Work is a topic and activity central to the adult experience. In early adulthood people typically focus on choosing an occupation and managing the school to work transition. During midlife, goals and concerns shift to improving the work experience, career development and managing periods of unemployment. With improved health in later years and uncertain economic conditions, more people are living longer and working longer. For these workers major concerns pertain to when and how to disengage from formal work arrangements.
Using a person-centric perspective, the Work Science Center seeks to encourage research examining the role of work histories, psychological, and contextual factors that affect employability, and the efficacy of interventions on job quality and the work experience. For example:
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What socio-cultural, occupational, and psychological factors promote later-age working life?
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How can organizations facilitate work-related life-long learning and employee engagement throughout careers?
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What is the relative efficacy of different cognitive-behavioral strategies to mitigate mental health issues and concerns during job search and unemployment?
Related Content
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Blog entry Building a Bridge from Fulltime Work to RetirementAlthough older workers contribute valuable experience to the workforce, this can be overshadowed by the potential loss in innovative ideas and physical abilities. A solution may be bridge employment, which is a type of partial retirement taken between fulltime work and full retirement. Bridge employment is similar to short-term work, with the hours being more flexible than part-time employment, but the end goal being full retirement in a relatively short amount of time. Bridge employment allows the workforce to take advantage of older workers’ benefits, while limiting the amount of time their disadvantages would negatively impact their working ability.
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News and Events Work Across the LifespanNetwork members Cort Rudolph, Hannes Zacher, and Boris Baltes released their edited book, Work Across the Lifespan. The book features 26 chapters, including work from many Work Science Center Network Members.
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Blog entry Millennial cyberloafing: Why it’s costly & how to approach the problemorganizations are struggling with a relatively new phenomenon: cyberloafing. Cyberloafing is the use of technology at work for non-work-related purposes (e.g., checking social media, watching YouTube videos).
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Blog entry Network Research Highlight: Leveraging the Benefits of an Aging WorkforceSuccessful balancing of declining physical abilities with increasing knowledge and experience leads to higher reports of job satisfaction among older workers, in addition to increasing areas in which older workers can benefit the workforce (Zacher, Kooij, & Bejer, 2018). Acknowledgment of this balance is crucial to the fostering of an inclusive and cohesive workforce.
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News and Events Aging Workforce Research Cited in USA TodayA study published by Drs. Connie Wanberg, Ruth Kanfer, Darla Hamann, and Zhen Zhang in Psychological Bulletin has recently been picked up and cited by popular press outlet, USA Today.
