From Herman Trend Alert
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Findings from a study recently
conducted by Boston College's Sloan Center on Aging & Work show
that younger workers are most affected by the current economic crisis
and older employees are better able to handle the trials of this difficult
economic time.
Few would dispute that this economic crisis is the worst the United
States has experienced since the Great Depression. According to this
new report, "The Difference a Downturn Can Make,” part of the Center’s
Age & Generations Study, this situation has negatively altered
perceptions about job security, supervisor support, job quality,
inclusion and overall employee engagement in the workplace.
As businesses strive to "get lean" and increase productivity, U.S.
workers (like their counterparts worldwide) are reporting they are
overloaded. Related to these findings, employees of all ages reported a
decrease in employee engagement, "a measure of how invested and
enthusiastic employees are in their work." While employees overall
reported declining engagement, older workers polled appeared to be
handling the economic storm better than their younger associates.
Workers in "Generation Y," ages 26 and younger, reported the greatest
decrease in engagement, followed by those slightly older workers in
"Generation X," ages 27 to 42. Concurrently, the reported levels of
engagement for Baby Boomers and "Traditionalists," ages 43 and older,
hardly changed at all.
Drawing on hard-earned experiences from the past and a time-tested
perspective on the ups and downs of the economy, older workers show
more resilience in the face of threatening economic conditions.
Other findings from the study suggest that for employees who felt that
their job security had decreased, perceptions of engagement, supervisor
support, inclusion and job quality declined after the onset of the
economic downturn.
Moreover, while younger workers felt the effectiveness of their work
team as a whole dropped as their job security declined, older workers
felt the effectiveness of their team held steady.
Our forecast is that wise
employers, , like one of the researchers suggested, will enhance employee engagement by implementing simple,
cost-efficient efforts. These efforts will include providing strong
training and development opportunities, encouraging work team
inclusion and promoting a culture of workplace flexibility and
supervisor supportiveness.