German Journal of Human Resource Management

German Journal of Human Resource Management
DisciplineHuman resource management
LanguageEnglish
Edited byJulia Brandl and Tanja Rabl
Publication details
Former name
Zeitschrift für Personalforschung
History1987–present
Publisher
FrequencyQuarterly
3.5 (2024)
Standard abbreviations
ISO 4Ger. J. Hum. Resour. Manag.
Indexing
ISSN2397-0022
Links

The German Journal of Human Resource Management (GHRM, formerly: Zeitschrift für Personalforschung, ZfP) is a quarterly academic journal. It was founded in 1987 by a group of academics from German-speaking countries with the aim of strengthening the theoretical foundations and methodological rigor of the field.

The journal publishes original conceptual and empirical articles that deal with all aspects of human resource management from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, including personnel economics, industrial relations, and organizational behavior, following a double-blind review process. By promoting a multidisciplinary understanding of the management of people, work, and employment, the GHRM provides a platform for research in human resource management, personnel economics, industrial relations, and organizational behaviour.

History and positioning

Originally founded as a German-language journal for human resource research, the journal is an international journal for research on human resource management. Since volume 30 (2016), the journal has been published by SAGE Publications entirely in English under the title German Journal of Human Resource Management.

The current editors describe the strategic positioning of GHRM as a permeable enclave. GHRM pursues a dual mission of local anchoring and global reach. It emphasizes local roots by inviting contributions that are rooted in German-speaking countries, examine local institutional, cultural, technological, and economic conditions (e.g., labor law, co-determination, dual vocational training system), and use these local phenomena to challenge established assumptions. At the same time, it emphasizes global reach and welcomes contributions from around the world, actively engages with human resource management research from different global contexts, enriches international human resource management debates with new and original insights, and is guided by international standards of scientific quality. GHRM serves as a social space for specific research on human resource management in the German-speaking context (e.g., dual training, co-determination).

To this end, in addition to regular research articles, the journal also publishes “Perspective Papers” and “Practice Forums.” The journal also regularly publishes special issues. Topics covered in recent years include: Pay Disclosure (2025), Common Good HRM (2024), Working from Home (2022), Always On, Never Done? (2021), and Research Paradigms in International HRM (2020).

Editorial board

Since October 2025, the editors-in-chief have been Julia Brandl (University of Innsbruck) and Tanja Rabl (RPTU Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University Kaiserslautern-Landau). Over the years, the journal has been managed by various teams. The editors-in-chief are supported by an international team of associate editors and editorial board members.

Reception and rankings

The journal is listed in major international databases, including the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI). In 2024, the two-year Impact Factor was 3.5 (five-year impact factor: 4.4). This places the journal in the second quartile (Q2) of the Management and Applied Psychology categories in the Web of Science. Other rankings include: The GHRM is also listed in the following rankings:

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Brandl, Julia; Rabl, Tanja (2026). "The German Journal of Human Resource Management as a permeable enclave". German Journal of Human Resource Management. 40 (1): 3–14. doi:10.1177/23970022251411979.
  2. ↑ Brandl, J; Allen, D.G.; Grund, C; Sender, A (2025). "A new look at pay disclosure: Employee initiatives, multiple perspectives, and voids in legal rules". German Journal of Human Resource Management. 39 (3): 179–197. doi:10.1177/23970022251346594.
  3. ↑ Aust, I.; Cooke, F. L.; Mueller-Camen, M.; Wood, G. (2024). "Achieving sustainable development goals through common-good HRM: Context, approach and practice". German Journal of Human Resource Management. 38 (2): 93–110. doi:10.1177/23970022241240890. hdl:2078.1/287514.
  4. ↑ Kaiser, S.; Suess, S.; Cohen, R.; Mikkelsen, E. N.; Pedersen, A. R. (2022). "Working from home: Findings and prospects for further research". German Journal of Human Resource Management. 36 (3): 205–212. doi:10.1177/23970022221106973. hdl:10398/e7e56b9a-5816-483f-9541-4f2f69adbb77.
  5. ↑ Wendsche, J.; de Bloom, J.; Syrek, C.; Vahle-Hinz, T. (2021). "Always on, never done? How the mind recovers after a stressful workday?". German Journal of Human Resource Management. 35 (2): 117–151. doi:10.1177/23970022211004598. hdl:11370/1fef74ba-f260-4b44-941c-c3e2ddbc4cf1.
  6. ↑ Bonache, J.; Festing, M. (2020). "Research paradigms in international human resource management: An epistemological systematisation of the field". German Journal of Human Resource Management. 34 (2): 99–123. doi:10.1177/2397002220909780.
  7. ↑ Brandl, Julia; Rabl, Tanja (2025-09-11). "Herbstworkshop der Wissenschaftlichen Kommission Personal des Verbands der Hochschullehrerinnen und Hochschullehrer für Betriebswirtschaft Hannover". German Journal of Human Resource Management plenary [Konferenzsession].
  8. ↑ SAGE (2025). "German Journal of Human Resource Management: Editorial Boards". Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  9. ↑ Verband der Hochschullehrerinnen und Hochschullehrer für Betriebswirtschaft e.V. (2024-04-18). "VHB Publication Media Rating 2024" (PDF). www.vhbonline.org. List for Human Resources.
  10. ↑ Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien (2024-04-01). "WU Journalrating" (PDF). www.wu.ac.at. Department:Management.
  11. ↑ ABDC, Australian Business Deans Council (2025). "2025 ABDC Journal Quality List". abdc.edu.au. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)