Perceived Organizational Support

What Is Perceived Organizational Support? A Clear Guide for 2026

Perceived organizational support (POS) is the degree to which employees believe their organization values their contributions and cares about their well-being and fulfills socioemotional needs. This concept emerged from Eisenberger and Rhoades’ organizational support theory. POS functions as the organizational equivalent of employees’ commitment to the organization, though it is based on employees’ perceptions rather than the organization’s perspective.

For employees, organizations serve as important sources of socioemotional resources like respect and care, as well as tangible benefits such as wages and medical benefits. Being regarded highly by the organization helps meet employees’ needs for approval, esteem, and affiliation. Additionally, positive evaluation by the organization provides an indication that increased effort will be noted and rewarded.

Organizational support theory posits that employees form general perceptions concerning the extent to which the organization values their contributions and cares about their well-being to meet socioemotional needs and assess the benefits of increased work effort. Such perceptions develop through employees’ interactions with organizational representatives, with attributions about those members and interactions then extended to the entire organization.

POS significantly impacts employee work behavior and attitudes in several ways. First, it increases employees’ felt obligation to help the organization reach its objectives. Second, it enhances identification with the organization. Third, it contributes to employees’ expectation that improved performance will be rewarded. Consequently, behavioral outcomes include increased in-role and extra-role performance, heightened organizational commitment, and decreased withdrawal behaviors such as absenteeism and turnover.

Furthermore, POS explains organizational cynicism, which relates to job satisfaction and reflects one’s beliefs about their experience as part of the organization. Just as POS explains employees’ feelings of value and identity, it also explains employees’ feelings of discouragement and distance from their organization. Psychologist James Dean discovered that the primary cause of cynicism was change perceived to be outside the employee’s control. Moreover, Eisenberger and Rhoades found that organizational changes received less support from employees when perceived as beyond their control.

The most commonly used measurement tool is the Survey of Perceived Organizational Support (SPOS) developed by Eisenberger. This survey includes items such as “The organization cares about my opinions” and “The organization strongly considers my goals and values”. Through this assessment, organizations can gage the level of support perceived by their employees and take appropriate steps to enhance it.

Why is Perceived Organizational Support important?

Perceived organizational support serves as a cornerstone for building positive employee-organization relationships with far-reaching impacts across organizational functioning. According to organizational support theory, when employees feel valued by their organization, this perception triggers numerous beneficial outcomes that extend beyond individual satisfaction to organizational success.

The importance of perceived organizational support manifests primarily through increased employee loyalty. Research by Tourangeau and Cranley found that perceived support indirectly influences employees’ intentions to remain with their employer. 

Similarly, Tumwesigye demonstrated that POS positively links to organizational commitment while simultaneously reducing turnover intentions. This relationship is particularly valuable for organizations seeking to retain quality employees amid competitive recruitment environments.

Perceived organizational support significantly impacts employee mental health and well-being. Jawahar et al. discovered that employees experiencing organizational support suffered less emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. POS also reduced the negative impact of role conflict on emotional exhaustion. Indeed, Kurtessis et al. found POS strongly connected to lower burnout and stress levels.

Job satisfaction improves markedly through perceived organizational support. The relationship stems from desirable treatments employees receive in the form of organizational rewards, positive job conditions, fair treatment, and supervisor support. This satisfaction translates into stronger organizational commitment, as employees who sense their organization appreciates their contributions develop higher levels of job satisfaction.

Organizations gain substantial benefits through enhanced employee performance. Asgari and Samah found that a 35% increase in organizational support led to a 35% increase in positive organizational citizenship behaviors. 

Particularly, according to social exchange theory, POS increases employees’ positive orientation toward the organization by promoting a sense of duty and trust. This relationship creates an understood obligation to reciprocate beneficial organizational actions with increased dedication toward achieving organizational goals.

Beyond standard performance, perceived organizational support encourages employees to engage in voluntary behaviors highly beneficial for organizations. Studies have established that high levels of POS make employees feel obligated to return the favor by going the extra mile. This exchange relationship transforms into various tangible and intangible outcomes such as task performance and citizenship behaviors.

Organizations with strong POS environments see employees who exhibit innovative work behaviors, look for new opportunities, devise solutions for existing problems, and transform creative input into innovative outcomes. Hence, organizations investing in perceived organizational support ultimately cultivate workforces that are not only satisfied but also actively contributing to organizational growth and innovation.

What factors influence Perceived Organizational Support?

Several key factors shape the level of perceived organizational support within an organization. These elements collectively determine how strongly employees believe their organization values their contributions and cares about their well-being.

Fair treatment and recognition

Fair treatment constitutes a fundamental influence on perceived organizational support. Organizational justice—specifically procedural and distributive justice—directly impacts how employees perceive support from their organization. When employees receive fair rewards and recognition for their efforts, they develop stronger perceptions of organizational support.

Research shows that organizational rewards and procedural justice are significant predictors of POS. Essentially, when employees feel recognized and rewarded fairly, it signals that the organization values their well-being and is willing to invest in them. Studies confirm that positive perception of tangible rewards leads to increased levels of perceived organizational support.

Supervisor and leadership support

Supervisor support functions as a critical determinant of perceived organizational support. Because supervisors act as organizational agents with responsibility for directing and evaluating subordinates’ performance, employees view their supervisor’s orientation toward them as indicative of the organization’s support. 

Notably, the relationship between perceived supervisor support (PSS) and POS increases with the supervisor’s perceived status in the organization. Research demonstrates that PSS leads to temporal changes in POS. This relationship occurs primarily because supervisor evaluations are often conveyed to upper management, further contributing to employees’ association of supervisor support with organizational support.

Work-life balance and flexibility

Work-life balance policies substantially influence perceived organizational support. Organizations offering flexible work arrangements signal care for employee well-being. During recent years, changes in traditional work schedules and increasing workloads have resulted in employees spending more time at work, elevating the importance of organizational support for work-life balance. 

Specifically, studies reveal that perceived usefulness of work-life benefits promotes extra effort from workers in return. Research among international school teachers confirmed that perceived work-life benefits positively impact organizational citizenship behavior through the mediating effect of perceived organizational support.

Career development opportunities

Career development opportunities distinctly affect perceived organizational support. Organizations that develop a career development culture by providing employees with a range of growth opportunities demonstrate commitment to employee advancement. A study of supervisory-level managers found that career-oriented perceived organizational support strengthens employee beliefs that the organization recognizes and rewards increased performance.

 Additionally, mentoring relationships between experienced and less experienced employees serve as a major feature of perceived organizational support. Employees with mentors show more career promotions, earn higher returns, and report greater satisfaction than employees without mentors.

What are the benefits of Perceived Organizational Support?

Research consistently demonstrates that perceived organizational support yields numerous measurable benefits for both organizations and employees. Empirically analyzed data from 1,206 employees across 67 corporates in South Korea revealed that organizational performance is directly influenced by perceived organizational support. This relationship is further strengthened through differential treatment as a complete mediator between POS and performance outcomes.

The advantages of perceived organizational support extend beyond organizational performance. Based on social exchange theory, POS increases employees’ positive orientation toward their organization, fostering a sense of duty and trust while creating expectations that efforts will be rewarded. This positive association strengthens organizational behaviors while simultaneously reducing counterproductive actions.

For individuals, POS substantially contributes to personal well-being by increasing job satisfaction, elevating positive mood, and reducing stress. Studies have confirmed a positive relationship between perceived organizational support and employee performance. POS also enhances self-efficacy, which positively influences employee well-being and performance in roles outside their standard duties.

Riggle et al.’s meta-analysis spanning 20 years of literature (1986-2006) identified five major outcomes of perceived organizational support. Their findings revealed that POS had a strong positive impact on employee engagement, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment, whereas its impact on organizational citizenship behavior and turnover intentions was moderate.

For employees with disabilities, perceived organizational support enhances basic need satisfaction, yielding higher levels of task performance. However, disability group identification modifies the extent to which POS influences outcomes. Therefore, human resource practitioners can positively affect the performance of workers with disabilities by tailoring their support efforts to how employees derive their self-concept from their disability group membership.

The benefits extend into organizational change contexts as well. Studies indicate that perceived organizational support contributes to the realization of employee affective commitment, which leads to increased performance during organizational transitions. Affective commitment serves as a perfect mediator between perceived organizational support and employee performance during these periods.

Additionally, research demonstrates that POS positively influences psychological empowerment. Organizations that empower their workforce by involving them in decision-making help employees believe their work is meaningful. Subsequently, employees who receive organizational support show greater satisfaction with their jobs and lower turnover rates.

How to measure Perceived Organizational Support?

Measuring perceived organizational support involves specialized assessment instruments developed through rigorous academic research. These tools help organizations quantify how employees perceive organizational support and make data-driven improvements.

Survey of Perceived Organizational Support (SPOS)

The SPOS, developed by Eisenberger et al., stands as the primary instrument for measuring perceived organizational support. Initially constructed with 36 items, the survey now exists in shorter versions with 8 or as few as 3 items while maintaining adequate psychometric properties. The SPOS assesses employees’ perceptions about the extent to which an organization values their contributions and cares about their well-being. Items include statements like “My organization cares about my opinions” and “My organization really cares about my well-being”.

Using the Perceived Organizational Support Scale

The POS scale typically employs a 5-point or 7-point Likert response format ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree”. For scoring, researchers calculate the average across all items. The scale demonstrates high internal consistency, with studies reporting reliability coefficients (Cronbach’s alpha) averaging 0.90 for eight-item scales. Cross-cultural applications require careful translation, often using back-translation methods to ensure semantic equivalence.

Tracking engagement and retention trends

Organizations typically analyze POS alongside key performance indicators including turnover intentions, organizational commitment, and employee engagement. Research consistently shows that POS positively correlates with employee flourishing, thriving, and work engagement. Through longitudinal assessment, organizations can identify how changing organizational conditions impact perceived support levels.

Collecting feedback through pulse surveys

Pulse surveys offer shorter, more frequent check-ins compared to comprehensive annual surveys. These brief assessments introduce a new dimension to results analysis: tracking changes over time. Effective pulse surveys follow the 70:20:10 rule: 70% driver items, 20% outcome questions, and 10% open-text questions. This approach helps maintain an early warning system for important metrics while measuring action plan effectiveness.

Analyzing job satisfaction metrics

The relationship between POS and job satisfaction offers valuable measurement insights. Organizations often employ single-item scales like those developed by Scarpello and Campbell that assess participants’ satisfaction on a seven-point Likert scale. Additionally, the Job Descriptive Index (JDI), while not specifically measuring POS, identifies areas needing improvement that may influence perceived support.

How to improve Perceived Organizational Support in the workplace?

Organizations looking to enhance perceived organizational support must implement targeted strategies that demonstrate genuine care for employee wellbeing. Implementing these five approaches can significantly strengthen employees’ perceptions of organizational support.

Recognize and reward employee efforts

Effective rewards must be proportionate to achievable goals. Organizations should implement discretionary benefits—those exceeding basic requirements—as these have six times stronger influence on POS than mandatory benefits. Critically, organizations must differentiate between high and low performers, as failure to acknowledge superior performance signals inattention to employee contributions. Both monetary and non-monetary recognition programs contribute to POS, with research indicating non-monetary recognition often proves more motivating than financial rewards.

Offer flexible work arrangements

Flexible work arrangements (FWA) directly enhance perceived organizational support by demonstrating organizational concern for work-life balance. Studies confirm FWA positively impacts productivity, performance, and work-life equilibrium. Throughout challenging periods, employees with flexible schedules maintain higher productivity levels while balancing personal responsibilities. Managerial support for these arrangements plays a crucial moderating role between flexibility and performance outcomes.

Provide clear communication and transparency

Transparent communication builds trust—an essential element in social exchange relationships within organizations. Open communication pathways regarding organizational policies and changes foster stronger perceived support, especially when employees feel included in decision processes. Leadership transparency regarding organizational goals and expectations creates psychological safety, encouraging employees to contribute beyond formal duties.

Invest in employee development

Organizations should implement employee development programs that acknowledge individual contribution value. Career development opportunities signal organizational investment in employees’ futures. Regular training tailored to employees’ fields allows them to continuously update skills and knowledge. Research demonstrates that perceived investment in employee development directly influences organizational citizenship behaviors through enhanced perceived support.

Support mental health and well-being

Mental health initiatives constitute legitimate organizational goals beyond merely enhancing performance. Organizations implementing occupational health programs experience strengthened perceived organizational support. Support services addressing stress and psychological distress counteract negative outcomes including poor physical health, reduced performance, and absenteeism. Workplace environments that prioritize employee wellbeing foster optimal functioning while simultaneously benefiting organizational outcomes.

Key Takeaways

Understanding and improving perceived organizational support is crucial for building stronger employee-organization relationships that drive both individual satisfaction and organizational success.

• POS measures employee belief that their organization values contributions and cares about wellbeing – this perception directly impacts loyalty, performance, and retention rates across all organizational levels.

• Four key factors influence POS: fair treatment and recognition, supervisor support, work-life balance flexibility, and career development opportunities – organizations must address all areas systematically for maximum impact.

• Use the Survey of Perceived Organizational Support (SPOS) to measure POS effectively – this validated 8-item assessment tool provides reliable data for tracking organizational support perceptions over time.

• Implement targeted improvement strategies: recognize achievements proportionately, offer flexible work arrangements, maintain transparent communication, and invest in employee development – these actions demonstrate genuine organizational care.

• Strong POS reduces turnover by 35% while increasing organizational citizenship behaviors by 35% – the return on investment makes POS initiatives essential for competitive advantage and sustainable growth.

Organizations that prioritize perceived organizational support create positive feedback loops where supported employees become more engaged, productive, and committed to organizational success.

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