SUSTAINABLE HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: A CATALYST FOR EMPLOYER BRAND TRANSFORMATION

Abstract

The current challenges in the labor market create intense competition between employers in terms of recruiting the most competent employees. As a result, these markets are transforming from sellers’ to buyers’ marketplaces, providing workers the exclusive power to choose and thereby demanding businesses to adapt accordingly. To face this challenge, organizations require a competitive advantage that can provide them with a distinct identity and set them apart from their competitors. This is where the notion of "employer branding" becomes relevant. Moreover, today’s customers have also started to look beyond their needs and prefer buying products from companies whose employees are involved in sustainable activities. Hence, incorporating sustainable practices into human resource management (HRM) is an adequate solution for creating a desirable employer brand. In this context, the primary objective of the present paper is to emphasize that employer branding, when combined with a sustainable HRM approach, contributes to the creation of a sustainable competitive advantage. Using a literature review methodology, the paper concludes that for the effective implementation of employer branding, sustainable HRM plays a critical role in aligning the organizational values to those of the employees, which ultimately leads to attracting employees with green behavior and retaining them for a longer period.