Recognize This: People really do quit because of lack of recognition.

Yes, even in this economy, people really do look for other work (and 2/3 of employed Americans are looking right now) because of a lack of recognition.

2008 research at the start of the recession from Salary.com showed that 17% of employees list “insufficient recognition” as a top five reason to leave a job. Other, more recent, research shows 34% list “no recognition” as a reason to leave.

But is this really shocking? If you slogged away every day, giving it your best, and no one seemed to notice or care, would you want to keep going? Or would you want to find a workplace (where you spend the majority of the time you’re awake) where what you do matters. And you know it matters because people tell you so. Frequently. Repeatedly.

It’s no wonder 23% of companies are adding recognition programs, even in this slow recovery, according to Towers Watson.

Have you ever quit because of lack of recognition? Would you? Tell us the story of your breaking point. What finally pushed you over the edge?