The Sloan Research Network on Aging & Work

In 2015, a new grant for 30 additional months was awarded for: Building a Multi- disciplinary Research Network on the Study of Aging & Work. The goal is to build the Network into a robust and sustainable network of scholars.

Edited Volume: Current and Emerging Trends in Aging and Work

Current and Emerging Trends in Aging and Work
Edited Volume to be published by Springer
Czaja, S., Sharit, J., James, J., & Grosch, J. (Eds)

Jobs, organizations and the workforce have changed dramatically in the past several years and will continue to do so in the upcoming future. Older adults comprise a growing portion of today’s workplace with an increasing number of workers aged 75+. At the same time technology is becoming ubiquitous within work environments. Today’s work environment requires that workers of all ages need to interact with a variety of technologies. Current technologies are reshaping work processes, job content, work settings, communication strategies, and the delivery of training. Thus, workers constantly are confronted with the need to learn new skills. Teamwork is also an essential component of many jobs. The labor force is also becoming more diverse, which has vast implications for the design of jobs, training and communication strategies, and team structures. Retirement patterns are also changing, as are work arrangements.

This edited volume addresses the challenges and opportunities confronting older workers and organizations. It provides an up-to-date comprehensive summary on what is known about aging and work. In addition, it includes chapters on current and emerging topics related to work and aging adults such as working in teams, the increasing diversity of the labor force, work and caregiving and the implications of technology for an aging workforce. These topics are addressed from a variety of perspectives and fields including psychology, sociology, human factors engineering, business and management, the law and public health. The issues are also addressed from an international perspective.

Given the broad and inclusive scope of the topics, the chapters will be arranged according to thematic sections including; current employment patterns and demographics, policy issues and an aging workforce, work performance issues, trends in job and work patterns, and health and wellness issues. The book will be relevant to a broad audience including academic researchers and practitioners, students, government and policy leaders, workers and managers in the public and private sector.

Section 1: Current Employment Patterns and Demographics

  • Chapter 1. Demographics of Older Workers: Sara J. Czaja
  • Chapter 2. Workplace Aging and Jobs in the 21st Century: Margaret Beier
  • Chapter 3. Leveraging Ageing Workforce and Age Diversity to Achieve Organizational Goals: A Human Resource Management Perspective: Mo Wang
  • Chapter 4. Silver Work Index: Merging the German and the U.S. Perspectives: Jurgen Deller

Section 2: Policy Issues and An Aging Workforce

  • Chapter 5: Taking a New Look at Older Workers & Age Discrimination: Cathy Ventrell-Monsees
  • Chapter 6: Extended Working Lives: Feasible & Desirable for All? David Lain
  • Chapter 7: The Retirement Income Security Outlook for Older Workers: Causes for Concern and Reasons for Optimism: Kevin Cahill
  • Chapter 8: Programs and Policies to Support Older Workers: Richard Johnson
  • Chapter 9. Employment Discrimination Against Older Women & the Ineffectiveness of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act: Patrick Button

Section 3: Work Performance Issues

  • Chapter 10. A Human Factors Engineering Perspective to Aging and Work: Joseph Sharit
  • Chapter 11. Work Motivation and Employment Goals in Later Adulthood: Ruth Kanfer
  • Chapter 12. Older Adults and Skill Acquisition: Neil Charness
  • Chapter 13. Training Older Workers: Pathways and Pitfalls: Harvey Sterns

Section 4: Trends in Jobs and Work Patterns

  • Chapter 14. Preferred Retirement Styles: Continuity or Change? Kene Henkens
  • Chapter 15. Older Workers Employed in Low-Wage Jobs: The State of Knowledge and Setting a Research Agenda:  Jennifer Swanberg
  • Chapter 16. Insights from the Science of Teamwork: What Matters in Practice: Eduardo Salas
  • Chapter 17. Difficult Adjustments: Older Workers and the Contemporary Labor Market: Karl Van Horn
  • Chapter 18. All the Live-Long Day: The New Face of Retirement: Jacquelyn James

Section 5: Health and Wellness Issues

  • Chapter 19. Balancing Work and Caregiving: Richard Schulz
  • Chapter 20. Predictors of Disability Among Older Workers: Risk Factors and the Prospects for Prevention and Control: Robert Wallace
  • Chapter 21. Creating Age-Friendly Workplaces: An Occupational Health Perspective: Jim Grosch