The SIOP White Paper series organizes and summarizes important and timely topics in I-O psychology. The newest white paper, “Culture and Overseas Work: Expectations, Preparations, Coping; Return,” focuses on the well-being of expatriates.

The term sojourners is broad and includes all kinds of overseas experiences, including work, study, migration, diplomacy, proselytizing, and tourism. Expatriates, the main focus of this paper, often categorized as corporate or self-initiated, the former group sent overseas by an employer, perhaps for several years, whereas the latter moves overseas to seek employment.

Faced with another deadline to avert a government shutdown, Congress passed a second continuing resolution (CR) on November 21.  The new CR extended federal funding until December 20.  CRs lock in the previous year’s funding levels for federal programs and do not allow the creation of large-scale new initiatives.  This temporary funding status is particularly disruptive for the research community, who rely on consistent direction and support from federal agencies.  To this end, SIOP joined over 160 universities, research institutes, and scientific societies to sign on to a letter to congressional leaders.  The letter emphasized the importance of federal investment in research and development initiatives and warned of the adverse impact of uncertain funding on scientific progress.  (The complete letter can be found here.)

World-renowned I-O psychologist and former SIOP President Dr. Eduardo Salas is one of the most often cited SIOP members, having co-authored over 300 journal articles and co-edited 27 books. His contributions to the field of I-O outside of his own research include his service on the editorial board of the Journal of Applied Psychology, Personnel Psychology, Military, and many other well respected publications. He has long dedicated his energies to building future researcher through his tenure at the University of Central Florida and now as the chair of the Department of Psychology at Rice University. 

This is our second installment in a two-part series on increasing our military literacy. Last week’s Newsbrief talked about how the military is organized, and this week we will touch upon key concepts underlying why it may be difficult for our military community members to transition to civilian employment. Approximately 200,000 service members leaving the U.S. military annually. Although less than 1% of our U.S. population is currently serving in uniform, approximately 8% of our U.S. population has served and are considered veterans. Additionally, there are an estimated 690,000 military spouses in the U.S. The military community may not be in the majority, but they have served an outsize role to ensure those that have not served can enjoy a life of freedom.

There are numerous ways to serve in the military based upon the type of service component, role, job/occupation, and types of experiences to which someone is exposed. It is critical to recognize that service comes in many forms – uniformed military, military family members, civilian government employees, and contractors all serve the Department of Defense’s military mission in unique and impactful ways. Serving in the military is a total family experience. When a service member serves, so does his or her spouse and children, as the family members must maintain continuity through regular deployments, moves around the world, and conditions that often prevent ever feeling settled into a career for a military spouses or education for military children. 

It’s hard to believe but SIOP’s 2019 LEC is over and the planning for SIOP 2020 LEC is underway! I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the annual consortium and start translating the amazing insights and discussions had during LEC into action.

SIOP’s 2019 Leading Edge Consortium, Advancing the Edge: Assessment for the 2020s (LEC), had record-breaking attendance. In fact, it SOLD OUT! What was even more exciting was that about 20% of the audience were non-SIOP members. Their unique perspectives and expertise greatly contributed to and heightened the conversation about where the field of assessment needs to head in the future.