The Concept of a Circular Economy Through the Lens of Sustainable Human Resource Management

Authors

Erika Džajic Uršič
School of Advanced Social Studies in Nova Gorica
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4001-7002
Mojca Bernik
University of Maribor, Faculty of Organizational Sciences
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7201-2241
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18690/um.fov.1.2026.1

Synopsis

The paper examines the functioning of the circular economy in the field of sustainable human resource management. The concept of a circular economy is often presented as a means of achieving broader economic and social benefits, such as improved well-being, sustainable economic growth, and job creation. A key aspect of this is sustainable human resource management, which aims to ensure a healthy and successful workforce that drives organizational progress through goal achievement. One of the tasks of sustainable human resource management is to reduce the rate of health-related absenteeism, which has both financial and organizational implications for a company. In the context of a circular economy, the goal of sustainable HR management is twofold: on the one hand, to implement preventive measures to reduce absenteeism, and on the other, to establish initiatives that facilitate and accelerate employees' return to work.

Author Biographies

Erika Džajic Uršič, School of Advanced Social Studies in Nova Gorica

Erika Džajic Uršič is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Applied Social Studies in Nova Gorica and the Faculty of lnformation Studies in Novo Mesto, and a Senior Research Associate at Rudolfovo

- Science and Technology Centre Novo Mesto. Since 2014, her research has focused on industrial ecology, the circular economy, and industrial symbiosis and its networks. In her work, she applies mixed methodological approaches and develops qualitative multi-criteria decision-making models. She participates in lnterreg Danube, Erasmus+ / Jean Monnet Activities projects and is the principal investigator of ARIS and Horizon projects.

Nova Gorica, Slovenia. E-mail: erika.ursic@fuds.si

Mojca Bernik, University of Maribor, Faculty of Organizational Sciences

Mojca Bernik is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Organizational Sciences, University of Maribor, and Vice-Dean tor Educational Affairs. Her research interests focus on two areas: the development of human resource management in organizations and challenges in the field of workforce planning. Throughout her career, she has. participated in numerous projects in the business sector in Slovenia as well as in.international projects. The results of her research work are reflected in numerous publications both domestically and internationally.

Kranj, Slovenia. E-mail: mojca.bernik@um.si

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Volume

Sodobni pristopi v kadrovskem managementu in izobraževanju

Pages

5-24

Published

February 23, 2026

Categories

Copyright (c) 2026 University of Maribor, University of Maribor Press

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Džajic Uršič, E., & Bernik, M. (2026). The Concept of a Circular Economy Through the Lens of Sustainable Human Resource Management. In M. B. Mojca Bernik (Ed.), Sodobni pristopi v kadrovskem managementu in izobraževanju (pp. 5-24). University of Maribor Press. https://doi.org/10.18690/um.fov.1.2026.1