Rooted in purpose: The role of Green HRM practices in cultivating work meaningfulness

This study examines the influence of Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) practices on Work Meaningfulness (WM), with Work Engagement (WE) as a mediator and Perceived Green Organizational Support (PGOS) and Psychological Ownership (PO) as moderators. A quantitative survey was followed by qualitative interviews using a mixed-methods approach. Participants for the quantitative part were drawn from multiple industries across several countries, with a predominantly Western sample, while the qualitative part focused on the complexity of GHRM's impact, particularly on implementation challenges and employees' perceptions. The results suggest that GHRM enhances WM, although it has a negative impact on WE, suggesting that GHRM practices are viewed as an extra demand. However, PGOS mitigates this negative effect. GHRM practices should be designed and implemented with employee participation to negate the risk of tokenism and improve WM. PGOS can also drive and facilitate the reduction of any negative GHRM effects on employee engagement. This research expands the JD-R model by investigating GHRM as a job resource and job demand as well, depending on organizational support. The findings point to the importance in GHRM of match between organizational intent and employee perceptions.