Green HRM in the Age of Remote Work: Examining Its Impact on Employee Productivity and Work-Life Balance

Abstract

The rapid globalisation of remote work, accelerated markedly by the COVID-19 pandemic, has compelled organisations to revisit foundational assumptions about how human resource strategies shape employee outcomes. This study investigates the extent to which Green Human Resource Management (Green HRM) practices influence employee productivity and work-life balance (WLB) among full-time remote workers in India. Anchored in Conservation of Resources Theory, Social Exchange Theory and Clark's Border Theory, the study proposes and empirically tests a structural model in which WLB serves as a partial mediating variable. Primary data were gathered from 350 validated survey responses drawn from remote employees across the information technology, banking, education and healthcare sectors in Karnataka and Telangana. A two-stage analytical approach — Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) followed by Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) in AMOS 24 — was employed to evaluate the measurement and structural models. Results indicate that Green HRM exerts a significant positive direct effect on both productivity (β = 0.53, p < 0.001) and WLB (β = 0.62, p < 0.001). The indirect pathway from Green HRM to productivity through WLB was likewise significant (β = 0.28, 95% CI [0.19, 0.38]), confirming partial mediation. Demographic sub-group analyses revealed stronger effect magnitudes among female employees and workers in the educational sector. The study contributes to an emerging body of scholarship at the nexus of sustainable HRM and remote work, offering both theoretical extensions and actionable guidance for practitioners and policymakers.