Green human resources management plays a major role in promoting and achieving the sustainability goals of businesses, bringing benefits to all employees, enterprises, and society, a national scientific conference with the theme “Green human resources management - Opportunities and challenges for Vietnamese enterprises” held by the University of Labor and Social Affairs (ULSA) and the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) on October 14 heard.

Seminar participants focused on analyzing and evaluating the current status of green human resources management activities at Vietnamese enterprises, such as recruiting and using green human resources, greening human resources training and development, managing worker safety and health to meet sustainability requirements, and implementing corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Dr. Doan Mai Huong, Vice-Rector of the ULSA, emphasized that green human resources management, with the sustainable use of resources at an enterprise to improve working capacity and employee satisfaction and promote green economic growth, is a trend among businesses all around the world, including in Vietnam.

In past years, in order to cope with increasing environmental degradation, Vietnam has issued many policies to promote sustainable development, with the National Strategy on Green Growth for the 2011-2020 period and vision to 2050 approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 1393/QD-TTg. “Green human resources management is defined as aspects relating to human resources management in the field of environmental management and pollution prevention through an organization’s operational processes,” said Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Hoa, Head of the Department of Population and Human Resources at ULSA.

According to Dr. Nguyen Thi Tu Quyen from Thuongmai University, survey results and research at enterprises in Vietnam show that green human resources management has initially been of interest. “Businesses have mentioned environmental values in recruitment announcements, to influence the perceptions of employees,” she said.

Meanwhile, research on green human resources management as well as practice in the field in Vietnam are relatively limited in terms of scale and industry. At most businesses, green human resources training has not been focused upon, especially in the implementation of training on methods for energy saving, waste reduction, and recycling.

Dr. Le Quang Canh, Deputy Director of the Institute of Sustainable Development at the National Economics University (NEU), said that the initial cost to invest in green human resources management is quite high. “Therefore, it is necessary to have more policies and support to encourage businesses to invest more in this field,” he added.

Participants also offered suggestions on solutions and policy implications for green human resources management, to promote environmental protection and green economic growth in Vietnam and around the world.

According to Mr. Michael Siegner, Representative of the HSF in Vietnam, green human resources management practices in Vietnam are still in their infancy but there is substantial potential to modernize the workforce, develop skills, and promote environmental awareness and sustainable development. Green human resources management initiatives are often considered a luxury, as many businesses cannot afford to pursue and pay for them, but the greening of human resources management methods would bring innovation, efficiency, and cost reductions in the long term through avoiding any waste of resources and unnecessary costs, while developing green skills among workers. “Green human resources management can be compared to other economic models, such as the circular economy, and it is also considered a tool to contribute to the sustainable development of businesses and the economy in general,” he added.