New report reveals emerging challenges for recognition at work
In a major win for employers, a new report has found that recognition is becoming more prevalent and visible in workplaces.
At the same time, however, a new challenge is emerging: ensuring that recognition is authentic and meaningfully integrated into employees' day-to-day work.
This is according to a new report from O.C. Tanner, which gathered data from over 4,200 employees across 10 countries.
The report found that 61% of employees have received recognition in the last 30 days, up from the 58% recorded in 2025.
Six in 10 employees (60%) also said their recognition had an in-person element, while 70% said their organisation is doing a good job of promoting their recognition programmes.
"Together, these shifts suggest that recognition is becoming more embedded in how organisations are trying to support engagement and high performance, not just offered as a standalone programme," the report said.
New challenges for recognition
But the same report has pointed out that recognition programmes are facing new challenges as teams become more dispersed, and the introduction of technology raises expectations for higher performance in the workforce.
"This combination increases the risk of work becoming purely transactional, which is exactly when trust, collaboration, and discretionary effort start to wane," the report said.
It also warned employers against relying on technology alone to recognise employees. According to the report, technology and awards don't drive adoption on their own.
"In practice, that's where many programmes lose impact. Recognition becomes easy to send, but harder to feel," it stated.
"Templated notes and bulk awards can increase activity, yet employees read sincerity through specificity, personal voice, and social context.
"When those cues are missing, recognition stays transactional, and the performance outcomes leaders are aiming for stay out of reach."
Being authentic in employee recognition
Addressing this challenge requires employers to intentionally design recognition practices, embed them into daily work, and focus them on strengthening workplace relationships.
The report recommended creating "meaningful" recognition experiences for employees rather than relying on technology to send generic, impersonal messages of appreciation.
This experience should not just be about what someone accomplished, but also how they contributed, what strengths they used, and what their work made possible for others.
"That kind of recognition builds trust, raises standards, and reinforces the behaviours a high-performing culture depends on," the report said.
Leaders should also consider tools like eCards, personal notes, formal recognition, and shout-outs during team meetings as tangible approaches to show appreciation to employees, it added.
Being authentic in recognising employees will deliver a tangible ROI on how employees see the organisation and how they work, according to the findings.
"When recognition is built this way, employees don't just feel better, they perform better," the report said.
"We see 43x higher odds of trust in the organisation, 25x higher odds of great work, and 26x higher odds of plans to stay another year."
