Dr Emma Hughes

Profile

I am an Associate Professor in Human Resource Management in the People, Work and Employment Department and a member of the Centre for Employment Relations Innovation and Change. Prior to joining Leeds University Business School in January 2023, I was a lecturer at the University of Liverpool Management School and became a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. I have also worked as a research assistant for Alliance Manchester Business School on a Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development commissioned project. Externally, I am Associate Editor of Employee Relations: The International Journal and Gender, Work and Organization. I am also an editorial board member of the Work, Employment and Society journal and Journal of Management Studies.

I am a member of the Digital Futures of Work Research Centre (DIGIT) and have a keen interest in the future of work. I was awarded the 'CIPD Professor Mick Marchington Applied Research grant' in 2022 to examine the experiences of front-line managers in enacting HRM. This project included a focus on how advancement in digital technologies is impacting the role of line managers and the workers they manage. The project ran until February 2024. In October 2022, I became a co-investigator on a 3-year ESRC-funded project examining online retail warehouse work. In 2024, I started working on a project about the impact of digital technologies in the creative industries. 

Related to the future of work, I also have a keen interest in working time reduction, for example, a 4-day working week. I am interested in how working time reduction arrangements impact organisations and employees, including specific groups of workers. 

Research interests

My research considers how workplace policies and practices influence and are influenced by individuals, organizations and wider external factors. My research interests broadly include: 

1. Stakeholder engagement and voice
2. Diversity and inclusion 
3. Digitalization (e.g., AI, social media, other technologies)
4. Working time reduction
5. Workplace conflict and cooperation
6. Migration 

Qualifications

• PHD in Employment Relations
• MRes in Employment Relations
• BSc in Management with Accounting

Professional memberships

• Academic associate member, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

Student education

My teaching experience is in the following areas:

• Human Resource Management 
• Employment Relations
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Training and Development
• Research Methods

I have led undergraduate and postgraduate modules.   

Research groups and institutes

• Centre for Employment Relations, Innovation and Change