Sustainable Human Resource Management and Green HR Practices In the Oil and Gas Sector in Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

The intensifying global imperative for environmental sustainability has elevated Green Human Resource Management (Green HRM) as a critical strategic agenda in industries whose operations carry significant ecological footprints. The oil and gas sector in Rivers State, Nigeria, a region whose economic prosperity and environmental health are inextricably bound to petroleum extraction and processing represents a particularly pertinent context for examining how Sustainable Human Resource Management (SHRM) practices translate into meaningful green organizational behaviors and outcomes. This study investigates the impact of sustainable HRM on green HR practices in the oil and gas sector in Rivers State, focusing on three key SHRM dimensions: green recruitment and selection, environmental training and development, and green performance management. Grounded in Stakeholder Theory and the Natural Resource-Based View (NRBV) of the firm, the study adopted a cross-sectional survey design. Primary data were collected from 258 employees and HR managers across three prominent oil and gas firms in Port Harcourt using a validated structured questionnaire. Simple linear regression was employed to test three research hypotheses. Findings reveal that green recruitment and selection (β = 0.487, R² = 0.327, p < 0.001), environmental training and development (β = 0.521, R² = 0.354, p < 0.001), and green performance management (β = 0.506, R² = 0.341, p < 0.001) each exert statistically significant positive effects on green HR practices. The study underscores the imperative for oil and gas firms in Rivers State to institutionalize SHRM as a deliberate and integrated organizational strategy capable of driving genuine ecological transformation in one of Nigeria's most environmentally consequential industries.