In today’s workforce, organizations across industries are concerned about a continuous decline in retention that has been linked to an overall decrease in employee engagement (Finnegan, 2025; Tatel & Wigert, 2024). Improving support for employees is often the proposed solution. However, doing so is not always straightforward. In fact, some leaders may feel they are supporting employees well, despite an unspoken disconnect.

In organizational contexts, effective social support can mitigate the adverse effects of work-related stress, including emotional exhaustion and cynicism (Wu et al., 2020). Moreover, when employees perceive they are genuinely valued and cared for by their organization, they tend to perform better, have higher levels of engagement, and are more likely to remain committed to the organization (Kurtessis et al., 2015; Rhoades & Eisenberger, 2002).

My research examines how employees’ perceptions of social support relate to their wellness, with findings emphasizing that their interpretations of offered support are critical to decision-making about seeking support and utilizing resources.

Instead of matching offered support with needs, individuals often provide what they think is helpful, rather than truly recognizing what the recipient actually needs or prefers. Such disparities can negatively affect the employee's well-being and trust in the organization, stemming from an overall lack of perceived support. We can draw from optimal matching theory to further understand how positive outcomes of support occur when received support matches the desired support (Cutrona & Russell, 1990; Merluzzi et al., 2015).

Types of Support (House, 1981)

Discrepancies between the support provided and the support needed—in amount, timing, source, or type—are referred to as support gaps (Crowley & High, 2020; Eisenberger et al., 1986). For this discussion, when referring to support gaps, this is a mismatch in type. Support gaps are critical to recognize........

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