The State of Employee Recognition 2026
Recognition creates connection and high-performance work cultures
Get the full report to Learn how to help your teams:
Strengthen connection to do great work
Give meaningful & memorable awards
Engage with recognition tech
Unite through recognition
The most effective recognition supports the human need to feel seen and appreciated.
We turned to employees to find out. Researchers at the O.C. Tanner Institute surveyed 4,243 individuals in 10 countries plus focus groups of employees, leaders, and HR professionals across the U.S.
What employees said:
Get the full report.
Theme 1
The business case for human-centered recognition
Recognition builds workplace relationships. Especially when it’s human and authentic.
Employees give their best when recognition connects them to their colleagues and why their work matters.
Recognition strengthens relationships when it is a part of the employee experience. There are 12x increased odds that recognition builds community when it is integrated into the organisation’s culture. Integrated recognition has an impactful ROI. Trust, great work, belonging, and retention all soar.
Employees are 7x more likely to stay another year when recognition helps build relationships
Theme 2
Recognition unites diverse and dispersed teams
The connection that comes from belonging to a team plays a crucial role in building community and inclusion at work. Yet, as employees become more dispersed, a tight team built on trust and camaraderie can be hard to create.
Integrated recognition acts as a connective tissue. It unites teams by enhancing community, strengthening positive relationships, and nurturing the type of trust that drives the best teamwork.
Recognition is a practical way for leaders to easily build community and inclusion on their teams.
higher odds of great work when human-centered recognition is given to dispersed teams
Theme 3
Social connection drives engagement with recognition technology
For recognition technology to work, the platform needs to be accessible and easy to use. Our research shows that nearly 40% of employees don’t use their recognition tools regularly.
So, how can you drive engagement with your recognition platform? The answer is social connection.
Employees are far more likely to use recognition technology when their peers and leaders use it. Even the most skeptical employees will view recognition technologies in a more positive light when they see their peers enjoying the experience.
Employees are twice as likely to use their recognition platform when they see other employees consistently use the platform
Theme 4
Designing awards for lasting impact
When an award is intentional and given in a meaningful way, it becomes a symbol of the work itself. It celebrates the person and represents the goal accomplished.
But awards often fall flat.
When an award feels generic, it doesn’t reflect the achievement or the person who worked hard. It stops saying “we see you” and starts saying “we checked a box.”
The core finding is simple: Awards have impact when they are intentional. Intentional recognition feels sincere. It is delivered in a way the recipient prefers, and it shows that leaders have a genuine relationship with their colleagues that goes beyond the superficial and generic.
Employees are more personally invested in helping the organisation succeed when recognition is intentional
Theme 5
The power of recognition champions
Recognition champions are people who promote and model recognition in ways that strengthen relationships. Champions help turn recognition into a regular practice across the organisation.
Nobody makes a better champion than a trusted colleague. Employees respond to champions who are authentic and genuinely committed to recognition as part of everyday work.
Employees see recognition modeled by someone they trust, learn what good recognition looks like, and then participate more consistently. That participation strengthens relationships, reinforces culture, and improves business outcomes.
higher odds of innovation when organisations have recognition champions
What’s next?
The full 2026 State of Employee Recognition report is packed with data and insights to help your people thrive at work. Of course, leveraging any insights requires a good plan. And we’re ready to help with that, too.
