Associate Professor Elaine Chew is passionate about transforming the human resource (HR) landscape through modern management practices.
Associate Professor Chew is the Acting Associate Head for Research in the Management Department of The Business School at RMIT University Vietnam. Her passion lies in nurturing individuals and enhancing both student employability and staff research capabilities.
With publications in prestigious journals, including the "Human Resource Management", which is ranked among the top 50 journals listed by the Financial Times, her research explores how organisational policies influence employee attitudes and behaviours.
"All of us are human. We are motivated and demotivated in different ways," she said. "How can companies best motivate us to work hard, be productive, and be happy at the same time? Such research questions are always important and relevant."
Her current research focuses on the impact of social media content on employer branding. It looks into how people form opinions about companies as employers based on user-generated content, and how employees may intentionally or unintentionally portray their workplace online.
Associate Professor Chew sees Vietnam at a crucial turning point.
"The exposure to foreign operations in Vietnam will drive modern HR management practices. As younger generations take on leadership roles, there could be a transformative shift towards a more progressive HR landscape in Vietnam that truly appreciates gender equality, work-life balance, and egalitarian leadership," she said.
Learn more about Associate Professor Chew's views on the evolution of HR practices and employer branding in our video:
Associate Professor Elaine Chew is passionate about transforming the human resource (HR) landscape through modern management practices.
Human resources department plays a strategic partner role to create and implement policies and practices that are aligned with the company's directions and goals.
It also plays a crucial role in employer branding by creating a workplace where employees believe their employer is among the best globally.
Hello, my name is Elaine Chew and I’m the [Acting] Associate Head for Research in the Management Department of The Business School at RMIT Vietnam.
My passion lies in nurturing individuals, particularly within the education sector, where I focus on enhancing students' employability skills and research capabilities of staff members.
My research area is human resource management, in which I explore how organisational policies can influence employee attitudes and behaviours.
All of us are human; we are motivated and demotivated in different ways. So, how can companies best motivate us to work hard, be productive, and be happy at the same time? Such research is always important and relevant.
I am proud to have published in prestigious journals, including “Human Resource Management,” which is ranked among the top 50 journals listed by the Financial Times.
In Vietnam, while traditional HR functions like contract management and compensation are generally known, awareness about the broader HR services such as professional development and employee wellbeing are rather limited.
Many modern HR departments now outsource routine tasks like payroll. It’s good to free employees from mundane tasks to do more motivating and meaningful work.
My research also examines the impact of social media content on employer branding or company attractiveness for job search. It looks into how people form opinions about companies as employers based on user-generated content, and how employees may intentionally or unintentionally portray their workplace online.
For example, Instagram, which has two billion monthly active users, is very popular among Millennials and Gen Z. It allows users to share stories that disappear after 24 hours and it can be set to private. Because of these features, employers might not always know about negative feedback being shared about them online. That’s pretty scary.
Hence, it is becoming more important to investigate employer branding from the social media angle that is beyond the control of employers.
Looking forward, I foresee Vietnam emerging as a pivotal market for multinational investment, that the exposure to foreign operation in Vietnam will drive modern HRM practices. As younger generations take on leadership roles, there could be a transformative shift towards a more progressive HR landscape in Vietnam that really appreciates gender equality, work-life balance, and egalitarian leadership.