Also read: generations in the workplace, employee engagement, younger workers, age discrimination

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As if balancing nearly four generations in the workplace simultaneously wasn't already difficult, now experts say the recession could further widen the generation gap.

A new study, conducted by Boston College's Sloan Center on Aging & Work, evaluated the effects of the recession on employee engagement. What researchers found: Members of Generation Y--workers ages 26 and younger--reported the greatest decrease in engagement, while engagement remained virtually unchanged for baby boomers and older (workers older than 43).

Why the gap? "Perceptions about job security, supervisor support and job quality," according to the report "The Difference a Downturn Can Make," part of the center's far-reaching age and generations study.

Click here to read "What's the Civil-Rights Struggle of Generation Y?"
Click here to listen to DiversityInc's webinar on "Generations in the Workplace."
Click here to read "Is the Generation Attitude Gap Widening?"

Older employees appear less affected by the recession. "Some older workers have seen it all, and that gives them experiential resilience," Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes, director of the Sloan Center said in the study. "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."

What other findings did researchers uncover from the study?

• While younger workers felt the effectiveness of their work team as a whole drop 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

• Respondents who felt their job security had decreased after the onset of the economic downturn cited a perceived decline in supervisor support, inclusion and job quality

• Those who cited a decrease in job security or felt their security was unchanged cited a slight increase in work overload, while those whose job security increased experienced a slight decrease in work overload

• Those whose job security decreased perceived a slight decrease in team effectiveness, whereas those whose job security increased experienced a slight increase in their perceptions of team effectiveness

What's the solution? "Employee engagement can be greatly enhanced by simple and cost-efficient efforts," says 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."

Click here for the full study.