Sustainable Human Resource Management Practices and Their Role in Enhancing Institutional Sustainability: An Integrative Literature Review

Abstract

Sustainable Human Resource Management (Sustainable HRM) has emerged as a strategic approach that aligns human resource policies and practices with organizations’ long-term economic, social, and environmental responsibilities. However, the relevant literature remains fragmented across practices, sectors, and national contexts, with comparatively limited attention to public institutions and developing economies. This study provides an integrative review of the theoretical and empirical literature concerning the contribution of Sustainable HRM to institutional sustainability. It draws on the critical examination and thematic synthesis of 50 Arabic and international sources identified through Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate. The analysis focuses on four principal practices: recruitment and selection, training and development, performance appraisal, and compensation and rewards. The findings indicate that these practices contribute to institutional sustainability by developing employee capabilities, directing responsible behavior, supporting innovation and resilience, and aligning individual contributions with economic, social, and environmental objectives. Training and development emerge as particularly influential, whereas sustainability-oriented appraisal and reward systems remain comparatively underdeveloped. The review also demonstrates that Sustainable HRM produces stronger outcomes when its practices operate as an integrated system supported by leadership, organizational culture, employee participation, and adequate resources. Employee well-being, trust, engagement, and resilience represent important mechanisms connecting HR practices with broader institutional outcomes. Significant geographical, contextual, and methodological gaps remain, especially in public-sector organizations, Arab and developing-country contexts, and longitudinal and qualitative research. The study concludes that institutional sustainability requires an integrated, context-sensitive, and human-centered HRM system rather than isolated sustainability initiatives.