Employers in the United States have begun to take a hard look at aging issues in today's workplace. For many companies, the aging of the labor force and impending exodus of retirement-eligible employees pose both significant challenges and opportunities for retention, acquisition, and management of talent. Recent studies have shown that four out of five baby boomers intend to remain in the workforce beyond conventional retirement age, but do not want to work full time or full year. Their changing preferences for work schedules present a challenge for companies to institute the kinds of flexible work arrangements that will prove attractive to aging workers. This AARP project aims to help employers understand this challenge and to provide the technical assistance necessary for putting into place the workplace flexibility policies and practices that will help them recruit and retain the older workforce. Working with corporate partners as well as with the National Retail Federation (NRF), AARP will develop retail sector-specific information and curriculum on workplace flexibility. Using these materials and in cooperation with NRF, AARP will conduct six regional, one-day workshops for employers that will include segments on employment trends, the required labor force to meet expected demand, and case studies and other materials on the business case for workplace flexibility. These materials will be disseminated widely throughout the retail trade industry by the AARP. Each company participating in the workshops will develop a 12-month action plan for implementing workplace flexibility and will file monthly progress reports with AARP, which will provide technical assistance. Project Director: Emily Allen, Director, Workforce Initiatives.

With support from a 2005 officer grant, the American Council on Education (ACE) hosted an invitational conference about the need for more flexibility in academic careers. Also in 2005, a trustee grant provided support to ACE to do the marketing for the new Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Faculty Career Flexibility. This 2006 grant will enable ACE to continue to promote career flexibility in a wide range of institutions in three ways. First, ACE will study data collected from the five winners of the Sloan flexibility awards, including information about the current status of each institution's flexible career policies and practices as well as short- and long-term institutional plans for change. ACE will host a meeting of the five award winners one year after receipt of the awards to monitor the extent to which each university is on target for meeting its goals. A second meeting will be held after another year to determine if institutional plans have been implemented and goals achieved. In 2008, ACE will publish and disseminate a report examining lessons learned from the five Sloan flexibility award winners. Second, ACE will help a selected group of 6-8 master's degree universities and liberal arts colleges to adapt and modify the collected best policies emerging from the five award winning universities to fit their own institutional needs and cultures. Each of these 6-8 institutions will share their experiences and successes in advancing career flexibility for faculty by organizing and hosting a one-day conference for invited institutional leaders from colleges and universities in their own local areas. Third, ACE will compile a collection of best policies, practices, strategies, and support materials tried and tested with the research universities and adapted at the master's universities and liberal arts colleges. These will be packaged in a resource kit along with other tools and information required for implementing, communicating, and evaluating the use of institutional policies and practices for flexible career paths. This information will be made available to college and university leaders for their use as they work to develop flexible faculty career policies and practices on their own campuses. Project Director: Claire Van Ummersen, Vice President, Center for Effective Leadership.

In January 2006, an officer grant to New America Foundation supported its work with the Foundation-supported Georgetown University's Workplace Flexibility 2010 (WF2010) initiative. With this new grant, a working group from leading think tanks across the political spectrum will be convened to produce a joint policy paper on flexibility and to prepare to play a constructive role in building bipartisan support for workplace flexibility in Washington, D.C. Also, New America will work with the Georgetown WF2010 initiative to convene bipartisan briefings on workplace flexibility to support study by Congress of work and family issues. The third purpose of the grant is to expand the overall capacity of WF2010 by helping it refine and promote its flexibility principles. Project Director: David Gray, Director, Workplace and Family Program.

Support of activities that will build bipartisan support and consensus for workplace flexibility in Washington, D.C. Project Director: David Gray, Director, Workplace and Family Program.

To develop survey instrumentation and data collection protocols for research on aging and workplace flexibility among unionized construction workers. Project Director: Professor Leslie B. Hammer, Department of Psychology.

For an assessment of progress in faculty work-family policies and career flexibility in higher education. Project Director: Carol Hollenshead, Director, Center for the Education of Women.

For an exploratory study on workplace flexibility and employee health. Project Director: Professor Joseph G. Grzywacz, Department of Family and Community Medicine.

Support for research on understanding 21^st century careers in order to shape career path alternatives. Project Director: Jan T. Civian, Senior Consultant.

Planning grant for the application process and marketing of the Alfred P. Sloan Awards in Career Flexibility. Project Director: Claire Van Ummersen, Vice President, Center for Effective Leadership.

To implement the accelerator plan in accordance with Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Career Flexibility in the Academy. Project Director: Nancy B. Allen, Vice Provost for Faculty Diversity and Faculty Development.

To develop survey instruments and administer the application process for the Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Faculty Career Flexibility. Project Director: Ellen Galinsky, President.

Planning grant for the application process and marketing of the Alfred P. Sloan Awards in Career Flexibility. Project Director: Ellen Galinsky, President.

To implement the accelerator plan in accordance with Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Career Flexibility in the Academy. Project Director: Jean R. Soderland, Deputy Provost for Faculty Affairs.

To implement the accelerator plan in accordance with Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Career Flexibility in the Academy. Project Director: Barbara A. Horwitz, Vice Provost of Academic Personnel, UC Davis.

To implement the accelerator plan in accordance with Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Career Flexibility in the Academy. Project Director: Carol Hoffman, Manager, Work/Life Program, University Health Services, UC Berkeley.

To implement the accelerator plan in accordance with Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Career Flexibility in the Academy. Project Director: Debra Walker King, Associate Provost, Faculty Development.

To implement the accelerator plan in accordance with Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Career Flexibility in the Academy. Project Director: Ana Mari Cauce, Executive Vice Provost.

For the creation of Flexnet for use by grantees in the Foundation's workplace flexibility program. Project Director: Judith Casey, Director, Sloan Work and Family Network, Graduate College of Social Work.

To disseminate throughout organized labor relevant contract language and union practices regarding workplace flexibility. Project Director: Netsy Firestein, Executive Director.