Do you belong to the ‘most needy’ generation? Boss says an age group of employees needs to be praised as many as 156 times a year to feel valued
- AFP commissioner says Gen Z needs reassurance the most
- 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
Australia’s Federal Police Commissioner has revealed how to give Gen Z employees more credit than their older colleagues.
Reece Kershaw told a Senate Judiciary and Constitutional Affairs Committee on Thursday that the youngest generation is by far the most needy when it comes to approval.
The AFP commissioner said Gen Z needed praise “three times a week” – or 156 times a year – while millennials need recognition three times a year and Gen X once a year.
Generation Z would be the neediest generation in the workforce, requiring as much or more praise in a week than previous generations in a year.
The comments came as the country’s top agent discussed findings from research into the most effective ways to develop the workforce.
“We’ve learned that Gen Z, the younger generation, needs praise from their supervisors three times a week,” said Mr. Kershaw.
While announcing that his generation (Gen X) only needs to be praised once a year, he struggled to understand how different generations used emojis.
“I saw some emojis that Gen Z uses that are actually offensive, but my generation sends these emojis,” he said.
‘The world is changing, I say.
“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 has been dubbed the “Great Burnout.”
Young workers claim they are overworked, underpaid and feel unable to handle responsibilities outside of work.
A 2023 study from the University of Melbourne, which surveyed 1,400 workers, found that in the post-lockdown era, workers are increasingly feeling unmotivated, exhausted and unable to concentrate.
Future Work’s research found that young (18 to 34 years old) and middle-aged (35 to 54 years old) workers “have worse mental health than other workers.”
These young and middle-aged workers make up Australia’s best workforce and one in two of those workers say they feel exhausted at work.
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw (pictured) said Gen Z needs ‘praise three times a week’, while millennials need recognition three times a year and Gen X once a year
Middle-aged Australian workers are exhausted, less motivated about their work and unable to concentrate on work due to responsibilities outside work, the report concluded.
Many young workers complain that they are “tired of working all week and seeing nothing in return,” while others complain that they “can’t afford vacation let alone a house.”
This has led to criticism from Boomers and Gen-Xers who label the younger generations as ‘lazy’ and ‘entitled’.
The millennial co-hosts of the Two Broke Chicks podcast, Sally and Alex, argue that the younger generations aren’t the only ones feeling the pinch.
They have shared research showing that 50 per cent of ‘prime’ Australian workers, aged between 25 and 55, are ‘exhausted’.
In addition, a third are considering quitting because they are overworked.