Dr Mengyi Xu

• PhD in Human Resource Management & Industrial Relations
• MA in Human Resource Management
• PGcert in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
• BSc in Public Administration 

Dr Mengyi Xu joined Birmingham Business School as Assistant Professor of Human Resource Management in January 2024. She previously served as Assistant Professor in HRM & Employment Relations and Programme Director of MSc Management & HRM at Cranfield University, and Lecturer in HRM & Organisational Behaviour at Anglia Ruskin University. Before entering academia, she worked as an HR professional, bilingual teacher, and events presenter.

Mengyi's research centres on work-life balance and inclusion, boundary management, and the future of work, particularly hybrid working and the four-day work week. Her research and consultancy projects have been supported by the British Academy of Management, Forces in Mind Trust, and the Wellcome Trust ASPIRE project.

She brings a diverse teaching and supervision portfolio spanning HRM, Employment Relations, and Organisational Behaviour across undergraduate, postgraduate, MBA, and executive education levels. Her teaching is informed by her research, consultancy work, and international experience across Western and Eastern contexts. She is passionate about helping students connect theory to real-world practice and supporting their professional development. She has previously been nominated for or awarded the “Teaching Excellence Award” and “Outstanding Personal Tutorship.”

Mengyi teaches a range of subjects related to HRM, work, and organisations, including:

• Full-time MBA | Change Management

• BSc Business Management (Singapore) | International Human Resource Management

Mengyi supervises doctoral projects in HRM and the future of work. She welcomes PhD students interested in the following areas, using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods. Prospective students are encouraged to email a CV and research proposal to discuss potential supervision:

• Work-life interface and boundary management

• Flexible, hybrid, and remote working; four-day work week

• Experiences of East Asian and Southeast Asian employees in Western workplaces

• The future of work in China

Mengyi's research focuses on work-life inclusion and the future of work.

Her work on inclusion investigates the experiences of under-researched groups, including single employees, racially minoritised workers, and gig economy participants, particularly within emerging economies such as China. Her future of work research examines social, technological, and psychological dimensions of new working models—especially hybrid work and the four-day work week—and their implications for individuals, organisations, and society.

She employs a mixed-methods approach, including qualitative techniques (e.g. interviews, diaries, autoethnography) and quantitative methods (e.g. surveys, web scraping).

Recent projects include:

• Tackling Hidden Workplace and Career Barriers for East and Southeast Asians In the West

• The Four-Day Work Week: Perceptions, Experiences, and Work Outcomes

• Work-Life Boundary Management in the Context of Hybrid Working

Mengyi currently holds the following roles and affiliations:

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

• Early Career Fellow, Work-Family Researcher Network

• Academic Member, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)

• External Examiner, MSc HRM, University of Surrey

• Council Member, British Academy of Management (BAM); Events Officer & Committee Member, HRM Special Interest Group

• Working Member, Association of British Chinese Professors

• Member, Academy of Management

• Member, UK Research & Innovation Early Career Researcher Forum

• Member, Aurora Female Leadership Network

• Reviewer for ESRC New Investigator Grant, HRM Journal, Journal of Business Ethics, Work, Employment and Society, New Technology, Work and Employment, International Journal of HRM, Employee Relations, Asia Pacific of Business Review, HRM textbooks for SAGE Publication and Kogan Page Publishing