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The study aims to examine how organizational socialization occurs for interns transitioning from onsite to telecommuting work, particularly in a context where traditional supports have been reduced due to the pandemic.

Drawing from interviews (n = 22) of undergraduates interning at advertorial and marketing firms, the study conducted a thematic analysis of workplace learning experiences of undergraduate interns─newcomers at the workplace when disruption of traditional ways of performing work activities occurred. In particular, the enforced telecommuting work-from-home arrangements due to the pandemic provided a unique setting for this study of internship learning in changing contexts. The analyses reveal differences in undergraduate interns’ experiences of organizational socialization when they were at the physical workplace as compared to when they had to work remotely.

Interns reported benefitting from structured onboarding, supportive peer systems, and regular face-to-face meetings with supervisors, which facilitated their socialization and understanding of workplace culture before the pandemic. However, as telecommuting became the norm during the pandemic, these experiences shifted. Interns adapted by engaging in digital interactions to mirror office dynamics, extending work hours due to blurred work-life boundaries, and independently seeking information in the absence of direct guidance. When adapting to digital communication and independent learning, interns faced challenges like longer working hours and reduced spontaneous interactions, indicating a preference for the traditional, in-person socialization methods of the pre-pandemic workplace.

This study provides insight into interns’ experiences during the global shift to hybrid work as a result of the pandemic, contributing fresh insights into organizational socialization processes amidst workplace disruptions. The conclusions offer valuable implications for future adaptive onboarding practices in educational and professional settings.

Although virtual worlds, such as the Metaverse, can disrupt the hospitality sector, few empirical investigations have critically evaluated the scope and scale of this disruption from an industry perspective. This study aims to rectify this knowledge gap by exploring the opportunities and challenges of the Metaverse as seen by hospitality professionals.

This is a Delphi study conducted with UK-based senior hospitality industry practitioners experienced in designing and implementing digital innovations within their organisations.

The Metaverse is most likely to be adopted by hospitality organisations willing and able to take risks, such as large and/or chain-affiliated enterprises. The Metaverse will not replace traditional hospitality services but supplement and enhance them with new layers of service. The main applications are in the context of events and experiences. The Metaverse will also provide the “try before you buy” option, revealing the opportunities to design digital twins of physical businesses. Young and technology-savvy individuals are most likely to first adopt the Metaverse. The key challenges of the adoption are attributed to the technological unpreparedness of hospitality organisations; market immaturity; inflated customer expectations; a skills gap among hospitality employees; and regulatory issues. These challenges require the engagement of various stakeholders to create an operational and monitoring framework for hospitality organisations to embrace the Metaverse.

This study highlights how the Metaverse can disrupt the hospitality industry at the level of strategic planning and business operations.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first empirical investigations of the potential of the Metaverse from the viewpoint of hospitality industry practitioners.

Absence of Health and Safety (H&S) induction training can expose workers to construction hazards and risks. To protect workers, construction organisations provide site H&S induction training. This training is used in the construction industry to train workers on organisation, project and client H&S practices and rules. While researchers have recognised its role in creating worker awareness, developing H&S culture and influencing accident rate, but there has been little research. Furthermore, there lacks a review that identifies the research trends, research focus and future research directions on H&S induction training in the construction industry. This study aims to review literature on H&S induction training in the construction industry.

Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct and Google Scholar databases were used to identify articles. Initial search produced a total of 278 papers and final analysis resulted in ten articles. Content analysis was applied.

The identified three contributions to knowledge: (a) identifies specific trajectory or development trends of H&S induction training in the construction industry (three research areas were identified, namely, impact of H&S induction training on H&S culture, impact of H&S induction training on accident rate and barriers affecting supervisor’s skills and ability to conducting H&S induction training), (b) suggestions have been given on the contribution of H&S induction training to H&S culture and (c) future research directions have been proposed. The review provides knowledge that the contribution of H&S induction training to H&S culture is influenced by skills, knowledge and experience of presenter, language used, content covered, mode of delivery, technological tools used, type of assessment and duration.

The review is limited to studies related to H&S induction training in the construction industry. Other safety training studies and industries could have provided different findings. The review is limited to 2012 and 2022 and to ten articles.

Understanding the role of H&S induction training to worker behaviour, H&S culture and outcomes will improve H&S practices and standards within the construction industry. Construction organisations can consider the factors identified in this study to improve the effectiveness of H&S induction training.

Understanding the contribution of H&S induction training to H&S culture may help to improve H&S culture.

The study has identified three main research areas and future research directions. It further revealed the factors that researchers, practitioners and policy makers can consider to improve the effectiveness of H&S induction training in the construction industry.