HUMAN SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES AND EMPLOYEE WELL -BEING: BEYOND TRADITIONAL HRM

Abstract

The paper focuses on the interdependence between the Human Sustainability Practices (HSP) and the Employee Well-Being (EWB) by shifting the perspectives of the classic human resource management strategies and incorporating the mechanisms of psychology and contexts. Based on sustainable HRM and social exchange theories, the paper examines the mediating and moderating effect of Perceived Organizational Support (POS) and Psychological Safety (PS), respectively, in establishing the cause and circumstance under which sustainability-oriented HR practices lead to employee well-being. A quantitative cross-sectional study design was used to conduct research and the sample included 342 full time employees of different organizations using a structured questionnaire. The hypothesized relationships were tested using the Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and the findings indicated that Human Sustainability Practices has a significant impact and a positive effect on the Employee Well-Being. Also, HSP is a positive predictor of Perceived Organizational Support that boosts the well-being of employees. Mediation analysis verifies that POS somewhat mediates the association between HSP and EWB, which means that sustainability practices have a direct and indirect impact on wellbeing via the perception of organizational caring of employees. In addition, moderation analysis depicts that psychological safety enhances the positive correlation between HSP and POS, implying that supportive and safe work conditions boost the effectiveness of sustainability initiatives.  The research can add to the literature on sustainable HRM by providing a complete moderated mediation model that incorporates structural HR practices, psychological mechanisms, and climate factors in workplaces. The results offer some useful advice to organizations that want to foster employee well-being in the long run by using sustainability-related HR approaches.