Neediest generation revealed: Boss says one age group of workers needs praise an extraordinary 156 times a year
- AFP Commissioner says Gen Z need the most reassurance
- He said a study found they need praise three times a week
- Millennials need praise three times a year and Gen X once a year
The Australian Federal Police Commissioner has revealed how he has to often give younger workers more praise than their older colleagues.
Reece Kershaw told a Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs committee on Thursday that Gen Z is by far the neediest when it comes to approval.
The AFP commissioner said Gen Z needed praise ‘three times a week’ – or 156 times a year – whereas millennials require recognition three times a year and Gen X once a year.
Gen Z are said to be the neediest generation in the workforce, needing as much or more praise in a week than earlier generations require in a year.
The comments came as the country’s top cop discussed findings from research into the most effective ways to develop the workforce.
‘We learnt that Gen Z, the younger generation, need three times a week praise from their supervisors,’ Mr Kershaw said.
While he announced his generation (Gen X) only needs praise once a year, he then struggled to comprehend how different generations used emojis.
‘I saw some emojis that Gen Z use that is actually offensive but my generation is sending these emojis,’ he said.
‘The world is changing is what I am saying.
‘Like a happy face can mean the opposite in Gen Z land.’
The comments come as many millennials and Gen Z workers are said to be suffering from what is being called the ‘Great Burnout’.
Young workers claim they are overworked, underpaid and feel unable to deal with responsibilities outside their jobs.
A 2023 study from the University of Melbourne which surveyed 1,400 workers, found workers are increasingly feeling unmotivated, exhausted and unable to concentrate in the post-lockdown era.
The Future Work study found that young (18 to 34-year-old) and middle-aged (35 to 54-year-old) employees have ‘poorer mental health than other workers’.
These young and middle-aged employees make up the prime-aged workforce of Australia and one in two of those workers say they feel exhausted at work.
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw (pictured) said Gen Z need praise ‘three times a week praise’ whereas millennials require recognition three times a year and Gen X once a year
‘Australian prime-aged workers are exhausted, less motivated about their work and unable to concentrate at work because of responsibilities outside of work,’ the report concluded.
Many young workers complain they are sick of ‘working all week and having nothing to show for it’ while others complain they ‘can’t afford a holiday, let alone a home’.
This has led to criticism from Boomers and Gen-Xers who slam the younger generations as ‘lazy’ and ‘entitled’.
The millennial co-hosts of the Two Broke Chicks podcast, Sally and Alex, claim the younger generations aren’t the only ones feeling the pinch.
They have shared research showing 50 per cent of ‘prime’ Australian workers, those aged between 25 and 55, are ‘exhausted’.
On top of that a third are thinking of quitting because they are overworked.
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