Sloan Research Network on Aging & Work, March 2020
In This Issue

SLOAN RESEARCH NETWORK TOGETHER WHILE APART
 
As I write this message, I want to emphasize that we are a community, not just on the basis of our interest in aging & work, but also in preventing the spread of what is now an international pandemic. Here at Boston College we are all working from home, teaching our courses online (some of us for the first time), and trying to learn social distancing. I hope that all of you are taking precautions and staying well. It has been said that we can get through this together, but I believe we have to get through it apart--together in spirit, but apart. Apartness is hard for social beings such as the Sloan Research Network. I hope we can stay connected via newsletters such as this one and through our social media contacts. Please let us know how we might better manage these types of connections.

In the meantime, there is news to report.

PROPOSAL TO GSA 2020 PRE-CONFERENCE: Rethinking Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice for Older Workers-Who and What do we Continue to Miss?
 
First, our proposal to GSA 2020, for a preconference workshop has been submitted. Thanks to the Older workers Interest Group (Philip Taylor and Phyllis Cummins) and the Sloan Research Network 2019 Fall Institute member (Kendra Jason), our submission- Rethinking Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice for Older Workers-Who and What do we Continue to Miss?-has been received. Hopefully we will be able to let you know of its acceptance by the end of April.

SURVEY ON CURRENT NEWS & RESEARCH FEED
 
Second, we are grateful to the 38 Network members who took the time to complete the survey about the Current News & Research Feed. We so appreciate your very specific and helpful feedback. Below we summarize some of the central themes that we heard from you. 

Some of the kudos were: "The current format is useful, relevant and entices the recipient to open the links and take note of the latest updates." "Thank you for an excellent feed." "...I look forward to receiving it..." "You are doing an excellent job of vetting the abundant material out there to select the very best."

In response to some concerns raised, we mention the following:
  • We are very interested in including your publications, articles, events and conferences that you organize or attend on the Newsfeed. You are also welcome to share the details/ updates about your work as long as we can link to more information. We are particularly seeking non-US based information from, for example, Europe and Canada. Sharing the details of your work can promote collaboration and interaction with like-minded colleagues and early career scholars. Please feel to email me (jamesjc@bc.edu) with this information.
  • We want to make sure that you were aware that you can search the Feed by topic or type of posting. For example, you are able to find all of the posts that mention the word "retirement,". If you were interested in a specific type of item such as a "journal article" or "conference," just put this term in the search box. 
  • Items are also categorized by the topic areas listed below. If you are particularly interested in a specific topic, you can type it in the search box to locate all items in that area.
    • Age bias/ageism
    • Age-friendly organizations
    • Aging and retirement
    • Diversity and aging
    • Employer policies and HR management
    • Engagement in later life
    • Grandparents
    • International
    • Job quality for older adults
    • Older workers
    • Public policies-Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid
    • Scheduling, leave and flexible work
    • Technology
    • Uncategorized
  • On the Feed landing page, topics that describe the content are provided below the title for each news or research item. If for example, an item is categorized as "age bias/ageism," you can click on that topic area to find other articles within that domain. 

Again, the feedback was particularly useful. We really appreciate your interest and support!

SPECIAL ISSUE IN WORKAR on New Advancements and Directions for Measurement in the Field of Work, Aging and Retirement
 
Finally, please note the following reminder from Network members, Ulrika Fasbender, Boris Baltes and Cort Rudolph who are putting together a Special Issue  in WORKAR  on "New Advancements and Directions for Measurement in the Field of Work, Aging and Retirement."  Proposals are due by March 31, 2020.
 
In this call we encourage scholars to (1) redevelop existing measures, (2), develop scales for existing constructs and theories without existing scales, (3) provide critical reviews and/or meta-analyses/validity/reliability generalization studies, and (4) demonstrate methodological advancement related to psychometric issues specific to the study of work, aging and retirement.
 
Please find the Call for Papers  online.

 
In closing, I wish you all good health and safety during this turbulent time. Please do not hesitate to reach out if there is something that we can do on the part of the Network.
 
With best regards,
Jackie
 
Jacquelyn James
Director, Sloan Research Network on Aging & Work
Boston College 
 
Network Steering Committee:  Cal Halvorsen, Ruth Kanfer, Christina Matz-Costa, Phyllis Moen, Alicia Munnell, Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes, Sara Rix, Ursula Staudinger, Harvey Sterns, Philip Taylor, Julie Zissimopoulos