This paper proposes that Green HRM can meet its full potential only by considering employees in their twofold role as producers and consumers. Employees learn different kinds of behaviour not exclusively at the workplace, but also in private life. Since reciprocal interactions between working life and private life occur, a "green work-life balance concept" is suggested to facilitate environmentally friendly behaviour in both life domains. The concept offers chances not only for the environment, but also for the company and its employees by increasing, for example, work motivation and job retention. However, challenges like employees' reactance to allow corporate influence on private life need to be addressed. Green Work-Life-Balance: Eine neue Perspektive für umweltorientiertes Personalmanagement Dieser Beitrag geht davon aus, dass umweltorientiertes Personalmanagement (Green HRM) dann besonders wirkungsvoll sein kann, wenn es die Mitarbeiter in ihrer Doppelrolle als Produzenten und Konsumenten berücksichtigt. Mitarbeiter lernen unterschiedliche Verhaltensweisen nicht nur am Arbeitsplatz, sondern auch im Privatleben. Da Wechselwirkungen zwischen Arbeitsleben und Privatleben unvermeidlich sind, kann das Konzept einer "grünen Work-Life-Balance" umweltfreundliches Verhalten in beiden Lebensbereichen fördern. Positive Effekte für die Umwelt, für Unternehmen und Mitarbeiter sind denkbar, indem zum Beispiel Arbeitsmotivation und Mitarbeiterbindung verbessert werden. Doch auch mögliche Risiken müssen bedacht werden, wie beispielsweise die Reaktanz der Mitarbeiter gegenüber einem Eingriff des Arbeitgebers in ihr Privatleben.

No abstract

Workplace, Sustainable consumption, Employees, Private life,

Purpose Conspicuous consumption and sustainable consumption are commonly understood as being in contradiction with each other. Yet, scholars have recently become increasingly interested in examining positive relationships between these forms of consumption. The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize the synergies and contradictions between sustainable and luxury consumption and proposing whether and how conspicuous motives can foster a shift towards sustainable consumption in newly industrialized countries in general and Egypt in particular. Design/methodology/approach This paper is a conceptual note, intended as a starting point and acting as an eye-opener regarding the values inherent in both conspicuous and sustainable consumption and the potential influence that conspicuous motivations could have on the latter. Findings The paper discusses the possibilities for and limitations of conspicuous motives to foster sustainable consumption in newly industrialized countries in the Middle East. The adoption of westernized lifestyles, spreading in Middle Eastern countries, can represent a venue for motivating sustainable consumption behaviours as a means of status distinction. On the other hand, the trickle-down effect and the preconditions of visibility and exclusiveness pose risks on promoting sustainable consumption by addressing conspicuous motives. Practical implications The paper suggests that the synergistic interplay between conspicuous and sustainable consumption, as well as barriers and motivations underpinning both constructs, needs to be empirically researched, while factoring in the cultural specifics of the countries under study, as cultural nuances can influence the dynamics of interaction between conspicuous and sustainable behaviours. Originality/value Given the salience of the relationship between luxury and sustainable consumption and the focus of most studies on early-industrialized countries, insights regarding the possible influences of conspicuous motives on sustainable consumption in newly industrialized countries are warranted. With the scarcity of research examining the ambiguous relationship between conspicuous and sustainable consumption in newly industrialized countries, this paper contributes by providing insights about the conditions that can help conspicuous motives promote sustainable consumption in newly industrialized countries.

Summary Working life can have negative influences on sustainable consumption. In order to promote environmentally and socially friendly consumption patterns and a sustainable society, these negative influences need to be identified and prevented. Research on sustainable consumption has considered different positive and negative influences of working life on sustainable consumption. However, with regard to work‐life‐research and its gained insights into the work‐life relationship, it can be assumed that significant work interferences that restrain sustainable consumption have been ignored so far. Therefore, this article proposes an integrated approach. An overview on sustainable consumption research and work‐life‐research regarding their insights into work interferences is first presented. On this basis, the article then integrates both research perspectives and shows that additional work interferences need to be considered in order to prevent restraints of sustainable consumption.