This Week's Herman Trend Alert Women---Expanding their Sphere of Influence

The Herman Trend Alert June 10, 2009 Older Employees' Better Coping Skills Mean Better Engagement Our younger workers are most affected by the current economic crisis even as our older employees are able to handle the trials of this difficult economic time. These findings were recently reported in a study by Boston College's Sloan Center on Aging & Work. 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, US 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 are more resilient in the face of threatening economic conditions. Other findings from the study also 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 like, one of the researchers suggested, wise employers 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. © Copyright 1998- by The Herman Group, Inc. -- reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists. (800) 227-3566 or http://www.hermangroup.com. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc." EMPLOYERS AND JOBSEEKERS: MARK YOUR CALENDARS Advertise at or attend VetJobs Virtual Career Fairs. VetJobs, the top veterans' job board, and PSI, the premier diversity job fair producer, are teaming up to launch these VeteransCONNECT events. Employer registration is now open with loading by February 15th. Candidate loading begins March 1st. Expect 25-30 employers and an attendee goal of 2,000 skilled jobseekers. Promoted extensively, early registration begins NOW. To register or request additional information, contact VetJobs at 877-838-5627 or email info@vetjobs.com; Employers: Mention the Herman Trend Alert to receive a Bonus. LOOKING FOR A UNIQUE VALENTINE’S GIFT? Give the gift of leadership advice in our weekly Lessons in Leadership to help your supervisors and managers remind your leaders about what’s really important The 52-week subscription is only $47, a bargain when you think about the savings to your organization in reduced turnover. Quantity discounts available by emailing Joyce at joyce@hermangroup.com. http://www.hermangroup.com/store/subscription_all.html#3 Order today! PREVENT EMPLOYEE TURNOVER IN 2012 Yes, you can prevent costly employee turnover, when you train your supervisors, managers, and executives. They will learn dozens of low and no-cost strategies and tactics that they can implement right away. We have an impressive track record and stand ready to help you. Call Carl at 336-210-3547 for a no-obligation conference call. Herman Trend Alerts are produced by the Herman Group, strategic business futurists, Certified Management Consultants, authors, and professional speakers. New subscribers are welcome. There is no charge for this public service. The Herman Trend Alert is received by over 30,000 subscribers in 78 countries, in addition to other websites and printed magazines. Do you enjoy receiving this weekly e-mail update? Contact us about our co-branded Trend Alert service. Click here to sign up for the Herman Trend Alert. Subscribe or Unsubscribe to weekly Herman Trend Alert View this week's Herman Trend Alert Archived Weekly Herman Trend Alerts

[ Home · About · Products · Resources · Media ]

Web site design by WebEditor Design Services, Inc.