University.

Topic 94:The relationship between human resource management practices and organisational culture towards organisational commitment

Research Aim: This research will assess the relationship between different cultures and human resource practices with respect to organisational commitment.

Topic 95: Investigating cultural differences between the work values of employees and the implications for managers

Research Aim: This study will conduct an investigation related to the work values of employees based on their various cultural differences. It will then be concluded what this means for the managers.

Topic 96:To effectively manage cultural change without affecting work productivity

Research Aim: This research will discuss an interesting topic as to how managers should manage organisational cultural change without harming productivity.

Topic 97:Inducting new employees into the culture – Does it help organisations?

Research Aim: This research will discuss whether or not it is feasible for organisations to hire employees when the company is undergoing a cultural change.

Topic 98:Recruiting to change the culture – The Impact it has on the Profitability of the Company

Research Aim: This research will discuss whether companies should hire to lead change in the organisation, i.e. whether hiring should be done for this specific purpose, and what this new hiring means for the company in terms of profitability.

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HR Diversity Dissertation Topics

The changing corporate world has provoked organisations to develop and implement diversity management systems as part of their human resource management system. Although relatively new, diversity management is an important research area of human resource management that brings challenges and learning to employees.

With many areas unexplored and literature gaps in this subject, there are some extremely interesting dissertation topics you can select for your final year project. Some of them are listed here:

Topic 99: Investigating the difference between discrimination and diversity – How Do they Impact Organisations

Research Aim: This research will discuss the differences between the two concepts, diversity and discrimination and their impact on organisations.

Topic 100:Managing diversity through HRM: A conceptual framework and an international perspective

Research Aim: This study will discuss how the human resource department can manage diversity. The study will be conducted in an international setting.

Topic 101:Managing diversity in the public sector – How do companies manage to remain successful

Research Aim: This research will explore managing diversity in the public sector and how these companies can be successful even through diversity.

Topic 102:Managing cultural diversity in human resource management

Research Aim: As much as a human resource helps companies manage diversity, how will companies manage diversity in their main HR department. This research will answer this exact question.

Topic 103:The managerial tools, opportunities, challenges and benefits associated with diversity in the workplace

Research Aim: This research will focus on the tools available to human resources in managing diversity, and how they change it to opportunities and overcome diversity-related challenges.

Topic 104: Investigating the challenges of exclusion and inequality in organisations – Assessing HR’s role.

Research Aim: This research will first investigate the exclusion and inequality challenges that organisations face and how human resources overcome these challenges.

Topic 105:How does HRM Help in managing cultural differences and diversity

Research Aim: This research will discuss HR’s role in managing cultural differences and diversity in organisations.

Topic 106: Can HR eliminate diversity-related discrimination from workplaces? Assessing its role

Research Aim: This research will talk about HR’s role in eliminating diversity-related discrimination from organisations, and whether it will be successful in doing so or not.

Topic 107:Training managers for diversity – How difficult is it for companies and HR

Research Aim: This research will discuss and analyse the role of HR and companies in ensuring manager’s learning and development for diversity.

Topic 108:Training the newly hired staff for diversity in a large and diversified business organisation

Research Aim: This research will investigate the role of HR in training employees and staff to deal with, manage and coexist with diverse employees.

Important Notes:

As a human resource management student looking to get good grades, it is essential to develop new ideas and experiment with existing human resource management theories – i.e., to add value and interest to your research topic.

Human resource management is vast and interrelated to many other academic disciplines like management , operations management , project management , business , international business , MBA and more. That is why it is imperative to create a human resource management dissertation topic that is articular, sound, and actually solves a practical problem that may be rampant in the field.

We can’t stress how important it is to develop a logical research topic based on your entire research. There are several significant downfalls to getting your topic wrong; your supervisor may not be interested in working on it, the topic has no academic creditability, the research may not make logical sense, there is a possibility that the study is not viable.

This impacts your time and efforts in writing your dissertation , as you may end up in the cycle of rejection at the initial stage of the dissertation. That is why we recommend reviewing existing research to develop a topic, taking advice from your supervisor, and even asking for help in this particular stage of your dissertation.

While developing a research topic, keeping our advice in mind will allow you to pick one of the best human resource management dissertation topics that fulfil your requirement of writing a research paper and add to the body of knowledge.

Therefore, it is recommended that when finalizing your dissertation topic, you read recently published literature to identify gaps in the research that you may help fill.

Remember- dissertation topics need to be unique, solve an identified problem, be logical, and be practically implemented. Please look at some of our sample human resource management dissertation topics to get an idea for your own dissertation.

How to Structure your HRM Dissertation

A well-structured dissertation can help students to achieve a high overall academic grade.

• A Title Page
• Acknowledgements
• Declaration
• Abstract: A summary of the research completed
• Table of Contents
• Introduction : This chapter includes the project rationale, research background, key research aims and objectives, and the research problems. An outline of the structure of a dissertation can also be added to this chapter.
• Literature Review : This chapter presents relevant theories and frameworks by analyzing published and unpublished literature on the chosen research topic to address research questions . The purpose is to highlight and discuss the selected research area’s relative weaknesses and strengths while identifying research gaps. Break down the topic and key terms that can positively impact your dissertation and your tutor.
• Methodology : The data collection and analysis methods and techniques employed by the researcher are presented in the Methodology chapter, which usually includes research design , research philosophy, research limitations, code of conduct, ethical consideration, data collection methods, and data analysis strategy .
• Findings and Analysis : Findings of the research are analysed in detail under the Findings and Analysis chapter. All key findings/results are outlined in this chapter without interpreting the data or drawing any conclusions. It can be useful to include graphs, charts, and tables in this chapter to identify meaningful trends and relationships.
• Discussion and Conclusion : The researcher presents his interpretation of the results in this chapter and state whether the research hypothesis has been verified or not. An essential aspect of this section is establishing the link between the results and evidence from the literature. Recommendations with regards to the implications of the findings and directions for the future may also be provided. Finally, a summary of the overall research, along with final judgments, opinions, and comments, must be included in the form of suggestions for improvement.
• References : Make sure to complete this following your University’s requirements
• Bibliography
• Appendices : Any additional information, diagrams, and graphs used to complete the dissertation but not part of the dissertation should be included in the Appendices chapter. Essentially, the purpose is to expand the information/data.

About ResearchProspect Ltd

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Our team of writers  is highly qualified. They are experts in their respective fields. They have been working for us for a long time. Thus, they are well aware of the issues and the trends of the subject they specialize in.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Impact of green hrm practices on environmental performance: the mediating role of green innovation.

• 1 Department of Leisure Industry Management, Commercial College, Chinese Culture University, Taipei, Taiwan
• 2 Department of Management Sciences, The University of Haripur, Haripur, Pakistan
• 3 FAST School of Management, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (NUCES), Islamabad, Pakistan
• 4 Department of Management, School of Business, Sulaiman AlRajhi University, AlQassim, Saudi Arabia
• 5 Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Communication and Business, Telkom University, Bandung, Indonesia
• 6 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prince of Songkla University, Muang Pattani, Thailand

Numerous organizations have faced substantial environmental performance challenges resulting from more than a half-century of worldwide industrialization. Grounded in social learning theory and recourse-based view theory, this study explores environmental performance and its impact on employees and industry outcomes. Drawing on a cross-sectional online survey of 500 full-time employees working in the chemical industry in Lahore, Pakistan. The results revealed a significant positive influence of Green HRM practices on employees’ Green innovation as well as on environmental performance. Additionally, significant influences of study variables were recorded on outcomes such as green compensation and reward, green performance management and appraisal, green training and development, and green recruitment and selection. Several key policy insights related to consumer resistance to innovation in low income societies and future research directions are suggested, along with theoretical and practical implications.

Introduction

Several areas of organizational management have faced substantial environmental performance challenges as an outcome of more than a half-century of worldwide industrialization. In addition, chemicals-related precautionary steps and actions help in the reduction of issues such as climate change, environmental degradation, the release of numerous toxins that pollute the atmosphere and oceans, as well as the release of audio and visual contamination, and maybe even wildlife annihilation ( Billig et al., 2022 ; Darvishmotevali and Altinay, 2022 ). The worldwide ecosystem and economic and social well-being are threatened by these manufacturing applications and their negative impacts on the environment. This critical scenario needs increased public awareness of environmental or green concerns such as reducing emissions, composting, and renewable technologies such as sunlight, winds, and hydroelectricity. In the recent days, the dangers of environmental challenges have prompted various sectors to concentrate on environmental initiatives, initiate coaching, and retrain their staff in green performance ( Johar et al., 2020 ; Ecer et al., 2021 ).

Among the most crucial parts of sustainable capabilities is green HRM. Green HRM takes an environmental approach and aims to create a green work environment that encourages workers to perform their jobs in the most environmentally responsible manner. According to current green HRM guidelines and procedures, such as top management involves inspiring employee responsibility toward the environment and team spirit in this region and hiring, satisfying, inspiring self-improvement, and mentoring individuals in accordance with the institution aims ( Pimonratanakan and Pooripakdee, 2017 ; Pham et al., 2019 ).

Among green HRM practices, green compensation and reward are important practices in which any organization gives rewards and compensation to their employees ( Maderazo, 2016 ; Mandago, 2018 ). Green compensation and reward have been defined as “a firm should praise and appreciate the efforts of employees in gaining sustainable advantage and give them incentives and rewards, in this way organization will achieve sustainable advantage and employees will also be motivated” ( Ahmad, 2015 ). Another important factor included in Green HRM practices are Green performance and appraisal. It is defined, as “as the extent to which certain employees engage in behavior (actions and activities) and produce results with respect to greening over a certain period” ( Bilal and Zia-ur-Rehman, 2017 ; Ardiza et al., 2021 ). According to the company, individual production measurement is evaluated on how they are progressing into a greener environment ( Mishra, 2017 ; Ahmad, 2021 ; Darvishmotevali and Altinay, 2022 ).

Firms should leverage their internal green social capital to strengthen the benefits that come from their green process innovations. Given that green social capital is a critical factor for speeding up knowledge flow among employees within organizations, firms should take advantage of green social capital by enhancing their ability to communicate and share knowledge among employees to raise awareness of green process innovations. Furthermore, firm managers should employ appropriate human resource management strategies to foster these connections and exchanges, as well as increase trust and social cohesion among employees. Accordingly, if members feel more connected and supported, and they are willing to share information, this can reduce some of the isolation and fragmentation issues that can occur in the pursuit of green process innovation ( Xie et al., 2022 ).

Furthermore, green HRM practices also have important factors such as green training and development. Obaid and Alias (2015) have defined development as the “Development of attitudes, behaviors, knowledge, and skills in the employees that stop the corrosion of environment-related attitudes, skills and knowledge come under the umbrella of training and development.” While, on the contrary, training is defined as “the process of preparing multi-talented individuals for the improvement of instruction necessary for innovations” ( Rani and Mishra, 2014 ; Gill et al., 2021 ). Similarly, green recruitment and selection have an important part of green HRM practices. Recruitment is defined as “the process of searching prospective employees to apply for the job posting in the organizations and selection is the process of choosing appropriate applicants among the job applicants” ( Mwita and Kinemo, 2018 ). Effective recruitment and selection methods are crucial parts of any organization’s HRM entry point. Thus current research is incremental to integrate green HRM practices with green innovation and environmental performance in organizational context. Such research attempts in past literature special in green HRM literature are scarce. Hence, this study mainly contributes toward green HRM literature.

This study has advanced by bridging the research gap between key variables and linking the above HRM practices with green innovation and environmental performance. In past research, the environmental performance has been defined as “combining with the organization’s external and internal management to achieve overall economic performance like increasing market share and brand image and improving the performance of their strategic partners by making eco-friendly environment and reducing risks associated with the environment” ( Van Hock and Erasmus, 2000 ). In addition to that green innovation using as a mediating variable, which was defined as “the performance of hardware and software involved in the innovation that a company carries out in relations to green products or processes, including the innovation in technologies that are involved in energy saving, pollution prevention, waste recycling, green product designs, or corporate environmental management” ( Chen et al., 2006 ).

Finally, the present study is incremental due to conceptual grounding in social learning theory and recourse-based view theory. Social learning theory (SLT) has been defined as “how both environmental and cognitive factors interact to influence human learning and behavior” ( Li et al., 2019 ). Recourse-based view theory explains resources as “valuable when they enable a firm to conceive and implement strategies that improve its efficiency and effectiveness” ( Pohjola, 2002 ). The integration of both theories explains how HRM practices can help utilize existing unique resources by learning environmental practices to bring sustainable competitive advantage to the organization.

The study utilizes a developing country context of the Pakistani chemical industry located in the industrial hub city of Lahore. A recent survey about the environmental quality index about Lahore city has raised a question mark about the alarming situation in the second most populous city in the country ( Islam et al., 2021a ). Thus, the study becomes most relevant to the contextual case of how green HRM practices can lead an organization towards green innovation, and through green innovation, these HRM practices are linked with environmental performance. The contextual case of a populous city resembles with settings of most of the populous cities across the globe in general and the developing world in specific. Thus current study’s choice of setting will bring several generalizable key policy insights for administrators and urban planners to enhance environmental performance. Finally, the current study aims to shed light to explore the green compensation and reward, green performance and appraisal, green training and development, and green recruitment and selection impact on environmental performance. Additionally, green innovation impact and mediation of green innovation has been explored between green HR practices and environmental performance.

Literature Review

This research focused on green HRM practices, such as green compensation and reward, green performance and appraisal, green training and development, and green recruitment and selection, and its impact on environmental performance through a mediated link of green innovation. The present study has established its own social learning theory and recourse-based view theory.

The resource-based view firm hypothesis was developed in the early 1980s and became more widely known in the 1990s. This theory plays an important role in green HRM practices that are “valuable,” “rare,” “imperfectly imitable,” and “non-substitutable.” In addition, social learning theory can have cognitive interaction with human behavior and learn through environmental awareness campaigns by the human resource department and top management of the organization. Both theories also involved the rare, valuable, and unique resources coupled with rewards and compensation through learning, awareness, and motivation. Combining two diverse theories helps to understand how awareness campaigns coupled with rewards and motivational factors focused on human resources may bring sustainable competitive advantage for the firms engaged in green HRM practices.

Green Compensation and Reward and Environmental Performance

Green compensation and rewards is a monetary and nonmonetary incentive program intended to capture, preserve, and encourage people to support green environmental priorities ( Mandago, 2018 ). The following are the dimensions of green compensation and rewards: (1) rewards for skill; (2) cognitive and interpersonal; (3) sustainable technology appreciative inquiry; and (4) rewards for green, and sustainable behavior acceptability ( Ahmad, 2015 ). The previous literature also reported that employee loyalty to environmental sustainability programs was boosted when they were granted cash to bring on activities related to environmental responsibilities. Green rewards and compensation were proven successful by Berrone and Gomez-Mejia (2009) , who researched 469 US businesses that operate in high levels of contaminants industries, which was a similar setting to the current study. Employee satisfaction with green rewards and support in establishing environmental performance is stressed in green ability to do the job ( Jabbar and Abid, 2015 ; Silahtaroglu and Vardarler, 2016 ; Silva and Madushani, 2017 ).

On the contrary, green rewards contribute to the best quality of work-life, which considerably improves environmental performance ( Jabbar and Abid, 2015 ). Similar findings have been reported in work performance with the environment is influenced by green rewards and compensation ( Renwick et al., 2013 ). The use of incentives and acknowledgment based on environmental performance positively impacts staff willing to try out green projects ( Rawashdeh, 2018 ). These conditions suggest that green and environmentally focused compensation and rewards are expected to be directly linked with the organization’s environmental performance. Hence, the following hypothesis is suggested:

H1 : Green compensation and reward are positively associated with environmental performance.

Green Performance Appraisal and Environmental Performance

The use of organization-wide measures for measuring resource consumption and waste is essential for long-term environmental performance. A conceptual model for sustainable development, which tracks and audits the production and use of assets, is also required for high achievement ( Ojo et al., 2020 ; Prakash and Das, 2022 ). Another important factor included in green HRM practices is green performance and appraisal. According to the company, individual production measurement is evaluated on how they are progressing into a greener environment ( Mishra, 2017 ; Darvishmotevali and Altinay, 2022 ).

Measurement techniques in performance management are an important green human resource management strategy since they allow people to obtain immediate feedback on their environmental practices ( Chen et al., 2015 ). As a result, staff can evaluate their effectiveness in relation to the expected environmental performance. According to Govindarajulu and Daily (2004) , giving workers timely information on their environmental performances might grab their attention and encourage them to engage in the desired outcome. According to the research, people are more inclined to alter their habits in response to the critical success factors evaluated through green performance management ( Darvishmotevali and Altinay, 2022 ).

Although extending the previous literature and establishing the social learning theory and recourse-based view theory, a direct association is expected between green performance appraisal and environmental performance; as a result, the current research suggests the following hypothesis:

H2 : Green performance appraisal is positively associated with environmental performance.

Green Training and Development and Environmental Performance

Employees’ training is critical in mobilizing them with the skills and expertise needed to make informed decisions about green HRM practices ( Ojo et al., 2020 ). As a result, they will be motivated to implement green; furthermore, green HRM practices also have another important factor: Green training and development. Training is defined as “the process of preparing multi-talented individuals to improve instruction necessary for innovations” ( Rani and Mishra, 2014 ; Gill et al., 2021 ). In green HRM practices, training includes providing staff with core competencies such as teaching them how to gather trash information and increasing the company’s standard of efficiency and environmental competency ( Jabbar and Abid, 2015 ; Ojo et al., 2020 ). Workers’ desire to contribute to environmentally friendly efforts requires environmental training ( Mishra, 2017 ; Mandago, 2018 ). Training may help individuals educate about occupational difficulties and transitions, enhance and improve their abilities, and drive them to fulfill the task ( Rani and Mishra, 2014 ). Extending the previous literature, current research expects a direct link between green training and development and environmental performance. Hence, the following hypothesis is suggested:

H3 : Green training and development is positively associated with environmental performance.

Green Recruitment and Selection and Environmental Performance

Employment registrations can be handled via the website as part of the green recruitment and selection process, which includes employing environmentally conscious individuals without papers. Interviews can be done over the phone or via the internet ( Renwick et al., 2008 ). Green recruiting initiation supports job performance in long-term performance assessment and educating employees about green corporation efforts such as lowering waste and environmental damage. This, in turn, helps to improve environmental performance ( Nayak and Mohanty, 2017 ).

Green recruitment and selection have an essential part of green HRM practices. Effective recruitment and selection methods are crucial parts of any organization’s HRM entry point. The real importance is enhanced by hiring and selection procedures. By recruiting and keeping resembling employees, green recruitment highlights an organization’s willingness to cooperate to benefit the environmental performance ( Masri and Jaaron, 2017 ). Green recruitment, apart from its influence on the attraction of internal recruitment to companies, displays the organization’s environmental performance. Hence, the current study suggested the following hypothesis:

H4 : Green recruitment and selection is positively associated with environmental performance.

Green Innovation and Environmental Performance

According to past research, the effectiveness of sustainable products, green management, and quality advancement and the inclusion of ecological and financial green practices into company efficiency and overall improvement all have an impact on environmental performance ( Darnall et al., 2008 ; Chen et al., 2015 ; Dubey et al., 2015 ; Ardiza et al., 2021 ). Another important past research reported that green innovation is connected to a corporate methodology is based, and that green innovation boosts environmental performance ( Chen et al., 2006 ; Kammerer, 2009 ). Moreover, green production process improvement reduces a company’s unfavorable environmental effect and improves its economic and personal performance by reducing material wastage ( Weng et al., 2015 ). According to past research, green innovation should not be viewed as a company’s reaction to customer concerns but rather as going through a process aim and practice to improve environmental performance. It was estimated that green processes and new green product developments are essential organizational assets that the business will deploy to enhance its environmental performance and obtain trust with relevant parties via the RBV ( Dubey et al., 2015 ). The mentioned new green product developments are associated with emerging green innovation in the organizational context and are expected to be directly linked with the organization’s environmental performance. Thus, the following hypothesis is suggested:

H5 : Green innovation is positively associated with environmental performance.

Mediating Role of Green Innovation

Environmental damage has been a constant source of influence on industry to limit the environmental impact of its operational and production activities. Competitiveness in today’s turbulent marketplace significantly affects any company’s success and sustainability, and expectations for outstanding profitability and customers’ perceptions play an important role in the overall image. As a result, organizational resources, production strategies, and efficiency are critical in dealing with environmental issues, forcing the organizations to prioritize green innovation. Furthermore, business assets alone are insufficient for green innovation, new tactics, techniques, and competencies ( Pacheco et al., 2018 ). Green innovation, without a doubt, has a significant effect on long-term environmental performance ( Zhu et al., 2017 ).

In previous studies, researchers used green innovation as a mediating variable with financial resources and financial performance ( Mwita and Kinemo, 2018 ), talent capability and competitive advantage business analytics, and capability management ( Waqas et al., 2021 ). Some of the past research also investigated green innovation with green opportunities, environmental performance ( Berrone and Gomez-Mejia, 2009 ), green ability, green motivation ( Darnall et al., 2008 ), environmental strategy, and CSR ( Kraus et al., 2020 ; Ahmad et al., 2021 ). Thus, leading the way forward to theoretically propose based on RBV theory and social learning theory and further investigate this mediated phenomenon empirically between HRM practices and environmental performance. Hence, the following hypothesis is suggested:

H6 : Green innovation mediates the relationship between green HRM practices (i.e., compensation and reward, green performance and appraisal, green training and development, and green recruitment and selection) and environmental performance.

Research Methodology

Participants and procedure.

Based on a thorough literature analysis and theoretical groundings such as social learning theory and recourse-based perspective theory, a coherent conceptual framework has been developed, as shown in Figure 1 , and hypotheses were proposed in this research. The survey’s target population was permanent employees of the Ittehad Chemicals industry in Lahore; this study was chosen because of its success and reputation in Pakistan related to green environment initiatives and green human resource practices. Its nature of dealing with hazardous material and environmental consciousness in this industry related to green initiatives are main factors for choosing Ittehad Chemicals as study setting. A letter outlining the research goals was written to their management to get their official consent and approval to participate in the study. Their employees’ email addresses were gathered from targeted chemical industry management officials who agreed to participate in the survey after receiving an initial approval letter from the researchers’ institution. The confidentiality of organizations’ and employees’ identities were protected and ensured that at no point throughout the study project and even after the project any personal information would not be shared with a third party for any purpose.

Figure 1 . Theoretical framework.

To determine the appropriate sample size for the study a similar recent study was taken as a reference in similar context to justify the appropriateness of sample ( Islam et al., 2022 ). A total of 700 participants were contacted, with 540 agreeing to participate in a voluntary online survey. Authors sent online questionnaires via email and social media links; due to strict COVID-19 protocols, no physical contact was allowed. The official language of the survey was English, as it was ensured that only employees who are educated and have good expertise in the English language should take part in this survey. The survey began on November 10, 2021, and the authors received 540 completed questionnaires by January 20, 2022. Multiple follow-ups and reminders were also given during this time for better response. Due to unengaged and partially filled responses, 40 responses were eliminated after the initial evaluation based on partially filled or unengaged response observed by study authors. So the total response count was 500, with 71% of active respondents.

The strategy to perform analysis was initially demographic factors and then PLS software was used to test the hypothesized associations.

Measures of the Study

1. A 23-item questionnaire was created to investigate the impact of environmental performance on green innovation and green HRM practices.

2. A 3-item scale was adopted to determine the green compensation and reward ( Haldorai et al., 2022 ). Sample items include “Employees are rewarded for making suggestions for improvement on environmental programs” and “Employees who have achieved or surpassed their environmental goals are rewarded with bonus pay or other monetary awards.”

3. A 3-item scale was adopted to determine the green performance and appraisal ( Haldorai et al., 2022 ). Sample items include “Environmental goals and objectives are implemented in this organization for all employees” and “Contributions to environmental management are assessed.”

4. A 5-item scale was adopted to determine green training and development ( Haldorai et al., 2022 ). Sample items include “This organization offers ecological training for all employees” and “In this organization, environmental training is a priority.”

5. A 4-item scale was adopted to determine green recruitment and selection ( Haldorai et al., 2022 ). Sample items include “This organization is very particular about mainly recruiting and selecting employees with environmental concerns, knowledge, and attitude” and “In the recruitment process, our organization focuses on applicants with environmental insights, attitude, and concerns.”

6. A 3-item scale was adopted to determine green innovation ( Tseng et al., 2013 ). Sample items include “Investment in green equipment and technology” and “Implementation of the comprehensive material saving plan.”

7. A 5-item scale was adopted to determine the environmental performance ( Sobaih et al., 2020 ). Sample items include “Environmental activities significantly improved my organization’s reputation” and “Environmental activities significantly reduced waste within the entire value chain process.” In all the above scales, the responses were tapped on “a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree.”

Data Analysis and Results

Measurement model.

SmartPLS3 was applied to assess the measurement and structural model. The simulation analysis in the study revealed that respondents’ gender, designation, and marital status positively impacted their perceptions about green innovation and environmental performance; therefore, all these three demographic characteristics were controlled during the study. The demographic detail of this study respondents is presented in Table 1 .

Table 1 . Demographic profile.

Furthermore, using the measurement model, “Cronbach’s (CA)” and “composite reliability (CR)” were computed to evaluate the measurements’ consistency ( Henseler et al., 2015 ). CA and CR for all research constructs were greater than 0.7, indicating that they meet the required reliability criterion ( Sarstedt et al., 2017 ). Then, to determine the constructs’ convergent validity, factor loadings and average variance extracted (AVE) were determined ( Sarstedt et al., 2017 ). All factor loading of the study constructs was over the minimal criterion of 0.70 in both investigations, and AVE was above 0.50 ( Henseler et al., 2015 ). A full description of the article’s validity and reliability measurements are given in Table 2 .

Table 2 . Composite reliability, Cronbach’s alpha, and AVE values.

Moreover, to establish the discriminant validity of all the study constructs, Fornell and Larcker (1981) defined discriminant validity as “the extent to which a particular latent variable differs from other latent variables.” By analyzing the correlation between the latent construct and the square root of AVE, discriminant validity was determined ( Sarstedt et al., 2017 ). According to Sarstedt et al. (2017) , the use of latent variables retrieved with a value of 0.50 or more is recommended for determining discriminant validity. According to Sarstedt et al. (2017) , discriminant validity is indicated when the square root of AVE is greater than the value of latent variables. The PLS algorithm is presented in Figure 2 . Similarly, the values of discriminant validity are presented in Table 3 .

Figure 2 . PLS algorithm.

Table 3 . Discriminant validity.

Assessment of Structural Model

Hypothesis testing.

Regarding the consideration of measurement model clear links, this part focuses on the structural model, as described by Sarstedt et al. (2017) . A structural model is used in the hypothesized model to highlight the relationship’s reliance on one another. The structural model in PLS gives an inner modeling study of the direct relationship between the proposed hypotheses and their t -values and regression coefficient. In regression analysis, an indirect effect is the same as a standardized beta value; according to ( Henseler et al., 2015 ), t -values and beta values of the regression coefficient are used to determine significance. T -values larger than 1.64 are deemed statistically significant, according to Hair et al. (2017) , which are then utilized to make choices on the purposed hypothesis. There are two main purposes of studying the model: examining direct relationships and testing predicted relationships between components using a structural model. Six hypotheses are examined in this study. According to Ramayah et al. (2018) , SmartPLS 3.0 output findings include path coefficients, t -values, p -values, and standard errors. The researcher used them to determine whether the hypothesis was supported or not, and the results are presented in Table 4 .

Table 4 . Hypothesis testing.

Assessment of R2

The second stage in analyzing a structural model is determining the coefficient of determination ( Hair et al., 2011 ). The variance in endogenous constructs caused by external constructs is represented by the coefficient of determination ( Hair et al., 2011 ). Rigdon (2012) stated that the coefficient of determination is also recognized as a sample’s predictive power. If the coefficient of determination is greater, the predictive power of the sample is also greater. The value of R 2 ranges from zero to one. Moreover, Chin (1998) recommended that the R 2 of 0.13 is considered weak, 0.33 is considered moderate, and 0.67 is considered strong. The coefficient of determination for endogenous constructs is given in Table 5 . The PLS bootstrapping is presented in Figure 3 .

Table 5 . Assessment of R square.

Figure 3 . PLS bootstrapping.

Discussion, Implications, Limitations, and Future Research Directions

Findings of the study.

The results of the current study reveal that positive associations of green compensation and reward, green recruitment and selection, green performance and appraisal, and green training and development influence environmental performance through green innovation impact on environmental performance. Results showed the significant effect of green performance and appraisal on environmental performance. These results are in line with the findings of Govindarajulu and Daily (2004) who provided timely information about socially desirable behaviors that helps improve employee environmental performance. Green training and development have a significant impact on environmental performance. In green HRM practices, training includes providing staff with core competencies such as teaching them how to gather trash information and increasing the company’s standard of efficiency and environmental competency ( Jabbar and Abid, 2015 ; Ojo et al., 2020 ). Another result showed that green compensation and reward significantly impact environmental performance. Employee satisfaction with green rewards and compensation in establishing environmental performance is stressed in green ability to do the job ( Jabbar and Abid, 2015 ). Green recruitment and selection significantly impacted environmental performance in this study results. By recruiting and keeping resembling employees, green recruitment highlights an organization’s willingness to cooperate for the benefit of the environmental performance ( Masri and Jaaron, 2017 ). The results further show positive associations between green compensation and reward, green recruitment and selection, green performance and appraisal, and green training and development, which influence environmental performance, with green innovation influencing environmental performance.

Furthermore, the findings of mediation results revealed strong support for the purposed hypotheses that green innovation mediated between green HRM practices and environmental performance. These findings were consistent with similar mediated research explorations in recent literature and also in similar context ( Islam et al., 2021a , 2022 ).

Theoretical Implications

There are several theoretical implications of the current study. First, as established in the theories such as social learning theory and recourse-based view theory, the current study suggests that positive associations of green compensation and reward, green recruitment and selection, green performance and appraisal, and green training and development influence environmental performance through the mediated link of green innovation. Second, much of the academic research on the RBV has been conducted in industrialized countries, but little is recognized about the RBV beyond this environment ( Vargas-Halabí et al., 2017 ). This research is incremental due to its choice of study context and RBV approach to environmental performance and green innovation. Another major theoretical contribution of this study is combining HRM practices with green innovation and environmental performance. Such studies are rare in the literature related to innovation and HRM practices. Thus current research opened several new avenues of theoretical integration for future scholars in innovation management, HRM, and environmental science. Integration of theories from all three domains together to come up with solid theoretical foundations is the major advance of this research that will help bridge the theory gap among these three domains of research. The use of social learning theory and its integration with RBV as well as green HRM concepts along with green innovation and environmental performance is a major contribution and theoretical advance pitched by current research.

Practical Implications

The current study also brings valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners in multiple ways. First, the current study shows that green innovation is the most important factor used in this study to elaborate the concept of environmental performance with green HRM practices. It brings key insights to HR managers and top management of environmentally conscious sectors and consumer markets. These days, organizations continuously seek ways to influence environmentally conscious consumers through their environmentally friendly campaigns. In such a competitive environment, practitioners may learn from the approach discussed in this research. Second, environmental performance becomes a priority for top management and authorities, so developing industries’ environmental performance methodological approach to minimize waste, contamination, pollutants, preserve freshwater, electricity, and non-sustainable minerals contributes to improved environmental performance. Finally, they improve environmental performance by reducing chemicals wastage, avoiding polluted water draining into oceans and rivers, and controlling polluted air of industry. Industry human resource managers may set goals and exemplary measures to accomplish green goals to empower their workers. Green campaigns with motivation could be a wonderful way to encourage people to go green. Green HRM might be a more visible aspect of a company’s responsibilities and CSR measures. The current study’s findings showed that green innovation and environmental performance are the most important factors for the success of any organization working in a green consumer environment. In developing countries like Pakistan, customer resistance in the form of usage barriers can be lowered by use of one of three strategies developing a systems perspective, integrating the innovation with preceding activity, and mandating usage through governmental legislation. Value barriers can be lowered through one of three strategies: improving product performance, positioning the product successfully, and reducing price to the consumer through cost efficiency ( Islam et al., 2021a ). Risk barriers can be reduced with the following strategies: using a well-known brand name, eliciting endorsements and testimonials from users, and facilitating product trial. Traditional barriers can be overcome by educating the consumers and/or using agents; in some instances, the marketing firm may just have to respect the traditions and norms of the users and realize that coping with the situation is the best possible solution ( Islam et al., 2021b ). Three strategies are available for countering the image barrier: borrow a good image (such as a known brand name), make fun of the negative image that currently exists, or create a unique image for the innovation. Each of these strategies may be classified into one of five types: product strategy, communication strategy, pricing strategy, market strategy, and coping strategy.

Limitations and Future Research Directions

As environmental consciousness has grown, the notion of “going green” has been a major focus of several organizations. For obtaining a high degree of environmental performance, green factors such as support from management and green intangible resources are critical. In addition to various strengths, the current study also has some limitations that must be addressed in the future. First, the current research has been conducted among the users of a chemical industry located in Lahore, Pakistan, making the findings specific to the chemical industry. Future studies may consider a comprehensive sample from other industries and may also include users/consumers of other industries, like food, fabric, hotels, etc., to come up with findings that can be generalized. Second, although this study was conducted to examine the cross-sectional method, the data were collected at one point in time. Future scholars may adopt longitudinal research design for better causality. In the current study, researchers could not tap the moderating effect of several key constructs due to time and resource constraints. Researchers are encouraged to focus on moderating effects for more significant results toward theory and practice in future studies. Third, this study outcome was only environmental performance mediated by green innovation. In the future, researchers may also add sustainable economic and social performance and environmental performance. Finally, current research only uses a selected population from a developing country context. In the future, researchers may collect data from many employees in a developed country context. A comparative approach toward green HRM practices in developing and developed setting maybe another significant area of future research. Green HRM was not considered as dimensional in this study is a limitation due to theoretical conceptualization of this research focused more on green innovation and environmental performance. Thus future studies may consider it as dimensional construct and test mediation accordingly.

Grounded in the RBV approach, this study integrated constructs from three different research fields: environmental science, innovation management, and human resource management. This integration based on theoretical grounding is a major advance to the body of knowledge. Besides this unique conceptualization, the current study adopted a study context of a developing country and the organizational context of the chemical industry, which is more sensitive to green innovation and consumer resistance to hazardous environmental products. Thus making this research a unique contribution from a contextual point of view. The findings also confirmed how green HRM practices significantly influenced green innovation and, in turn, predicted the organization’s environmental performance. These findings bring key policy insights for researchers in consumer resistance to innovation, consumer adoption to innovation that how green innovation may help the companies gain sustainable competitive advantage by investing in their human resources. This research helped bridge the gap between various research domains and opened several new avenues for future research.

Data Availability Statement

The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.

Author Contributions

Y-KK and TK developed the idea and helped to refine theoretical framework as well theory grounding and overall proof editing and improving the final paper. SI helped in data collection. FA helped to perform analysis and write-up results section. MP helped in writing literature review and hypotheses development, while RK-o has written discussion, conclusion, and implication sections. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher’s Note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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Keywords: green HR practices, innovation, environment, performance, human resource management

Citation: Kuo Y-K, Khan TI, Islam SU, Abdullah FZ, Pradana M and Kaewsaeng-on R (2022) Impact of Green HRM Practices on Environmental Performance: The Mediating Role of Green Innovation. Front. Psychol . 13:916723. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.916723

Received: 09 April 2022; Accepted: 24 May 2022; Published: 14 June 2022.

Reviewed by:

Copyright © 2022 Kuo, Khan, Islam, Abdullah, Pradana and Kaewsaeng-on. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Tariq Iqbal Khan, [email protected]

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

5 hot topics for HR and business in 2022

Marlies Pellikaan

Here’s five challenges HR and organizations need to prepare for and overcome during the coming months.

With the COVID situation still fluctuating, the transition to  hybrid work  will continue and it will of course affect HR’s responsibilities, including hiring, onboarding, and engagement. 

But it’s important not to lose sight of the other topics that are proving to be pressure points for human resources and businesses in general. The pandemic effects each of these in some way, but they are also challenges that can be overcome with a people strategy that empowers employees by making them part of positive change in an organization. 

In this post we’re going to go through what experts are saying about HR’s next challenges, discuss the role of an employee listening strategy to meet these, and list the five hot topics for 2022 as we see them, based on our conversations with HR managers and CHROs throughout Europe and the world. 

Total Economic Impact Of Employee Listening

Effectory commissioned Forrester Consulting to conduct a Total Economic Impact™ study and examine the potential return on investment (ROI) of Employee Listening

HR in 2022: what’s on the horizon? 

There’s numerous trends set to define the next year. This includes the perception gap between what employees and employers see as driving productivity and creativity. In general, employers still aren’t recognizing that employees want there to be as much as a focus on their wellbeing and engagement as well as renumeration. 

HR tasks are also set to become more decentralized, meaning that managers of individual teams and branches will have to develop skills typically associated with HR. This includes mentoring and monitoring skill sets. 

This is something we’ve noticed when talking with Effectory’s customers.  It’s becoming increasingly common for pulse and theme surveys to be performed by managers in order for the feedback and action plan implementation loop to be quicker and more effective . 

Human Resources Today  makes people analytics  one of the trends that will continue to accelerate throughout 2022. We couldn’t agree more, and we’ll talk about that in detail when we discuss HR and data. 

As well as people analytics, HRT proposes AI and machine learning as technology which will impact the field. These technologies are still young, but it’s likely that some form of them will be put to tasks such as streamlining hiring workflows and performing repetitive administrative duties. 

Gartner’s  Top 5 Priorities for HR Leaders in 2022  outlines their research into tomorrow’s challenges. It includes: 

• Organizational design and change management  
• Current and future leadership bench  

We’ll highlight some of their interesting research results later on. 

What’s employee feedback’s role in 2022? 

EngageRocket’s recent report  The HR 2022 Outlook  states that “the onus is now on HR to stem the tide and formulate forward-looking policies that place the employees squarely at the center.” 

Using employee feedback to drive organization change has been shown to result in higher productivity and greater engagement. Employees are on the frontline of every business, and they know what is working and what needs to be developed in order for an organization to improve its operations. 

Effectory is dedicated to helping HR make their organizations future proof by providing them with an employee feedback platform and people analytics that: 

• Promises top level privacy, anonymity, and security 
• Saves time by being easy and intuitive 
• Provides scientifically validated questions 
• Allows you to track and compare results between teams and over time 
• Compares results to industry benchmarks 

With a comprehensive employee listening strategy in place, HR and the C-suite can make more data driven decisions and increase their employees’ engagement levels. With this in place, organizations can be ready to take on everything that 2022 has in store. 

How HR can lead business success

HR and employee listening are crucial to business success. Here is how employee insights can help your organization.

HR’s 5 hot topics 2022 

So what hot topics are we noticing as being on the agenda over the next 12 months? 

• Employee retention 

According to Gartner’s research, 64% of HR leaders list “growing the business” as one of their top 3 priorities in 2022. This is while 48% are significantly concerned about employee turnover. Meanwhile, the Great Resignation is being talked about in major news outlets.  

But an organization can’t grow if it’s constantly battling employee churn. This is why employee retention is so important.  

To boost retention, employers will have to improve their recruitment efforts with great employer branding (by showing off their  World-class Workplace label , for example), and be sure that their onboarding and exit processes work. HR needs to know about the employee experience from beginning to end so they can address recurring issues whenever they appear. 

Report: Future of Employee Experience

Download this special report about The Future of Employee Experience, as published in The Times.

Employee wellbeing 

After nearly two years of constant disruption, fatigue is a real contributing factor to employee churn and decreased engagement.  

Employers need to listen to their employees and implement initiatives that help take care of employees, and these initiatives should be based on the needs that the employees themselves express. If employers want to retain their best talent and keep staff engaged and excited about their work, they can no longer afford to ignore their workforce. 

• DE&I 

Research  by Glassdoor  shows that 76% of employees and job seekers say a diverse workforce is important when evaluating companies and job offers, and 37% wouldn’t apply to a company that had negative satisfaction ratings among people of color. 

Changing hiring processes can help with this, but so can researching just how inclusive a workplace already is. Consistently collecting feedback from a wide range of employees over a number of surveys means that policy can be based on an objective measurement rather than individual points of view. 

For some companies, the journey to being a more diverse and welcoming workplace will be a marathon rather than a sprint. To make sure that the transformation goes smoothly, employers should have knowledge of where they stand today so that they can objectively measure the effectiveness of tomorrow’s efforts.  

HR needs more analytics 

In our conversations with customers, it’s often mentioned that headline rates on the Effectory platform, such as the level of employee engagement, are useful measures for stakeholders wanting to gauge the quality of an organization’s management. 

Ever since COVID, HR’s relevancy to business development has been undeniable. Nowadays, CHROs are even sometimes part of the C-suite. But HR needs reliable data that can be compared over time in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of its initiatives, and also to show how its strategies and operations are helping its organization succeed and improve. 

Create impact with People Analytics

Link feedback from employees to your organization’s performance

• Skills & development 

Effectory’s  own data  shows that employees who feel that they are trained sufficiently are +27% more engaged than their undertrained peers. This is important because high engagement leads to a +38% increase in employee retention and +26% in performance.  

Gartner says that since 2018, there’s been an annual 6.3% increase in the skills required for roles in IT, finance and sales. But often, management don’t know what skills their employees are missing. 

Asking employees what skills they’re missing is a vital step in identifying what competencies and skills need to be improved upon within a team or company. Often, training doesn’t even need to require large amounts of capital. Peer-to-peer tutoring within a company between employees with different tasks, skillsets, and responsibilities can work just as well to make sure people have what they need in order to do their job well. 

Whitepaper: Hybrid working is the new normal

How are you preparing your company for the changes ahead? Tuning into the needs of your workforce will be vital to compete effectively in the post-COVID world.

Be prepared for 2022 

So that’s our 5 hot topics for HR and business in 2022: 

• Employee wellbeing
• People analytics 

COVID measures will impact these themes in various ways. For example, if an organization’s hybrid working policy doesn’t fully support employees when they’re working from home, retention will decrease. Missing out on the office environment and being at home more may cause some employees to experience mental health issues and burnout. 

Regular pulse surveys that check a workforce’s temperature can mitigate these issues. With feedback, managers and HR can build policy and strategies based on the concerns, insights, and wisdom that already exist within a company. In addition, enacting policies based on feedback gives employees a sense of ownership and pride not only in their work but also in their organization as a whole. 

Find out how you can be ready to tackle 2022’s challenges with an employee listening strategy designed especially for your needs and goals. Speak with one of our  consultants today . 

Effectory COVID-19 Workforce Pulse

Use our COVID-19 Workforce Pulses to gain insights in employees’ wellbeing, enablement & communication to bounce back faster and stronger.

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2022-2023 SHRM State of the Workplace

This SHRM Research study looks back at the successes and challenges of 2022 and also looks ahead to the plans and priorities for the rest of 2023

As the world emerges from the COVID pandemic, SHRM stands to offer insights and to help organizations answer questions that have implications for the U.S. economy and employers. Unlike 2021, where the focus for most organizations was managing COVID-19 concerns, in 2022, organizations began to prioritize other initiatives, and they expect this trend to continue in 2023. This report highlights the areas where U.S. organizations succeeded in 2022, the most pressing struggles they face currently, and organizational priorities for 2023.

​Download the report here

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• Half of Latinas Say Hispanic Women’s Situation Has Improved in the Past Decade and Expect More Gains

3. Educational and economic differences among Latinas today

Table of contents.

• Assessing the progress of Hispanic women in the last 10 years
• Views of Hispanic women’s situation in the next 10 years
• Views on the gender pay gap
• Latinas’ educational attainment
• Latinas’ labor force participation
• Latinas’ earnings
• Latinas as breadwinners in their relationships
• Bachelor’s degrees among Latinas
• Labor force participation rates among Latinas
• Occupations among working Latinas
• Earnings among Latinas
• Latinas as breadwinners in 2022
• Appendix: Supplemental charts and tables
• Acknowledgments
• The American Trends Panel survey methodology
• Methodology for the analysis of the Current Population Survey

Though Latinas have collectively seen socioeconomic gains, their educational and economic circumstances are varied. Younger Latinas and U.S.-born Latinas, for instance, are more likely to report having a bachelor’s degree than older and immigrant Latinas, respectively. This chapter explores how other characteristics such as spouse or partner ethnicity and presence of their children at home are associated with differences in educational and economic outcomes.

Some Latinas are more likely than others to have a bachelor’s degree.

• Age: Younger Latinas (ages 25 to 29) are about twice as likely as older Latinas (ages 65 or older) to hold a bachelor’s degree (30% vs. 14%).
• Nativity: U.S.-born Latinas are more likely than those born outside the U.S. to hold a bachelor’s degree (30% vs. 19%).

Though labor force participation rates have increased in the last two decades for Latinas overall, some are more likely to be employed or seeking work. Among civilians ages 25 to 64:

• Education: Latinas with a bachelor’s degree or higher are more likely than those with a high school education or less to participate in the labor force (82% vs. 60%).
• Nativity: U.S.-born Latinas are more likely than Latinas born outside the U.S. to participate in the labor force (75% vs. 64%).
• Spouse or partner: Latinas who are living with a Hispanic spouse or partner are less likely to work or seek work than those living with a non-Hispanic partner (63% vs. 77%).
• Children at home: Latinas with children in the home are less likely to work or seek work than Latinas without (67% vs. 73%).

Among civilian Latinas ages 25 to 64 who were employed or looking for work in 2023, 15% work in office and administrative support occupations. Similar shares work in management, business and financial occupations (13%) and education, legal, community service, arts and media occupations (12%).

The kinds of occupations Latinas most recently worked in are also associated with whether they have a bachelor’s degree. Among civilian Latinas ages 25 to 64 who were employed or looking for work in 2023:

• Those with a bachelor’s are most likely to have education, legal, community service, arts and media jobs (27%) or management, business and financial jobs (24%).
• For those without a bachelor’s, the most common occupational groups are office and administrative support (17%) and health care support, protective service, and personal care and service (15%).
• Those with a bachelor’s degree are less likely than those without one to work in health care support, protective service, and personal care and service occupations (6% vs. 15%, respectively) and building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (3% vs. 12%).

Though wages have increased for Latinas overall in the last two decades, some earn more than others. Among Latinas ages 25 to 64 who are not self-employed:

• Education: Latinas with a bachelor’s degree make $28.85 per hour (at the median) while those with a high school education or less earn $16.67 per hour.
• Nativity: U.S.-born Latinas make more per hour than immigrant Latinas ($21.25 vs. $17.90).
• Spouse or partner: Hispanic women who live with a spouse or partner earn roughly the same as those without a spouse or partner. However, Hispanic women living with a non- Hispanic spouse or partner make significantly more at the median than those living with a Hispanic spouse or partner ($25.00 vs. $19.00).
• Children at home: Latinas living with their children earn about the same as Latinas not living with their children ($18.50 vs. $20.00).

Overall, 13% of Hispanic women living with their spouse or partner are the breadwinners of their couples. Another 28% of Latinas are in financially egalitarian relationships, while the remaining 59% are living with a breadwinner spouse or partner.

Some Latinas are more likely than others to be either their relationships’ breadwinners or in financially egalitarian relationships with their spouse or partner.

• Education: Latinas with a bachelor’s degree or higher were more likely than those with a high school education or less to be breadwinners (16% vs. 9%, respectively) or in financially egalitarian relationships (35% vs. 24%).
• Spouse or partner: Hispanic women living with a partner or spouse who is not Hispanic were more likely than those with a Hispanic spouse or partner to be the breadwinner of their relationship (16% vs. 12%, respectively). They were also less likely than their Hispanic-partnered counterparts to say their spouse or partner was the breadwinner (54% vs. 61%).

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Key facts about U.S. Latinos with graduate degrees

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H5N1 virus from 2022 mink outbreak capable of inefficient airborne transmission

Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza was detected in dairy cattle for the first time in the United States in March, with nine states reporting outbreaks by May. While the method of transmission among cattle is currently unknown, new research published today (May 15) in Nature Communications demonstrates that a related strain of H5N1, subtype clade 2.3.4.4b, which caused an outbreak in farmed mink in 2022, transmitted through the air to a limited number of ferrets. This is the first time that a member of the group of H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b viruses has been shown to exhibit this ability. According to the Penn State researchers who led the study, the findings suggest these viruses are evolving to infect mammals and with potentially increased risk to humans.

"While there is no evidence that the strain of H5N1 that is presently affecting dairy cattle is capable of airborne transmission, our study suggests that another member of this family of viruses has evolved some degree of airborne transmissibility," said Troy Sutton, associate professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences, Penn State, and corresponding author on the paper. "This finding underscores the importance of continued surveillance to monitor the evolution of these viruses and their spillover into other mammals, including humans."

According to the researchers, assessing a virus's potential for airborne transmission in mammals could inform the understanding of its potential risk to humans. Since virus samples could not be readily obtained after the outbreak in mink had been controlled, the team reconstructed the virus using publicly available genetic sequences.

Next, the researchers evaluated the ability of the virus to transmit in ferrets, which have respiratory tracts that are more similar to humans in their susceptibility to viral infection and transmission than other model organisms, such as mice. The team measured both direct transmission of the virus by placing infected ferrets in cages with uninfected ferrets and indirect airborne transmission by placing infected and uninfected ferrets in cages that enabled shared airspace but prevented physical contact. To assess disease severity, the team examined the ferrets' weight loss and signs of clinical illness.

The researchers found that the virus transmitted by direct contact to 75% of exposed ferrets and by respiratory droplets to 37.5% of exposed ferrets after about nine days of exposure. The team also found that the virus had a low infectious dose, meaning that even small amounts of virus caused an infection.

Sutton noted that the mink strain of the virus contained a mutation, called PB2 T271A. To test the influence of this mutation on viral transmission and disease severity, the team engineered the virus without the mutation and found that mortality and airborne transmission in the ferrets infected with this version of the virus was reduced.

"These findings suggest that the PB2 T271A mutation is enhancing viral replication of the virus, contributing to both virulence and transmission in ferrets," Sutton said. "Understanding the role that this mutation plays means we can monitor for it or for similar mutations to arise in the currently circulating strains of H5N1."

Sutton added that the ferrets that the team used in its studies had no preexisting immunity to influenza, whereas the majority of humans have been exposed to H1N1 and H3N2 seasonal influenza viruses.

"This exposure would likely offer some degree of cross-protection against H5N1 if humans are exposed to another H5N1 variant," he said.

Furthermore, he said that the transmission rate the team observed in the mink virus is lower than is typical for pandemic influenza viruses.

"Pandemic influenza viruses typically transmit via the airborne route to 75% to 100% of contacts within three to five days, whereas the mink virus we studied transmitted to fewer than 40% of contacts after nine days," Sutton said. "The transmission observed in our studies is indicative of increased pandemic potential relative to previously characterized strains of H5N1; however, the mink virus does not exhibit the same attributes as pandemic strains. The H5N1 strain affecting cattle also has not caused severe disease in cattle or humans, but the longer the virus circulates, and the more exposure humans have to it, the greater the chances that it will evolve to infect humans."

This research was conducted in Penn State's Eva J. Pell Advanced Biological Laboratory, a high-containment biosafety level 3 enhanced laboratory that is regularly inspected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the United States Department of Agriculture.

Other Penn State authors of the paper include Katherine Restori, assistant research professor in veterinary and biomedical sciences, as well as Kayla Septer, Cassandra Field and Devanshi Patel, all graduate students in veterinary and biomedical sciences. David VanInsberghe, postdoctoral fellow; Vedhika Raghunathan, graduate student; and Anice Lowen, professor of microbiology and immunology, all at Emory University, also are authors of the paper.

The National Institutes of Health and National Institute of Food and Agriculture supported this research.

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• Global spread of H5N1
• Global spread of H5N1 in 2006
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• Dairy cattle

Story Source:

Materials provided by Penn State . Original written by Sara LaJeunesse. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference :

• Katherine H. Restori, Kayla M. Septer, Cassandra J. Field, Devanshi R. Patel, David VanInsberghe, Vedhika Raghunathan, Anice C. Lowen, Troy C. Sutton. Risk assessment of a highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza virus from mink . Nature Communications , 2024; 15 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48475-y

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2022 Project: Helix, Inc.

What to know.

Helix, Inc., created a pan-respiratory virus surveillance program that links virus genomes to key clinical and demographic data across a multisite network.

Findings on SARS-CoV-2 surveillance and investigations

Helix, Inc., led a pilot study to demonstrate the utility of a nationwide viral surveillance program. This study centered on pan-respiratory genomes linked with key patient data and identified primary considerations and hurdles involved with developing this type of infrastructure.

The infrastructure standardized the process of patient consent, sample collection, and data reporting and returned data back to each site to ensure the analyses and decisions of each site were based on locally gathered information.

Awarded in 2022, this project was jointly supported by CDC's Office of AMD and the Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics.

AMD integrates next-generation genomic sequencing technologies with bioinformatics and epidemiology expertise to help us find, track, and stop pathogens.

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