Gratitude

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”

   Ralph Waldo Emerson

I begin this From the Editor with gratitude to our authors, the Editorial Board, reviewers, my Editor’s Assistants, Mandy and Lindsey, Axana at IOS Press and readers for their support. Your contributions have helped WORK achieve an increased Impact Factor to 1.505. Briefly, an Impact Factor, calculated every two years, is a measure of citation frequency; it provides a metric to assess the relative influence of a journal.

Before discussing the articles in this issue, I thought I would provide some updates on WORK. We have almost completed the transition of submissions and reviews of manuscripts to Editorial Manager! Authors and reviewers, we are grateful for your patience during this transition.

In December 2020, IOS Press became a member of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Publishers Compact. In doing so, the publisher is committed to the development of sustainable practices and to act as champions of the SDGs, publishing books and journals that will help inform, develop, and inspire action in that direction. Current SDGs for IOS Press is that we strive for equal opportunities for everyone regardless of gender and geographical location, in line with SDG 5 (gender equality) and SDG 10 (reduced inequalities). A 3-year analysis of WORK was conducted. It showed that the vast majority of the authors publishing in WORK are affiliated with institutions in Asia, Europe and North America. The geographical distribution of authors is broadly comparable with the geographical distribution of our Editorial Board members, although North America is over-represented. Our Editorial Board is predominantly female, which breaks the trend where research reports that women are typically under-represented on editorial boards [1, 2]. In reviewing this analysis, there are some broad actions I would like to take with your support. Perhaps you know of a PhD candidate who specializes in a niche area or senior researcher or clinician from under-represented countries/regions? Please share those individual’s names and contact information with me at kjacobs@bu.edu and we will invite them as an external reviewer which could lead to joining our Editorial Board.

In the near future, WORK will be adding a Diversity and Inclusion Statement to the journal’s webpage. We are committed to requesting that inclusive language be used in our publications.

I hope you have visited our website: workjournal.org and been enjoying our three blogs authored by Editorial Board members, Amy Wagenfeld (Nurture through Nature), Jenny Long (Vision@WORK + play), and Valerie Rice (Mindful Moments).

Tomeico Faison, one of our newest Editorial Board members, will be writing a quarterly column in WORK titled: W.I.S.E–Work in Social Entrepreneurship. Tomeico will use an interview format of top social entrepreneurs about how their work contributes to the prevention of illness, injury, and disability.

I hope you are enjoying the Learn at WORK webinars which feature an article published in the journal. Here is the schedule for some upcoming webinars:

Wednesday, July 14 at 1-2pm EST

An assessment of ergonomic issues in the home offices of university employees sent home due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Presenter: Kermit Davis

Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4042561619417630988

Wednesday, September 22 at 1-2pm EST

Was a global pandemic needed to adopt the use of telehealth in occupational therapy?

Presenters: Viktoria Hoel, Claudia von Zweck & Ritchard Ledgerd

Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8474382929400856591

Wednesday, October 6 at 1-2pm EST

Outdoor psychology for employees with burnout or related complaints

Presenter: Roald Pijpker

Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1303794701415931407

I am excited to share the opportunity to publish in a special issue of WORK based on the programming presented at the International Ergonomics Association’s 2021 (IEA2021) Congress. The theme of this special issue is: Human Factors and Ergonomics in an Interconnected World: Directions for the Future. Our website will also be hosting digital posters from the IEA2021 Congress.

Now, back to this issue of WORK. This issue contains 21 articles on topics such as prevalence, seriousness, and causes of teenage work accidents; SMART phone-driven exercise; coffee consumption and psychological wellbeing among workers; text neck; workplace incivility; work disability and rheumatoid arthritis; and the translation into Icelandic of the Assessment of Work Performance.

I conclude this From the Editor with gratitude,