Human-Centered Workforce Management in the Age of Digital Work

The world of work is undergoing one of the most profound transformations in modern organizational history. Digitalization, artificial intelligence, hybrid work models, generational shifts, and evolving employee expectations are reshaping how organizations attract, manage, develop, and retain talent. In this rapidly changing landscape, organizations are increasingly challenged to balance technological advancement with the human dimensions of work, including well-being, ethics, inclusion, emotional sustainability, and meaningful engagement. As workplaces continue to evolve, there is a growing need for leadership strategies and organizational practices that support both innovation and human-centered development in the future of work. Human-Centered Workforce Management in the Age of Digital Work explores how organizations can remain competitive and innovative while preserving the centrality of people in organizational life. This book advances the idea that technology should not replace the human essence of work, but rather support more inclusive, ethical, agile, and sustainable workplaces. Covering topics such as gen z workplace dynamics, onboarding effectiveness, and productivity in a hybrid work environment, this book is a fundamental academic resource for graduate and doctoral students, human resource professionals, organizational leaders, corporate decision-makers, workplace strategists, policymakers, and more.

Ricardo Marcão , PhD, MBA, PMP, works at the intersection of project management, finance, strategy, grand strategy, and healthcare innovation. He has hands-on experience across Pharma, MedTech and medical devices, IT, and professional services. At Feedzai, he serves as a Senior Project Manager, leading international programs that use AI to fight financial fraud and support business expansion. Ricardo’s work connects corporate strategy with international policy, showing how geopolitics, economic strategy, and competitive intelligence shape decisions in business and government. Born in Évora and based in the Lisbon area, he earned a degree in Computer Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico, an MBA in the US at Broward College, and advanced studies in management and finance. He is currently pursuing postgraduate studies in Grand Strategy and International Relations at Harvard University. Across roles, he has led practical transformations: deploying gamification frameworks to improve engagement and sales, modernizing consulting practices in Pharma and MedTech, and building a risk-control model that lifted project margins by about 20 percent. From 2022 to 2023, he steered global CRM initiatives for leading pharmaceutical companies, aligning efficiency across different markets. Ricardo is the author of Business Plans with Artificial Intelligence (Generis Publishing, 2025) and Planos de Negócios com Inteligência Artificial (Editora d’Ideias, 2025), two hands-on guides that integrate AI into opportunity assessment, market sizing, forecasting, and execution governance. He also edits several IGI Global volumes: Design, Development, and Deployment of Cutting-Edge Medical Devices, Evolving Strategies for Organizational Management and Performance Evaluation, and Enhancing Engagement with Gamification: Education, Business, and Healthcare Perspectives. As an academic, editor, and international speaker, Ricardo has published on strategy, innovation, and performance. He is an Assistant Professor at ISLA Santarém - Polytechnic University, where he coordinates MBA, postgraduate, master’s, and higher technical programs, mentoring students at the crossroads of business, technology, and governance. He serves as Chairman of SCIP Portugal and is active with APMP NYC, PMI Portugal in Porto, and PMI South Florida, contributing to communities focused on competitive intelligence, project delivery, and policy-aware strategy.

Vasco Ribeiro Santos (born 1986 in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal) is a Portuguese professor, consultant, and author specializing in tourism, hospitality management, and service excellence. He is Professor Coordinator at ISLA Santarém and Founder & CEO of VRS Hospitality Consulting, a firm focused on consulting, team training, and mentoring for hotels, restaurants, catering, food and beverage, commercial aviation, and corporate events. He holds a PhD in Business Sciences with a specialization in Marketing from Fernando Pessoa University and a PhD in Tourism from the University of Seville. He completed postdoctoral work in innovation management applied to luxury tourism at the University of Aveiro and further postdoctoral research in ethical marketing in luxury hospitality. Vasco also earned a Habilitation (Agregação) in Management from Universidade Europeia, and previously completed a degree in Hotel Management and a master’s in Tourism Marketing and Promotion at the Polytechnic of Leiria’s School of Tourism and Maritime Technology. In academia, he serves as an integrated researcher at NECE – Research Centre for Business Sciences (University of Beira Interior) and as a collaborative researcher at GOVCOPP (University of Aveiro) and CITUR Leiria. He is also Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Digital Marketing, Management, and Innovation (IJDMMI), published by IGI Global. Vasco is an EQAVET expert for ANQEP, an evaluator for the Erasmus+ National Agency, and a founding member of the National Tourism Platform (Plataforma Nacional de Turismo) and AMETUR – World Association of Wine Tourism. His main research and professional interests include luxury and sustainable tourism, wine marketing and wine tourism, ethical marketing, employer branding, and the application of artificial intelligence and innovation in tourism and hospitality. He is the author or coordinator of several books, including Cortesia, Etiqueta & Protocolo na Hotelaria de Luxo, Etiqueta Moderna, O Anfitrião Modelo, Gestão de Empresas com Pessoas a Bordo, Gestão de Pessoas no Lazer, Animação Turística & Eventos, Diplomacia nos Negócios Internacionais, and Planos de Negócios com Inteligência Artificial.

Filipa Martinho is a Portuguese psychologist, higher education professor, and researcher in human resource management and tourism/hospitality. She is an assistant professor at ISLA Santarém – Polytechnic Institute, where she teaches Human Resources Management and serves as President of the Pedagogical Council of the School of Management. She is also the Erasmus+ Institutional Coordinator at ISLA Santarém, working on international partnerships and academic mobility. Filipa holds a degree in Applied Psychology and a master’s degree in Health Psychology, both from ISPA – Instituto Universitário de Ciências Psicológicas, Sociais e da Vida, in Portugal. Her research focuses on human resources management, employer branding, employee motivation and commitment, knowledge management, and the intersection between ethics, sustainability, and tourism/hospitality. She is coauthor of several indexed publications, including Strategic Talent Management: The Impact of Employer Branding on the Affective Commitment of Employees (2020), Generation Z and Key Factors on E-Commerce: A Study on the Portuguese Tourism Sector (2020), Determinants of Internationalization as Levers for Sustainability: A Study of the Portuguese Pharmaceutical Sector (2021), as well as studies on ethics and sustainability in hospitality employer branding, in both journal articles and book chapters.

Isabel Reis is a Portuguese higher education professor and researcher specializing in human resource management, talent management, and employer branding. She is an Associate Professor at ISLA Santarém – Polytechnic Institute, where she is Director of the School of Management, President of the Technical-Scientific Council of the School of Management, and a member of the General Council. She also coordinates the Project Support Office and is actively involved in inclusion and interculturality initiatives on campus. She holds a PhD in Management from the University of Évora and both a master’s degree and a bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management from ISLA Santarém. Alongside her academic work, Isabel has significant professional experience in the management and coordination of commercial teams, internal staff training, institutional business development, strategic business planning, and performance evaluation. Isabel is a researcher at CEFAGE – Center for Advanced Studies in Management and Economics (University of Évora). Her main research interests include human resource management, employer branding, people development, recruitment and selection, and digital transformation in HR processes. She is author and coauthor of several indexed publications, including work on employer branding as a talent management tool, digital transformation in recruitment and selection, ethics and sustainability in hospitality employer branding, onboarding processes, gamification, and people management in tourism and services.