Sustainable Business Lab | Industry Roundtable: “Employee Wellbeing in the Hospitality Industry”
Sustainable Business Lab | Industry Roundtable: "Employee Wellbeing in the Hospitality Industry"
26
Nov
The USJ Sustainable Business Lab is proud to announce the Industry Roundtable: “Employee Wellbeing in the Hospitality Industry” featuring three talks by industry experts on Wednesday, 26 November, from 19:00 – 21:00, in Vasco@Artyzen Grand Lapa.
How can the hospitality industry thrive by investing in its most valuable asset — its people?
Join us for the next instalment of the USJ Sustainable Business Lab (formerly Sustainable Business Series), proudly sponsored by Artyzen Grand Lapa Macau, where we bring together leading academics and industry professionals to tackle pressing issues in business sustainability and well-being.
Following a successful first discussion on “Rethinking Health and Well-being in the Workplace“, we now turn our focus to the hospitality sector.
About the Talks:
“Green Innovative and entrepreneurial approaches in the Hospitality Industry”
By Dr. Yhing Sawheny
The hospitality industry worldwide is undergoing the transformative shift towards sustainability through green innovation and entrepreneurial practices where formerly it was mostly about resource intensive and environmentally impactful. Innovative approaches such as smart energy systems, zero waste kitchens to attain Sustainable development goal 1 No poverty, 2 Zero Hunger, eco-friendly building design and digitalization are not only reducing environmental footprints but also creating new prototypes and business models for great customer experience. This abstract will explore environmentally strategies are being integrated into the hotel operations, tourism services and food and beverage management by using farm to kitchen and digitalization. Entrepreneurial ventures are increasingly leading the way introducing sustainable products services and technology that cater to eco-conscious travelers. Furthermore, eco-tourism and community-based hospitality models are fostering deeper engagement with local environments, governments, universities and cultures while promoting economic inclusivity the study highlights that internship in the hotel and tourism industry is very vital for the students to gain hands on experience which is enhancing the competitive advantage and ensuring long term investment towards work integrated learning with tourism industry especially in countries in Southeast Asia results in growing GDP value worldwide. Ultimately the environment social responsibility and green modernization are essential for building a more resilient, ethical, and innovative green hospitality industry.
“Love your work and work your love: Social well-being in the workplace”
By Dr Leanda Care
A plethora of benefits comes from liking and trusting the people we work with. There are both immediate and cascading effects – teams are more efficient and fun to work in, companies retain better performers, community’s healthcare burdens decline, and social cohesion and resilience increase.
In this talk, Leanda will introduce a model of employee wellbeing and then deep dive into social well-being – what it is, how to strengthen it, and why it is so important for all of us.
In our busy individualised world of solitary device-centered entertainment, community connection is making a comeback. Activities in the seminar will help remind us of the strength of community and how good we feel when we are connected and supported, and how important it is to extend that sense of cohesion into the workplace.
“Building a Strategic Employee Wellbeing Ecosystem through Workplace Safety and Health Integration”
By Garbi Chan
Employee well-being requires a proactive strategy with Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) management at its core. This talk examines how to strategically embed OSH within the complex setting of large-scale hospitality enterprises to cultivate an integrated wellbeing ecosystem, and shares practical experience in developing and implementing international frameworks that go beyond basic compliance to not only safeguard employees but also drive organizational excellence across diverse operations, like hotels, restaurants, casinos, events, etc. Ultimately, such an approach fosters a sustainable corporate culture that supports long-term business development.
About the Speakers:
Dr. Yhing Sawheny, Ph.D. is Senior Lecturer and Director, International Affairs, Siam University, Thailand. Her specialization are Organization and Management, Leadership skills, Peace and Governance, and SDGs. Dr. Yhing Sawheny, is a lecturer, researcher, an international affairs administrator, a social worker and a leader with high motivation, vision, and achievements. She believes in betterment of society by providing quality education and this can be achieved with active holistic involvement among many Higher Education institutions, professional bodies, and industries worldwide. She can handle other areas such as community development with SDGs framework, recruiting over 500 international students as well as teaching business and hospitality management courses. Furthermore, Dr. Sawheny has good communication skill, and she is a good team player. In 20 years of career at Siam University, she has attended more than 300 numerous conferences, workshops, and seminars, traveled more than 50 countries, and being invited as the Guest speaker in various conferences, transnational, and mobility educational session.
Dr Leanda Care is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Saint Joseph, Macau, with teaching and supervisor responsibilities also in the Faculty of Business and Law. Currently holding the appointment of Head of the Department of Psychology, Leanda was previously the co-coordinator of the MBA program and founding coordinator of the Career Centre. She holds a first class honours Bachelor of Arts in Japanese and Ethnomusicology from Monash University and an MBA from the Melbourne Business School, the University of Melbourne. Her Doctor of Philosophy was in the Department of Management, Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University in Organisational Behaviour/Organisational Psychology/International Human Resource Management, focusing on the performance of expatriates living in the Special Administrative Regions of China.
Leanda has broad experience in technical interpreting, international trade and shipping within UK, Australian, New Zealand and Japanese corporations and university positions covering administrative, teaching, research and governance roles. She designs and implements integrative systems to create self-sustaining and thriving human ecologies for organisational performance and well-being, and to encourage individuals to visualise and achieve their potential.
Leanda has published in top journals in her field and continues to write opinion and analysis pieces for Macau Daily Times and Macau Business Magazine on the Greater Bay Area and Corporate Social Responsibility.
As an award-winning academic reviewer, Leanda reviews for the International Journal of Human Resource Management, Personnel Review and major conferences in her field. She is on the editorial review board of the Journal of Global Mobility and the editorial advisory board of Global Business and Organizational Excellence. She has taught Organisational Behaviour, Industrial and Organisational Psychology, Leadership, International Human Resource Management, International Business, Business Strategy, Asian Business and Japanese language at undergraduate and masters levels in Macau and Australia.
Garbi Chan is a seasoned Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Director with extensive experience in Macau’s large-scale integrated resort industry. She specializes in developing holistic employee wellbeing strategies by integrating global-class ISO workplace safety and health standards across diverse corporate operations. As a certified international ISO45001 Lead Auditor and active OSH educator, Garbi also serves as a government-appointed instructor and guest lecturer at various universities and institutions. Her additional qualifications in nutrition and safety engineering reinforce a comprehensive approach to workplace well-being and corporate culture development.
Event Details:
Date: Wednesday 26 November 2025
Time: 19:00 – 21:00
Location: Vasco@Artyzen Grand Lapa
Organiser: USJ Sustainable Business Lab – Faculty of Business and Law
Moderator: Prof. Florence Lei
Sponsored by: Artyzen Grand Lapa
Supported by: Catalyst Now
*This is a free event and open to the general public
