An article review of Harvey, Bosco and Emanuele, 2010, ‘The Impact of “Green Collar Worker” on Organizations, Management Research Review, vol.33, no. 5, pp 499-511.

One of key factors to ensure organizational effectiveness is the people who run it. Therefore, acquiring and employing the workforce has to be planned and managed well since the business environment is facing rapid changes mainly in terms of generation employed, technology and society needs. This article concentrates on how “green collar workers” affect an organization. The authors’ main idea is that practice of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Programme with regard to environmental activities has an effect on organization image which may lead to better selection in recruitment.

Based on previous research, Harvey, Bosco and Emanuele (2010) conducted a study on the importance of CSR/organization’s environmental activities and its relationship with employee willingness to recommend employer to others. This research aimed to provide further understanding on the influence of “green collar worker” on organization particularly on employee behaviour since previous research have been unclear. The study reveals that Veterans and Boomers are more interested in environmental conservation compared to other generation which is against most findings in research pertaining attitudes toward environmental issues where most of them found that younger people are more into it. This may be due to the authors’ methodology on deciding their sampling method and mechanism of survey conducted.

One important point that the authors make in the article is organizations that practice environmental activities may improve employer-employee engagement and getting more commitment from the employee. The authors state that employee become more engaged in their work when they feel their interest are aligned with those of their employer (Harvey, Bosco and Emanuele, 2010, p.508). This put the employee will be more participative in being part of an organization that can boost the organization performance.

Another mention-worthy point the authors stress is that employee perceived organization with environmental practices as a rightful, unbiased place to work. As a result, employees put a good word about the organization when view it to others (Harvey, Bosco and Emanuele, 2010, p.508). For this reason, organization has the opportunity to select and recruit most suitable future employee from a pool of best talent that occur due employee recommendation.
Since this research is both exploratory and causal, results of this study focusing on enhancing understandings regarding the importance of environmental activities for organizations as well as its relation with employees’ willingness to recommend the organization to others. Even though the study findings pertaining environmental awareness among generation is contradict with most of previous research in that area, this finding is in line with the true colours of Generation Y-ers whom were found make less effort to help the environment compared to other generation did at the age (Twenge, Campbell & Freeman, 2012, p.1056). Detail implications of generational difference should be highlighted and elaborated by the authors as it may help in determines right generation for the post open.

Despite the article has managed to relate “green collar workers” with organization, it can be further improved if the authors’ had studied a group of workforce from different generation with a larger number. The results could be more convincing as it focuses on workforce directly besides be able to have random sample. Significant results draw from the analysis should be noteworthy and put more defence on the subject.

Chapter 7 of Human Resource Management supports the idea that organization’s image has an effect on recruitment (Harvey, Bosco and Emanuele, 2010, p.509). An organization with good, positive image does attract and has the capabilities to retain employees compared to one with bad image. Therefore, less time and effort are needed by the organization to recruit best, high quality talent as it is easier to draw them. As a result, person-job fit can be successfully selected and definitely can contribute to the organization at his/her highest potential.

Since generational differences were highlighted, the authors should also look into the effect of having multi generation “green collar workers” on organization. Despite the fact all the generations interested in supporting CSR involving environmental preservation, their characteristics and attitude are difference. Taking Generation Y-ers as an example, they are those who love to involve with community and have a participative value but yet also known to be working for fun and less loyalty towards employer compared to other generation.

In summary, it has to be admitted that the article is useful in understanding “green collar workers” and how it effects an organization specifically in recruitment phase. Since the subject is still new and not much study has been conducted, the findings are still far from being conclusive. Further studies should be carried out with better methodology along with larger samples must be used to improve understanding concerning the influence of “green collar worker” on organization particularly on employee behaviour. Regardless of some limitations in methodology, this article has provided some insights on emergence of environmental awareness among employees for organization to take opportunity in involving with CSR programmes.

References

Harvey, D.M., Bosco, S.M., & Emanuele, G. (2010). The impact of “green collar workers” on organizations. Management Research Review, 33(5), 499-511.

Ivancevich, J.M. & Konopaske, R. (2013). Human Resource Management (12th edition). New York: McGraw Hill.

Stein, J. (2012, February 4). It’s easy not being green. Time, 179. 62.

Twenge, J.M., Campbell, W.K. & Freeman, E.C. (2012). Generational differences in young adults’ life goals, concern for others, and civic orientation, 1966 – 2009. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 102(5), 1045-1062.