News & Updates
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Roundtable ‘Hospitality 5.0: Future-Proofing Skills, Spaces and Service through AI Innovation’
Really important discussions took place at a Roundtable organised by the Institute of Hospitality – the leading professional membership body for hospitality professionals – on how AI and digital innovation are reshaping hospitality. The Roundtable event brought together industry experts, hospitality managers, local stakeholders and academics. It was facilitated by Aymen Fetouak (Head of Professional Development,…
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Technological change with workers in mind: A toolkit for hospitality employers
The first of a series of outputs from the Reboot project is now out. It’s a pleasure to share a toolkit for hospitality employers on how to bring technological change mindfully and with workers at the centre. Based on 60+ interviews conducted with hospitality workers, employers and key stakeholders, this document is aimed at hospitality…
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‘Evolving worker agency in the increasingly automated and digitalised hospitality workplace’ – Conference presentation at the WES2025 Conference in Manchester
The British Sociological Association’s Work, Employment and Society Conference (WES) is a key international conference focusing on furthering knowledge in the area of sociology of work. The 2025 conference theme revolved around ‘Continuities and Discontinuities in Work and Employment’. I had the pleasure of presenting in the ‘Technology & Work’ stream. My paper explored the…
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‘(Dis)connective labour: The reshaping of work in the digitalised and automated hospitality workplace’ – Conference presentation at the WORK2025 Conference in Turku, Finland
The international and multidisciplinary WORK conference brings together scholars interested in explorations of work in its multi-faceted dimensions and people’s working lives. With outstanding keynotes and thought-provoking presentations, WORK2025, the 7th edition of the conference – ”Work in the era of unruly AI” – addressed the timely developments in the area of technological change and…
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Conference presentation on ‘Digitalisation, automation and the (re)shaping of hospitality work’ at the Disrupting Technology Conference 2025, University of Leeds
The ‘Disrupting Technology Conference’ – hosted by the Digital Futures at Work Research Centre (Digit) and the CERIC Leeds University Business School – brought together scholars interested in technological change and its workplace and societal implications. Dr Agnieszka Rydzik presented emerging findings from the Reboot project – funded by The British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship –…
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‘Time to reboot? Where is the worker voice in empirical research on the use of technology in hospitality workplaces?’
Conference presentation at the 33rd CHME International Conference, at the University of Essex. In this conference paper, I discussed the 5 key assumptions underpinning empirical research on worker perspectives of technological changes in hospitality workplaces. I argued that we need to critically interrogate the ways in which research on technological change is conducted in hospitality…
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Global Hospitality Research Alliance Special Event on ‘Advocating for Fair Work in Hospitality Employment’ at the CHME 2025 Conference
Absolute honour to be invited as a panel member for the GHRA Special Event on ‘Advocating for Fair Work in Hospitality Employment’ at the CHME 2025 Conference (hosted by the University of Essex). We discussed the critical work that is being done around making hospitality workplaces fairer and more inclusive. My intervention focused on some…
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Hospitality workplaces navigating technological change – Invited presentation at Northumbria University
It was a great pleasure to be invited to present on my British Academy Fellowship project to colleagues at Newcastle Business School (Northumbria University). We discussed critical work futures. I presented on some of the challenges hospitality workplaces are facing when navigating technological change. I called for more critical and worker-centric approaches that would examine…
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Reboot – Call for Interview Participants
If you’ve worked in UK hospitality, whether as a manager, HR staff member, supervisor, receptionist, housekeeper, kitchen staff, or bar/waiting staff, we want to hear from you! This study is all about understanding the everyday experiences of hospitality employees across various roles and how technology fits into your work. You don’t need to be a…