Economic Downturn Rattles Younger Workers While Older Employees Tough It Out, Boston...

Economic Downturn Rattles Younger Workers While Older Employees Tough It Out,
Boston College Study Finds

The "Generation Gap" May be a Resource as Companies Struggle to Survive

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass., June 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Younger workers are
bearing the brunt of the current economic crisis, while older employees show
greater resiliency in a recession-battered workplace where employers seek to
do more with less, according to a new study by Boston College's Sloan Center
on Aging & Work.

The onset of the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression has
negatively altered perceptions about job security, supervisor support, job
quality, inclusion and overall employee engagement in the workplace, according
to the new report, "The Difference a Downturn Can Make," part of the Center's
far-reaching Age & Generations Study. And as businesses strive to cut costs
and increase productivity, American workers are reporting they are overloaded.

Drawing on a national survey of workers taken on the eve of the downturn and
again after the onset of the crisis, Boston College researchers have produced
one of the most comprehensive pictures available about how the recession has
changed the way men and women look at their jobs.

Looking across different generations of workers, researchers found employees
of all ages reporting a drop in employee engagement, a measure of how invested
and enthusiastic employees are in their work. While employees overall report
declining engagement, older workers in this study appear to be weathering the
economic storm better than their younger peers.

Workers among "Generation Y" -- ages 26 and younger -- report the greatest
decrease in engagement. Those slightly older workers in "Generation X" -- ages
27 to 42 -- reported less of a decrease, while Baby Boomers and older
"Traditionalists" -- ages 43 or older -- reported that their levels of
engagement hardly changed at all.

America's older workers show all the signs of being more resilient in the face
of threatening economic conditions, drawing on hard-earned experiences from
the downturns of the past and a battle-tested perspective on the peaks and
valleys of the market.

"Some older workers have seen it all, and that gives them experiential
resilience," says Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes, director of Boston College's Sloan
Center on Aging & Work. "Younger workers just don't have the depth of
experience, which leaves them feeling less engaged in their jobs. But younger
workers bring energy, enthusiasm, and idealism. In a workplace where older
and younger employees work side-by-side, the give and take between young and
old is a valuable resource employers should leverage to survive the downturn."

Researchers at Boston College's Sloan Center on Aging & Work report other
findings from the Age & Generations study that suggest:

-- Perceptions of engagement, supervisor support, inclusion, and job
quality declined after the onset of the economic downturn for
employees
who felt that their job security had decreased, but it stayed the same
or only slightly declined for those whose job security had stayed the
same or increased.
-- Those whose job security decreased or stayed the same experienced a
slight increase in work overload after the onset of the economic
downturn, whereas those whose job security increased experienced a
slight decrease in work overload.
-- Those whose job security decreased perceived a slight decrease in team
effectiveness after the onset of the economic downturn, whereas those
whose job security increased experienced a slight increase in their
perceptions of team effectiveness.
-- 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 even though they too reported
a
decreased sense of job security.

In tough economic times, the multi-generational American workplace requires
employers to take cost-effective steps to support their workers. It isn't
enough for employees to be grateful for their jobs; according to one
researcher, employers need to show they are grateful to the employees that
keep them in business.

"Employee engagement can be greatly enhanced by simple and cost-efficient
efforts," adds Christina Matz-Costa, research associate at the Sloan Center
and one of the study's authors. "Providing strong training and development
opportunities, encouraging work team inclusion, and promoting a culture of
workplace flexibility and supervisor supportiveness are all effective
strategies that can maintain or boost engagement."

The Age & Generations Study was funded in part by the Alfred P. Sloan
Foundation.

The Sloan Center on Aging & Work at Boston College promotes quality of
employment as an imperative for the 21st century multi-generational workforce.
We integrate evidence from research with insights from workplace experiences
to inform innovative organizational decision-making. Collaborating with
business leaders and scholars in a multi-disciplinary dialogue, the Center
develops the next generation of knowledge and talent management.

Media Note: If you would like to interview the center's director, Marcie
Pitt-Catsouphes, email pittcats@bc.edu or call 617-552-9195. A copy of the
study is available at:
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/rvp/pubaf/09/AgeGen_Downturn_2009-06.pdf

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click
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Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes
https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=45115

SOURCE Boston College Sloan Center on Aging & Work

Chad Minnich of Boston College Sloan Center on Aging & Work, +1-617-552-9195,
minnicch@bc.edu