Sustainable human resources management and international standard of CSR: reflections of organizational learning from empirical evidence

Purpose - This paper aims to integrate theoretical approach on corporate sustainability, with international standards of corporate social responsibility (CSR), applied to human resources management. In particular, it proposes a model linking sustainable management practices of human resources with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI-G4), which is an important international standard of CSR. The work highlights the contribution of organizational learning in the Sustainable Human Resources Management (Sustainable HRM), also with reference to a business case on which it was tested the proposed model. Design/methodology/approach - We proposed a theoretical and practical an approach. This work includes three parts. The first part concerns a literature review on Sustainable Human Resources Management and its relationship with organizational learning and CSR measurement, according the main international standards (ISO 26000, GRI4, SA8000). The second part proposes a model showing a connection between indicators of corporate social responsibility, provided by GRI-G4, with elements of the Sustainable HRM related to work, organization, and society; it links these aspects with the principles and tools of organizational learning. The third part concerns an application of the model to an Italian company. Originality/value - This methodology puts in evidence the possibility to integrate two levels that often remain parallel: theoretical reflections and models on corporate sustainability, and current practices that companies take as evidence the commitment on sustainability. In particular, an original model is proposed to measure the practices of sustainable human resources management through CSR international standards. Practical implications - The outcomes of the application can help companies in the voluntary reporting on sustainability, according important international standards. In addition, the proposed reflections in this paper may contribute to the development of an organic model that relates the Sustainable Human Resource Management, Organizational learning and some of the CSR indicators. Finally, the work can stimulate the reflections at the level of international standards, about some necessary measurements that are not yet present or others that remain isolated and not are very functional to a holistic understanding of the considered issues.