Linchi Kwok, Ph.D.

Social media plays an increasingly important role in recruitment and employee selection. Recruiters are tempted to check on job candidates’ social media profiles (SMPs) because SMPs could reveal more dynamic information about the candidates than their resumes alone.   By checking the candidates’ SMPs, recruiters can discover their real personality, which cannot be easily achieved even through job interviews. Meanwhile, hiring managers can also assess job candidates’ social capital based on the size and the composition of their social networks.     The study   To investigate how social media may affect recruiters’ hiring decisions,   Antonio Muñiz , who graduated from the   master’s program   at the   Collins College of Hospitality Management ,   Cal Poly Pomona , and I conducted a qualitative study together. We published our work in the   Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management .   This research answers:      ...

CoVid-19 and the pandemic continue to cause many businesses to lose revenue and guests. Disneyland is one of the companies that continues to take a hefty loss because one of their park gates remains closed. The last time Disney Parks closed down happened after the 9/11 attacks, and the third time all parks were forced to close down. The company conversed about possibly reopening Disneyland in Anaheim soon for the holidays but needed approval from the California state government. However, all the other attractions reopened, including Downtown Disneyland in Anaheim and Disney World in Florida, with approved safety standards. The question remains if cast members still feel comfortable working at the happiest place on earth again during the pandemic. Disneyland needs to prioritize both guests' and cast member's safety during the crisis. The cast members' safety is crucial because they interact and create a magical experience for the guest. Cast members expect Disneyland to prot...

With the current pandemic happening, many businesses are having a hard time. It is hard for them to maintain to pay all their employees, and many things have changed on how companies are running during Covid-19. Because of this virus, employees work from home and might lack the motivation to finish their tasks. Many businesses shut their doors infinitely and file for bankruptcy because it is hard to pay their employees, and there are not many businesses coming in. In the hospitality industry, the HR department must create policies and answer questions from the outbreak. It is also essential that they communicate with workers for any updates and make sure that it does not affect their daily operations.     When it comes to covid-19 concerns, the HR department should communicate with the employees for any updates on the virus, such as informing employees about policies, personal hygiene, posting signs around the workplace about symptoms of the virus, and wear masks. Also, a...

    We are in the middle of a pandemic that has affected every aspect of our lives. Many have lost their jobs, and unemployment is at an all-time high. The hospitality industry, in particular, is taking a devastating blow as it depends heavily on travel and a stable economy. As a result, individuals in the hospitality industry are greatly being affected as companies are making the difficult, but necessary decisions to cancel internships and fire employees during the pandemic. Additionally, many hospitality companies are uncertain about what their futures hold. Under normal circumstances, companies plan for how many employees they need at a given time based on forecasting and demand. Although demand can generally be predicted based on trends, a devastating external factor, such as a pandemic, can throw things out of balance and make planning and forecasting more difficult. The reason being that devastating events are generally not something that a company can predict and plan f...

If there is one thing we know in a pandemic focused world, it is to social distance and to always wear a mask. However, as employees work from home and turn to video conferencing, perhaps the need to distance and wear a mask becomes irrelevant. For a post-pandemic human resources representative, this is not the case. Instead, they should not distance themselves at all; in fact, they should get closer to employees and wear four masks!  Question: What is meant by this statement? Answer: HR Representatives should socially distance but not relationally distance, all while wearing the masks of the four new roles they will play in an evolving business world: Program Developer, Movie Star, Orator, and Cultural Anthropologist.  The Program Developer       This redefined HR Representative role does not create new software; it creates new retention programs. Businesses that are looking to save money can start by keeping their employees from leaving the company, whic...

  One cannot operate a successful business without well-equipped human resource management. I work at a banquet hall in Claremont, California, and poor resource management was one of the top reasons why it was on the brink of going bankrupt before COVID-19 even hit!   Not abiding by the law At this establishment, hourly employees are required to take meal breaks in accordance with the number of hours worked, but they are never provided their ten-minute breaks. California law states that e mployers must permit uninterrupted breaks for nonexempt employees whose total work time per day is at least 3.5 hours. These are mandatory breaks that must be offered for 10 minutes for every four hours worked (CalChamber.com). Not authorizing breaks to employees that have worked four hours, is illegal and grounds for lawsuits.   Not providing breaks to employees is unknowingly damaging employee morale, thus decreasing chances of motivation. According to one “motivational theory,” the He...