Perceived Organizational Support

Categories: Company Management

The level at which employees believe their employer appreciates them, thinks they’re important, and gets the warm fuzzies when thinking about them.

Employees get this perception from work interactions, and through symbolism. For instance, a person who has no contact with the leadership of the organization might say things like “I’m too much of a peon” or “They’re way up in the ivory tower,” indicating that they think they're...not too important. And let’s be real…in reality, that individual probably is unimportant.

Symbolism is subtler. A basement office with no windows and plenty of rats is typically not given to someone who is highly valued, unless that person likes rats. A department who only gets hand-me-down office furniture while another department is first in line to get the latest-and-greatest transformable furniture will typically perceive where they are on the totem pole. Namely...the part that’s buried underground.



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