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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 appropriate link.
Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes
https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=45115
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