An analysis of employee recognition: Perspectives on human resources practices

Employee recognition is as much an organizational management issue as it is one related to the basic needs of individuals. Although it is gaining wider and wider currency in sociology and organizational psychology circles, this complex notion is still fairly vague in the management world. What exactly is employee recognition? What are its limitations and conceptual nuances? What does the act of recognition entail? These are the central questions addressed by this article. The article starts by examining the growing need for recognition expressed by today's workers. It then goes on to provide an overview of the social and organizational context surrounding the issue. Finally, it presents the various approaches and methods used to promote employee recognition, as well as the sources of this recognition within an organization. Four conceptual approaches to recognition are analyzed: the ethical perspective; the humanistic and existential view; the work psychodynamics school; and the behavioural outlook. An analysis of these different theoretical perspectives reveals that recognition takes four main forms: personal recognition; recognition of results; recognition of work practice; and recognition of job dedication. The field of recognition, meanwhile, is characterized by the presence of five types of interactions: organizational; vertical; horizontal; external and social.