It's only natural for people to want recognition.

It is an important part of what we call "psychic income," those elements of the job not concerned with benefits or money. When recognition is withheld or erroneously granted to someone else, the person who is overlooked feels slighted and unfairly treated. As a result, resentments can build up, eventually hampering job performance and serving as a roadblock to advancement in the company.

If you feel you are not getting the full recognition you deserve for your work, try the following techniques to improve your on-the-job recognition factor:

First and foremost, you have to be liked. Being disliked by someone in authority is the single most important reason people are discharged, not their lack of skills or abilities.

You were liked when you were hired and you must maintain that kind of rapport with your employer. It will not continue automatically; you must consciously work at it.

In the workplace, people fall out of favor if they become careless or overconfident about themselves. That is when they are most likely to make the mistakes that will downgrade them in the eyes of their supervisor. Do not let that happen. Mentally review what it is the employer liked about you when you were hired, and keep up those qualities.

Make it a point to tell your supervisor what you have accomplished, and offer some well-thought-out new ideas and suggestions for improving the bottom line. Management does not necessarily know what you have done for them lately, and in many cases good work can go unrecognized if you do not call it to your superiors' attention.

Some people are in the habit of sending memos or notes about what they are doing. The problem with written materials is that they may not be read by the intended source. It is far better to see your supervisor in person and talk to him or her about your accomplishments.

If you work in a different location from your supervisor, the situation is a bit more difficult. However, you should still try to see the individual in person rather than sending memos.

Volunteer for additional assignments (without making it appear that you are bucking for a promotion). There are numerous opportunities to increase your visibility in the company and gain increased appreciation of you as a valued employee. These involve not only extra job-related responsibilities but can also include participating in the company's community relations activities and fund drives for welfare organizations.

Consider this idea: Find out what your supervisor's favorite civic or charitable activities are and volunteer to work for those causes (without telling your boss). That will bring you into regular contact with the supervisor in a non-work situation, which should increase your visibility and give you additional opportunities to make a favorable impression. Developing some shared experiences off the job will be a definite plus for you.

At your next performance review, carefully note your strengths and weaknesses as the company sees them. Your first reaction may be to dispute what the company is saying about you, but that is an unwise course of action. If the review is not as favorable as you would like, think of ways to make the next one more favorable. The review you have just had is not going to be changed. The company, rightly or wrongly, has formed certain conclusions about you and told you what they are. It is up to you to profit from what you have learned. Rather than becoming defensive about any criticisms, take that opportunity to ask your supervisor how you can improve your performance.

Do not complain to your co-workers about not getting recognition. All this does is create tension in the workplace and brand you with the undesirable reputation of being a complainer.

Keep a personal performance chart and review it regularly to see how you can improve your contributions to the company.

Once a week (over the weekend is the best time), sit down with your chart and make notes for yourself. What did you accomplish in the past week that you were especially proud of? In what ways could you have improved what you did? Did you have some areas of conflict during the week? How could you have better resolved those situations? Those are the kinds of questions you need to ask yourself and keep asking yourself. If you do not keep up the process of self-examination, you are likely to become complacent with your job performance. Employers want people who are looking for better ways to do their jobs and increase their productivity, not those who just coast along.