For many Americans, saving for their retirement in recent months has resembled the bunny hop-for every step forward, they take a step or two backward.

A recent survey by The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., found that a majority of Americans say they are concerned about losing ground in their efforts to save. Fifty-six percent of respondents worry they will be unable to maintain their current level of contributions to their employer's 401(k) or other defined contribution retirement plan.  Thirty-four percent are "extremely" or "very" worried about cutting back on how much they save.

Nearly one-third of respondents said they were likely to postpone making additional contributions to their retirement plan, 24 percent said they were likely to postpone retiring altogether.

It's not just their own contributions that Americans worry about. Among employees, 53 percent said they are concerned that their employer will reduce or eliminate matching contributions on their retirement savings. Thirty percent are "extremely" or "very" worried about that possibility.

Tom Foster Jr., The Hartford's national retirement spokesperson, says employers can play a big role in encouraging employees to save for retirement. In many instances, he said, employers can increase participation in retirement plans without incurring additional costs.

"In these difficult economic times, America's workers are worried that they will not have the financial wherewithal to continue their current lifestyles when they retire," Foster said. "The good news is that Americans are thinking more than ever about retirement and the need to save for it. The bad news is that they are finding it more difficult than ever to do something about it. Employers do have an opportunity to help."

Declining participation rates and reduced contributions can adversely affect the viability of an employer's retirement plan. For example, Foster explained, if the gap between what highly paid and non-highly paid employees contribute to a company's retirement plan exceeds IRS guidelines, then many well-paid employees may be forced to take back a portion of their contributions and pay additional income taxes.

"There is no doubt that the current economic climate is having a dampening effect on retirement savings," Foster said. "Employers are more challenged than ever before to encourage employees to participate in retirement savings plans. Fortunately, there are some creative ways to promote the importance of retirement savings and help employees stay on track."

Foster, who works with financial advisors to help them meet the needs of retirement plan sponsors and participants, suggests the following three ways for sponsors to encourage employees to contribute to their retirement plan and even increase participation without having to institute or increase matching contributions:

1. Sponsor educational meetings. Retirement plan providers can bring in trained specialists to lead educational meetings for employees and explain the advantages of regular retirement savings, tax-deferred accumulation, and how pre-tax savings will make less of an impact on their paychecks than after-tax savings.
2. Promote the new Savers Credit. Employees who earn relatively modest salaries can qualify for a special federal Savers Credit based on their contributions to a defined contribution retirement plan or IRA. The tax credit can equal as much as 50 percent of their total contribution, capped at a total credit of $1,000.
3. Adopting automatic enrollment. Ninety percent of employees participate in their employer's 401(k) plan if they are automatically enrolled in it, according to a 2006 Hewitt Associates study.