Green Employee Relationships and Employee Performance in Private Universities in Kenya

Jackline Njeri Kathuri; David Kiiru

doi:doi:10.11648/j.jhrm.20261402.12

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Green Employee Relationships and Employee Performance in Private Universities in Kenya

Jackline Njeri Kathuri

, David Kiiru^*

Published in Journal of Human Resource Management (Volume 14, Issue 2)

Received: 29 January 2026 Accepted: 9 March 2026 Published: 2 April 2026

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Abstract

Private universities in Kenya face an ever-competitive landscape in which employee performance is key not only to academic quality but also to institutional sustainability. Even though Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) at large has been considered a means to better organizational outcomes, there has been little empirical research on the extent to which green employee relationships specifically impact performance in higher education. Under the guidance of Social Exchange Theory, this study investigated whether a supportive, trust-based, and environmentally focused relationship between the institution and the staff corresponded to enhanced employee performance. Through a descriptive cross-sectional design, the study was able to reach its objective. The population of the study came from 433 staff of ten chartered private universities in Nairobi City County, Kenya. After the stratified random sampling, a total of 208 respondents were selected, and 142 valid questionnaires were obtained for interpretation, analysis, and reporting. Data analyses were done using descriptive statistics and simple linear regression. The majority of respondents reported a positive outlook on green employee relationships. The regression analysis revealed a positive and significant association. Nevertheless, the adjusted R of 0.080 indicated that the variable explained only a small fraction (8%) of the difference in performance. These points to the fact that, on one hand, relational green practices do have an impact, but on the other hand, employee performance is subject to various organizational and professional factors, among others, accounting for 92%, that were not considered in this study.

Published in	Journal of Human Resource Management (Volume 14, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.jhrm.20261402.12
Page(s)	113-120
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Green Employee Relationships, Green Human Resource Management, Employee Performance, Private Universities

1. Introduction

Green employee relationships are one of the Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) practices. GHRM has been viewed by different scholars through different lenses. GHRM, introduced by Roscoe et al.

[12]

, refers to HRM that relates to the environmental management process to improve the environmental performance of organizations by aligning the HR practices and the environmental management system. Moreover, as noted by Anyona

[1]

, GHRM was described as the intentional combination of HR policies and practices aimed at enhancing environmental sustainability in firms, thus minimizing ecological impact and bridging corporate objectives and environmental responsibilities. GHRM is a set of organizational policies, processes, and systems aimed at ensuring that the staff adopts environmentally responsible practices by aligning the participation of the workforce with sustainability objectives

[7]

. This is the best course of action that is beneficial to the individual, the company, and society. Contrary to pure Human Resources Management HRM, GHRM adopts environmentally friendly practices in HRM policy to improve organizational effectiveness and sustainable development, increase organizational resource efficiency and environmental protection, and raise employee satisfaction

[6, 8]

. Green employee relationships lead to a culture of a green workplace where there is promotion of green behaviours and maintenance of awareness through formal and informal forms of communication

[14]

. Renwick et al.

[11]

suggested extensive employee engagement, including green practices (pro-environmental initiatives), a green learning climate (environmentally conscious corporate culture), a green vision (values that support an environmental strategy), and green participation opportunities (problem-solving that encourages engagement and environmental consciousness). Coelho et al.

[2]

stress the importance of resonance between the values of staff and organization to act as an environmentally friendly entity. The most complicated part of green HRM is green employee relationships, which build green understanding, values, and commitment based on daily events and opportunities offered

[9, 15]

. This study aimed to investigate the effect of green employee relationships on enhancing employee performance in Kenyan private universities. Through the application of relational perspectives combined with the focus on performance outcomes in the Higher Education context, this research work may extend the theoretical framework of GHRM by showing that green workplace relationships based on environmental alignment make a significant contribution to employee performance, though to some extent only

[10].

The results of this research reveal that green employee relationships channel the motivation and social exchange process, which is in line with other sources of performance, such as organizational and professional. The paper, therefore, offers fresh empirical evidence on the role that sustainability-oriented HR practices can play in reshaping universities as both environmentally responsible and productive institutions.

2. Research Methodology

2.1. Research Design

The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional research design. The design is suitable when the researcher seeks to systematically depict the characteristics, opinions, or relationships among variables as they are, without altering the study setting. The design facilitated the researcher to gather the perspectives of employees concerning green employee relationships and how they influence performance in private universities. Additionally, this design was regarded as appropriate since the research was focused on measuring the extent of association and finding out if changes in green employee relations led to differences in employee performance. Using a set of data derived from a big sample of informants, the design assisted in the statistical comparison and regression analysis without the intervention of the natural organizational settings.

2.2. Target Population

The target population in the study included 433 staff from 10 chartered private universities in Nairobi City County, Kenya, as per the figures from the Commission for University Education (2024). These institutes functioned as the analytical unit for the research. The unit of observation consisted of the management team, deans or heads of departments, teaching personnel, and subordinate staff of the universities. Table 1 shows the target population.

Table 1. Distribution of the Target Population.

S/N	University	Target Population
1	Kiriri Women’s University of Science and Technology	41
2	Africa International	36
3	Africa Nazarene	39
4	Aga khan	51
5	KCA	40
6	Riara	44
7	USIU-Africa	49
8	Strathmore	45
9	CUEA	50
10	Adventist University of Africa	38
	Total	433

2.3. Sampling Procedure and Technique

Stratified simple random sampling was employed to select a sample size from the target population. The Yamane

[16]

formula was adopted to determine a sample of 208 respondents. The population was divided into three groups: support staff, middle-level managers, and the management team. In order to get optimum precision with the least number of resources, stratified simple random sampling was adopted. Based on the percentage of employees, the sample was proportionally applied to the universities using a stratified proportionate sampling formula. Yamane's formula

[16]

was applied as follows:

n = \frac{N}{1 + N {(e)}^{2}}

Where;

n =sample size

N =Target population

E =margin of error (determined at 0.05)

Therefore, the sample size will be;

\frac{433}{1 + 433 (0.05) 2}

= 208

The sample size was 208 participants selected from 10 private universities. The stratified proportionate sampling formula was used to distribute the sample proportionally across the universities. The formula is;

n_i=

\frac{N_{i}}{N} x n

Where;

n_i=sample size per strata

N_i =population size per strata

n =total population

N =total sample size

Based on this formula, the sample distribution is as exhibited in Table 2.

Table 2. Sample Size Distribution.

S/N	University	Target Population (N_i)	Proportionate Sample (n_i)
1	Kiriri Women’s University of Science and Technology	41	20
2	Africa International	36	17
3	Africa Nazarene	39	19
4	Aga Khan	51	24
5	KCA	40	19
6	Riara	44	21
7	USIU–Africa	49	24
8	Strathmore	45	22
9	CUEA	50	24
10	Adventist University of Africa	38	18
	Total	433	208

2.4. Response Rate

Out of the 208 questionnaires sent out, 142 were replied to. This represented a 68.3% response rate to the study. This response rate was deemed adequate

[4]

. The response rate is exhibited in Table 3.

Table 3. Response Rate.

Questionnaire	Frequency	Percentage
Questionnaires returned	142	68.3
Questionnaires not returned	66	31.7
Total	208	100

According to Mugenda and Mugenda

[5]

, a response rate of 60% is good for analysis and reporting. Based on this assertion, it was found that the response rate of 68.3% obtained in this study was good for analysis and reporting.

2.5. Data Collection Instruments

A structured survey with closed-ended items was used for data collection. There was a five-point Likert scale question on the feedback form. The closed-ended questionnaire enabled the regulation of responses. The "drop and pick later" approach to questionnaire administration, which entails hand-delivering the forms to respondents and picking them up a few days later, was used.

2.6. Pilot Study

A pilot study based on a pre-test of the feedback form was conducted on 18 staff members of two privately owned universities in Kiambu County, which have characteristics similar to Nairobi City County. The outcome of the pilot test was just used to enhance the validity and reliability of the research tool. The findings of the pilot study were not included in the main study. This helped identify any shortcomings in the data collection tool and rectify them accordingly.

2.7. Validity and Reliability

Both the content and face validity of the study tool were examined. The researcher examined the instrument for content coverage and conferred with internal control specialists (supervisors) to determine content validity. Regarding face validity, the supervisors were asked to provide their idiosyncratic assessment of the suitability of the research tool. Their assessments, corrections, and advice were put into the final feedback form before it was sent out to potential participants. Reliability of the study instrument was assured by employing the Cronbach Alpha (α) model to assess internal consistency, which relies on the typical inter-item correlation. Mugenda and Mugenda

[5]

indicate that a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.70 or above is considered reliable, meaning the instrument used in this study had a good internal consistency. The results from Cronbach’s Alpha are shown in Table 4.

Table 4. Cronbach’s Alpha.

Variable	Cronbach’s Alpha Value
Employee Performance	0.799

2.8. Data Collection Procedures

Before initiating the data gathering process, the researcher got an introductory letter from Kenyatta. This letter was adopted to apply to the National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI) to get a research license. Semi-structured surveys were carefully designed to suit the specific categories of responders. An introductory letter was included with the feedback form to remind the participants of the survey theme and to allay all concerns or questions about the subject matter.

2.9. Data Analysis and Presentation

The data collected were systematically cleaned, coded, and organized to facilitate accurate measurement and analysis. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were applied in the study. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies and percentages, were presented using tables and charts to summarize the characteristics of the data. Inferential analysis was conducted using a simple linear regression model to examine the influence of green employee relationships on staff performance in private universities in Nairobi County, Kenya. The results of the regression analysis were interpreted based on a 5% (0.05) significance level.

2.10. Ethical Considerations

The study followed all the ethical considerations in research, as ethics on how to conduct research were provided by ethics, and by following these criteria, research was done in a way that is most beneficial to the participants. The researcher asked Kenyatta University's School of Business for a data collection letter in order to perform the research. Additionally, the management of the chosen private universities was consulted for additional authorization. Before distributing the data gathering tool to the responders, the researcher gave a brief introduction and outlined the goal of the research. The data obtained from the responders were utilized exclusively for scholarly reasons. All responders' names were not included to protect confidentiality and hide their identities.

3. Theoretical Framework

The research was based on Social Exchange Theory (SET), a theory that was first introduced by Homans (1958) and later developed by Blau (1964). The main idea of SET is that people create relationships through reciprocal exchanges of resources that they value.

In organizations, these resources can be material ones like salary and benefits, or non-material ones like respect, trust, fairness, and support. The theory depicts the employment relationship as a mutual interaction, where employees offer effort, skills, and loyalty, and the organization, in turn, gives rewards and socio-emotional benefits. If employees feel that the organization treats them well, then they feel a moral obligation to respond positively through their attitudes and behaviours that would lead to better organizational results.

According to Cropanzano et al.

[3]

, social exchange is a process that involves three steps. First, the organization makes a move towards employees, which can be either positive (fairness, inclusion, institutional backing) or negative (incivility or abusive supervision). Then, employees give back through their attitudes and behaviours that are influenced by the norm of reciprocity. Finally, these interactions either improve or damage the relationship between the employer and the workforce. High-quality exchanges lead employees to give back to organizational goodwill through increased commitment, cooperation, and performance.

Within the context of Green Human Resource Management, universities integrating green HR practices like green recruitment, environmental training, and involvement in decision-making and green employee relations demonstrate their acknowledgment of sustainability and employee well-being commitment. SET supposes that if both teachers and non-teaching staff feel this kind of backing, they will respond by showing more engagement, getting more committed to the organization, and improving the quality of their work. Hence, the theory acts as a good perspective to understand the relationship between green employee relationships and employee performance in private universities in Kenya.

4. Literature Review

According to the existing empirical literature, the success of GHRM initiatives is mainly dependent on how well organizations and employees get along. More and more across sectors, scholars reveal that, aside from environmental policies, a company's relations really matter. Helping employees understand the core of sustainability goals is mainly the function of the relational climate, in which trust, communication, and participation are the key characteristics. A study on Pakistan's automotive industry revealed that GHRM practices could lead to higher innovation and voluntary pro-environmental behaviours if the staff are transformed into a source of engagement and are willing to work together

[13]

. Furthermore, research findings from the South African mining industry revealed that a green culture is an important factor for ethical behaviour since it is assumed that when people have a strong connection, they will inevitably have a desire to commit to environmental objectives

[14]

Further research from service contexts in Africa continues to highlight the importance of relationships at the center of the whole thing. Mpunga

[4]

discovered that environmentally oriented work relations led to good health, trust, and job satisfaction, qualities that are strongly related to better performance. According to the evidence from Kenya, even without the green frameworks, workplaces that are marked by mutual respect and open communication are more productive

[6]

. In summary, these research works give us a clear picture of the convergence of one notion: employee relationships are the channel through which HR practices impact the performance of the employees.

Firstly, the majority of the studies focus on industrial, extractive, or general service sectors, thereby ignoring higher education institutions, which, however, depend very much on collegial interaction, knowledge sharing, and cooperative cultures. Secondly, many studies consider green HR practices as comprehensive packages and hardly give any attention to isolating the specific impact of green employee relationships. Thirdly, there is very little empirical evidence from private universities in Kenya, where institutional governance arrangements and resource settings might influence employer and staff exchanges differently from other sectors.

Therefore, this study focused on the influence of green employee relationships on employee performance in private universities in Kenya in order to tackle the mentioned issues, which remain inadequately addressed. By concentrating on the relational aspect, the study is a response to the appeals made through the literature to elucidate the mechanisms via which GHRM generates concrete results at the organizational level.

5. Research Findings

5.1. Descriptive Findings

To determine the effect of green relationships on employee performance, five statements regarding the variable were presented to the respondents. The statements were rated on a Likert scale from 1 to 5, with 1=strongly disagree and 5=strongly agree. Table 5 shows the descriptive findings.

Table 5. Green employee relationship.

Variable	Mean	SD
The institution fosters a culture of environmental responsibility	4.39	0.79
Employee suggestions for improving environmental performance are encouraged and implemented	3.83	1.03
Green employee engagement has increased my job satisfaction	4.00	0.95
I believe that the institution should encourage staff to participate in green initiatives to enhance their connection to environmental sustainability	3.90	1.27
Green employee engagement initiatives, such as involving employees in sustainability projects, have been crucial for promoting environmental responsibility within the institution	3.96	1.09

The first statement was on whether institutions fostered a culture of environmental responsibility. The mean was 4.39, and the standard deviation (SD) was 0.79. The mean indicated that the majority of the respondents agreed with the claim. The SD indicated very little variability in the responses. The second claim was on whether the suggestions made by employees for improving environmental performance were implemented in the institutions. The mean was 3.83, with a SD of 1.03. This is indicative that most of the responses fell in the neutral and agree categories. There was, however, some variability in the responses. The third statement was on whether green employee engagement had led to job satisfaction. The mean was 4.00, and the SD was 0.95. This indicated that most of the responders concurred with the claim and that there was not too much deviation in the responses.

The fourth statement was on the opinion of respondents on whether the institutions should encourage staff to engage in environmental initiatives. The mean was 3.90 with a SD of 1.27, indicating that most of the respondents fell into the categories of neutral, agree, and strongly agree, which is captured by the SD. The last statement was on whether the green initiatives had been instrumental in promoting environmental responsibility in the institutions. The mean was 3.96, and the SD was 1.09, indicating that most of the respondents were neutral or in agreement with the claim, and some also strongly agreed. The deviation was not as high in the responses for this statement.

5.2. Inferential Findings

A simple linear regression was conducted to determine the relationship between green employee relationships and employee performance. The tables below show the findings:

Table 6. Model summary.

Model	R	R Square	Adjusted R-Square	Std. Error of the Estimate
1	.338^a	.114	.080	1.09781
a. Predictor: (Constant), Green employee relationship

The regression model used to examine the effect of green employee relationships on employee performance produced an adjusted R² of 0.080, meaning that green employee relationships explained 8% of the variation in employee performance. Although this indicates that much of employee performance is influenced by factors outside the model, green employee relationships still emerged as a statistically meaningful contributor.

Table 7. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA).

Model		Sum of Squares	df	Mean Square	F	Sig.
1	Regression	11.786	1	11.786	9.78	.045^b
	Residual	849.658	705	1.205
	Total	861.444	706
a. Dependent Variable: employee performance
b. Predictor: (Constant), Green employee relationships

Table 7 shows that the overall model was significant (F = 2.445, p = 0.045), confirming that the relationship between green employee relationships and employee performance is not due to chance.

Table 8. Coefficients.

Model	Unstandardized Coefficients (B)	Std. Error	Standardized Coefficients (Beta)	t	Sig.
(Constant)	4.266	.243	—	17.535	.000
Green employee relationship	.072	.036	.0338	2.00	.047

The findings in Table 8 show that the coefficient for green employee relationships was positive and statistically significant (β = 0.0338, p = 0.047).

6. Interpretation and Discussion

The descriptive findings imply that green employee relationships have a positive perception in the institutions, with a strong agreement that a culture of environmental responsibility is promoted (M=4.39, SD=0.79), indicating broad and consistent support for sustainability values. Respondents also acknowledged that green engagement enhances job satisfaction (M=4.00, SD=0.95) and that sustainability initiatives play a meaningful role in promoting environmental responsibility (M=3.96, SD=1.09). Employees believe institutions should encourage greater participation in environmental initiatives (M=3.90), but the relatively high response variability (SD=1.27) points to differing levels of enthusiasm or experience among staff. This notable dispersion of the data indicates evidence of different sets of experiences at the universities. On the one hand, a staff faction strongly backs green participatory practices. On the other hand, workers might feel excluded, overburdened, or unconvinced about the practical value of such involvement. Besides, the difference may be marking some kind of miscommunication or inconsistency in the policy of laying out the participation opportunities, which subsequently results in employees being engaged at different levels. Further, the implementation of employee suggestions for improving environmental performance scored slightly lower (M=3.83, SD=1.03), implying that staff input is valued, but there may be gaps in consistently acting on suggestions. Overall, the findings indicate strong institutional commitment to environmental responsibility, with room to strengthen employee involvement and ensure broader engagement in sustainability efforts.

The inferential results showed that enhancing environmentally friendly employee relationships mindsets, like encouraging green communication, pro-environmental interactions, and sustainability, focused collaboration can boost employee performance in private universities. Yet, the model gave an adjusted R-squared of 0.080, which means that green employee relationships account for about 8% only of the change in the performance variable. The findings explain a meaningful relationship, but also imply that most (92%) of the factors influencing employee performance are beyond the control of the current explanatory model. The leftover variation might be due to the effects of other organizational, managerial, and individual factors that were not considered in the regression. For example, GHRM areas such as green training, green recruitment, green rewards, leadership support, availability of resources, motivation, competencies, and institutional culture may each influence performance outcomes in a stronger way, either independently or through their combined effects. Employee performance in a university setting is also influenced, to a large extent, by professional autonomy, academic workload, career progression systems, and governance structures, all of which are characteristics that surpass relational environmental practices. Hence, while green employee relationships matter, they only make up a fraction of the total performance ecosystem.

These findings are largely grounded in Social Exchange Theory (SET), which posits that employees respond to favorable organizational treatment by displaying positive work attitudes and behaviors. Through actions such as respectful communication, environmentally participatory practices, and collaborative sustainability efforts, green employee relationships reflect organizational support and ethical commitment. Employees who sense this kind of support are generally inclined to respond with increased effort, cooperation, and performance. Nevertheless, SET also highlights that exchanges take place within the context of broader organizational systems. The limited explanatory power of the model indicates that green relational exchanges are only one piece of the puzzle, alongside other forms of exchange such as rewards, leadership support, professional recognition, and career opportunities, that together influence employee performance.

The results imply that green employee relationships play a significant yet not exhaustive role in the employee performance ecosystem in private universities. They have a substantial effect on the development of motivational and relational aspects, but their success depends on being combined with other GHRM practices, supportive leadership, sufficient resources, and sound institutional governance. Fostering these connections might increase the performance benefits of green relational practices and further their role in achieving sustainable organizational outcomes.

7. Conclusion and Recommendation

The study concluded that green employee relationships have a positive effect on employee performance in private universities within Nairobi City County, Kenya. This finding indicates that promoting interactions that are environmentally conscious among employees and promoting a shared commitment to sustainability can enhance individual performance. Employees who perceive strong support for green practices are more likely to engage in pro-environmental behaviours, work collaboratively, and demonstrate higher levels of performance. Based on these findings, private universities should prioritize establishing green employee relationships as part of their human resource and organizational development strategies. This can be achieved through the creation of initiatives that encourage collaboration on environmental projects, incorporating sustainability into team goals and performance appraisals, and providing continuous training and awareness programs that encourage behaviours that are environmentally friendly.

Abbreviations

ANOVA	Analysis of Variance
DF	Degree of Freedom
GHRM	Green Human Resource Management
HRM	Human Resource Management
NACOSTI	National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation
SD	Standard Deviation
SET	Social Exchange Theory

Author Contributions

Jackline Njeri Kathuri: Conceptualization, Data curation, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Writing – original draft

David Kiiru: Project administration, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – review & editing

Conflicts of Interest

There is no conflict of interest that exist between the authors.

References

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[2]	Coelho, J. P., Couto, A. I., & Ferreira-Oliveira, A. T. (2024). Green Human Resource Management: Practices, Benefits, and Constraints—Evidence from the Portuguese Context. Sustainability, 16(13), 5478. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16135478
[3]	Cropanzano, R., Anthony, E. L., Daniels, S. R., & Hall, A. V. (2017). Social exchange theory: A critical review with theoretical remedies. Academy of Management Annals, 11(1), 479-516. https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2015.0099
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Kathuri, J. N., Kiiru, D. (2026). Green Employee Relationships and Employee Performance in Private Universities in Kenya. Journal of Human Resource Management, 14(2), 113-120. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jhrm.20261402.12

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Kathuri, J. N.; Kiiru, D. Green Employee Relationships and Employee Performance in Private Universities in Kenya. J. Hum. Resour. Manag. 2026, 14(2), 113-120. doi: 10.11648/j.jhrm.20261402.12

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Kathuri JN, Kiiru D. Green Employee Relationships and Employee Performance in Private Universities in Kenya. J Hum Resour Manag. 2026;14(2):113-120. doi: 10.11648/j.jhrm.20261402.12

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@article{10.11648/j.jhrm.20261402.12,
  author = {Jackline Njeri Kathuri and David Kiiru},
  title = {Green Employee Relationships and Employee Performance in Private Universities in Kenya},
  journal = {Journal of Human Resource Management},
  volume = {14},
  number = {2},
  pages = {113-120},
  doi = {10.11648/j.jhrm.20261402.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jhrm.20261402.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jhrm.20261402.12},
  abstract = {Private universities in Kenya face an ever-competitive landscape in which employee performance is key not only to academic quality but also to institutional sustainability. Even though Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) at large has been considered a means to better organizational outcomes, there has been little empirical research on the extent to which green employee relationships specifically impact performance in higher education. Under the guidance of Social Exchange Theory, this study investigated whether a supportive, trust-based, and environmentally focused relationship between the institution and the staff corresponded to enhanced employee performance. Through a descriptive cross-sectional design, the study was able to reach its objective. The population of the study came from 433 staff of ten chartered private universities in Nairobi City County, Kenya. After the stratified random sampling, a total of 208 respondents were selected, and 142 valid questionnaires were obtained for interpretation, analysis, and reporting. Data analyses were done using descriptive statistics and simple linear regression. The majority of respondents reported a positive outlook on green employee relationships. The regression analysis revealed a positive and significant association. Nevertheless, the adjusted R of 0.080 indicated that the variable explained only a small fraction (8%) of the difference in performance. These points to the fact that, on one hand, relational green practices do have an impact, but on the other hand, employee performance is subject to various organizational and professional factors, among others, accounting for 92%, that were not considered in this study.},
 year = {2026}
}

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SN  - 2331-0715
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jhrm.20261402.12
AB  - Private universities in Kenya face an ever-competitive landscape in which employee performance is key not only to academic quality but also to institutional sustainability. Even though Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) at large has been considered a means to better organizational outcomes, there has been little empirical research on the extent to which green employee relationships specifically impact performance in higher education. Under the guidance of Social Exchange Theory, this study investigated whether a supportive, trust-based, and environmentally focused relationship between the institution and the staff corresponded to enhanced employee performance. Through a descriptive cross-sectional design, the study was able to reach its objective. The population of the study came from 433 staff of ten chartered private universities in Nairobi City County, Kenya. After the stratified random sampling, a total of 208 respondents were selected, and 142 valid questionnaires were obtained for interpretation, analysis, and reporting. Data analyses were done using descriptive statistics and simple linear regression. The majority of respondents reported a positive outlook on green employee relationships. The regression analysis revealed a positive and significant association. Nevertheless, the adjusted R of 0.080 indicated that the variable explained only a small fraction (8%) of the difference in performance. These points to the fact that, on one hand, relational green practices do have an impact, but on the other hand, employee performance is subject to various organizational and professional factors, among others, accounting for 92%, that were not considered in this study.
VL  - 14
IS  - 2
ER  -

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Jackline Njeri Kathuri

Department of Business Administration, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya

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http://orcid.org/0009-0006-5820-4040
David Kiiru

Department of Business Administration, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya

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http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0810-3069

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Kathuri, J. N., Kiiru, D. (2026). Green Employee Relationships and Employee Performance in Private Universities in Kenya. Journal of Human Resource Management, 14(2), 113-120. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jhrm.20261402.12

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ACS Style

Kathuri, J. N.; Kiiru, D. Green Employee Relationships and Employee Performance in Private Universities in Kenya. J. Hum. Resour. Manag. 2026, 14(2), 113-120. doi: 10.11648/j.jhrm.20261402.12

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AMA Style

Kathuri JN, Kiiru D. Green Employee Relationships and Employee Performance in Private Universities in Kenya. J Hum Resour Manag. 2026;14(2):113-120. doi: 10.11648/j.jhrm.20261402.12

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@article{10.11648/j.jhrm.20261402.12,
  author = {Jackline Njeri Kathuri and David Kiiru},
  title = {Green Employee Relationships and Employee Performance in Private Universities in Kenya},
  journal = {Journal of Human Resource Management},
  volume = {14},
  number = {2},
  pages = {113-120},
  doi = {10.11648/j.jhrm.20261402.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jhrm.20261402.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jhrm.20261402.12},
  abstract = {Private universities in Kenya face an ever-competitive landscape in which employee performance is key not only to academic quality but also to institutional sustainability. Even though Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) at large has been considered a means to better organizational outcomes, there has been little empirical research on the extent to which green employee relationships specifically impact performance in higher education. Under the guidance of Social Exchange Theory, this study investigated whether a supportive, trust-based, and environmentally focused relationship between the institution and the staff corresponded to enhanced employee performance. Through a descriptive cross-sectional design, the study was able to reach its objective. The population of the study came from 433 staff of ten chartered private universities in Nairobi City County, Kenya. After the stratified random sampling, a total of 208 respondents were selected, and 142 valid questionnaires were obtained for interpretation, analysis, and reporting. Data analyses were done using descriptive statistics and simple linear regression. The majority of respondents reported a positive outlook on green employee relationships. The regression analysis revealed a positive and significant association. Nevertheless, the adjusted R of 0.080 indicated that the variable explained only a small fraction (8%) of the difference in performance. These points to the fact that, on one hand, relational green practices do have an impact, but on the other hand, employee performance is subject to various organizational and professional factors, among others, accounting for 92%, that were not considered in this study.},
 year = {2026}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Green Employee Relationships and Employee Performance in Private Universities in Kenya
AU  - Jackline Njeri Kathuri
AU  - David Kiiru
Y1  - 2026/04/02
PY  - 2026
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jhrm.20261402.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.jhrm.20261402.12
T2  - Journal of Human Resource Management
JF  - Journal of Human Resource Management
JO  - Journal of Human Resource Management
SP  - 113
EP  - 120
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2331-0715
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jhrm.20261402.12
AB  - Private universities in Kenya face an ever-competitive landscape in which employee performance is key not only to academic quality but also to institutional sustainability. Even though Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) at large has been considered a means to better organizational outcomes, there has been little empirical research on the extent to which green employee relationships specifically impact performance in higher education. Under the guidance of Social Exchange Theory, this study investigated whether a supportive, trust-based, and environmentally focused relationship between the institution and the staff corresponded to enhanced employee performance. Through a descriptive cross-sectional design, the study was able to reach its objective. The population of the study came from 433 staff of ten chartered private universities in Nairobi City County, Kenya. After the stratified random sampling, a total of 208 respondents were selected, and 142 valid questionnaires were obtained for interpretation, analysis, and reporting. Data analyses were done using descriptive statistics and simple linear regression. The majority of respondents reported a positive outlook on green employee relationships. The regression analysis revealed a positive and significant association. Nevertheless, the adjusted R of 0.080 indicated that the variable explained only a small fraction (8%) of the difference in performance. These points to the fact that, on one hand, relational green practices do have an impact, but on the other hand, employee performance is subject to various organizational and professional factors, among others, accounting for 92%, that were not considered in this study.
VL  - 14
IS  - 2
ER  -

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