Public recognition, though meant to motivate, often creates anxiety and pressure for employees, feeling like a burden rather than a reward. This "paradox of recognition" can harm performance and engagement. Leaders should personalize praise, focus on effort, and ensure psychological safety to make it truly effective.
Recognition is supposed to feel good. Leaders give awards, hand out shout-outs, and spotlight top performers with the belief that praise drives effort. Often it does. Yet for many people, the opposite happens. Instead of feeling valued, they feel exposed. What should be motivating becomes uncomfortable, even overwhelming.
This is the paradox of recognition. Praise can be energizing, but it can also make some employees feel as though they are under a microscope. After all, not everyone wants to be in the spotlight.
Being singled out at a company meeting can sound flattering. For some, it really is. For others, the moment sparks anxiety. Their heart rate jumps, their hands sweat, and doubts take over. Rather than thinking about the success they just achieved, they wonder how they will ever meet expectations again.
Researchers have long noted that attention, even when positive, can activate stress. Recognition makes people feel visible, and visibility brings pressure. What was meant as encouragement can begin to feel like an ongoing test. The truth is that being recognized can sometimes feel less like a reward and more like a burden to carry.
This explains why so many people struggle with the spotlight effect, the tendency to believe others are watching and judging us more closely than they really are. A public compliment may feel like a warm gesture from the leader, but to the recipient it can feel like the entire office is now expecting them to stay at the top indefinitely.
The discomfort is not random. Some personalities simply prefer privacy. Introverts, for example, may find it difficult to enjoy standing up in front of colleagues while a boss describes their achievements. What feels energizing to one person can feel mortifying to another.
Culture also plays a role. In some environments, modesty is highly valued. Being praised too openly can be seen as boastful, even if the employee never asked for the attention. After all, recognition is not just about the individual; it is about how others interpret it.
Career stage matters too. A younger professional may see recognition as pressure to prove they belong. A mid-career employee might fear that a new label as "the star" creates expectations they cannot maintain. Senior colleagues may even find recognition awkward if they are nearing retirement and no longer seeking the spotlight.
Another complication is fairness. When recognition feels distributed unevenly, the employee receiving it may actually feel embarrassed. They worry peers will resent them. Instead of pride, they feel guilt. Recognition becomes socially costly rather than uplifting.
When recognition generates stress, organizations pay the price. Performance can become inconsistent because employees who feel pressured to live up to past praise begin to play it safe. They avoid risky projects or collaboration that might dilute their visibility.
Engagement also declines. Praise that feels generic or politically motivated leads employees to believe recognition is more about optics than substance. Rather than boosting trust, it reduces it.
Over time, some of the best employees may even leave. Not because they dislike the work, but because the culture of recognition feels suffocating. What was supposed to keep people motivated instead drives them away.
There is also an impact on team learning. If praise always goes to individuals, knowledge sharing slows down. People hesitate to contribute ideas openly, worried that it will put them in a spotlight they do not want. Innovation fades, and the team quietly withdraws.
Recognition is powerful, but it is not one-size-fits-all. The challenge for leaders is to make it a source of energy rather than anxiety.
One place to start is personalization. Some employees enjoy public acknowledgment, while others prefer a quiet thank you. Taking the time to learn those preferences is a sign of respect. After all, recognition is only effective if it lands in a way that feels authentic.
It also helps to praise effort as much as outcomes. Focusing only on wins creates pressure to deliver something spectacular every time. By acknowledging resilience, persistence, or creative thinking, leaders signal that recognition is about the process as well as the result.
Spreading recognition broadly matters too. When a few people are always praised, it feels competitive. By highlighting contributions across the team, leaders shift the culture from individual performance to shared success.
Specificity is equally important. Generic compliments sound hollow. When leaders point out exactly what was done well and why it mattered, the feedback feels real. It also helps employees understand how they made a difference without feeling like they are being put on a pedestal.
Finally, recognition works best when paired with psychological safety. If employees know they can share struggles as openly as wins, praise does not feel like a trap. It becomes part of a balanced culture where progress—not perfection—is what counts.