HR News Beat: Hotel industry pays for workers' college degrees

In today's HR News Beat, the hotel industry is paying for workers to go to college, American Express hires a new chief diversity officer, and Singtel takes top honors are the HRM Awards in Singapore.

Hotel industry wants to pay for workers' college degrees

The American Hotel and Lodging Association has created a pilot program that offers an online associates degree at no cost to workers and an online bachelor's degree at a subsidized cost. The reason? They're hoping it attracts and retains good employees. The industry has been seeing growth and job creation over the last eight years, but at the same time it's been experiencing a labor shortage. That's according to the AHLA. For more on the program, click here.

American Express Names New Chief Diversity Officer

Sonia Cargan is the new chief diversity officer for American Express. The company made the announcement on International Women's Day. Cargan's charge is to make sure the employer remains the one of choice among top diverse talent. She'll also be responsible for driving collective success through teamwork and collaboration. In her 22 year professional career, Cargan has served in HR roles in Europe, Asia, and North America. To read more, click here.

Singtel takes home HRM Awards in Singapore

For the 15th year in a row, the HRM Awards were given out on Friday. It was a big night for Singtel. The telecommunications company won the most awards across four categories including SIM Award for Best Talent Management Practices for companies with more than 500 staff, Best Leadership Development, Best Diversity and Inclusion Strategies, and Outstanding Contribution to HR. The Outstanding Contribution to HR award was given to Singtel group chief human resources officer Aileen Tan. Click here for more.

Church's Chicken hires new chief people officer

Karen Jean Viera is the new vice president and chief people officer at Church's Chicken. Viera will be responsible for overseeing Human Resources and Internal Communications. Most recently, Viera was the senior vice president and chief human resource officer for MCIC Vermont which is an insurance and risk management firm specializing in the medical and healthcare professional industry. She's also worked with Fortune 500 companies WellCare Health Plans Inc. and Assurant Inc. Read more here.