Speaking to senators in Parliament, the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) brought to the fore generational gaps, a topic traditionally sensitive and prone to offense. His intervention was considered remarkable and certainly did not go unnoticed.
During the Pearls in Policing conference in Sydney, Commissioner Reece Kershaw shared his observations on the different needs for feedback between generations.
By mentioning the Generation ZHe pointed out that his perception is that this generation tends to appreciate and demand praise from their bosses more frequently, about three times a week.
He also pointed out that the next generation, possibly the millennials, can settle for praise about three times a year, while his own generation, possibly the baby boomers, typically only needs to be praised once a year.
This observation was made in the context of comparing different generations and their preferences regarding recognition in the workplace.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner’s comment during his speech in Parliament sparked discussions on social media and caught the attention of those present in Parliament Hall.
Many people expressed their opinion on the alleged shortage of younger workers in the country and raised questions about generational gaps.
However, AFP later issued a statement clarifying the matter. According to the twoline statement, reports that the commissioner thinks different generations demand different amounts of praise are false. AFP said the commissioner was referring to information presented at a recent police forum.
Generation Z prefers praise and recognition
The above information on the different needs of different generations for praise was presented by Michael McQueen, a renowned social researcher and author.
McQueen is the author of several books, including How to Prepare Now for What’s Next, and he shared that perspective during the aforementioned conference. His lecture aroused interest and sparked discussions about the characteristics and expectations of different generations.
According to Michael McQueen, these statistics are based on surveys by global analytics firm Gallup and multinational software company Workhuman.
These surveys polled more than 10,000 adults in the United States in February of this year. With regard to these studies, information was collected on the preferences and expectations of different generations in relation to praise and recognition in the work environment.
As reported on the Gallup website, the survey found that about 40% of younger generation workers expressed a desire to receive recognition from their personal manager at least a few times a week.
The website emphasizes that this need for recognition is not about being “needy” or striving for participation trophies, but that recognition plays an important role in employee development.