Employee recognition has evolved from simple “employee of the month” programs to sophisticated, multi-faceted initiatives that drive engagement, retention, and company culture. In today’s competitive talent landscape, organizations are discovering that meaningful recognition isn’t just a nice-to-have perk—it’s a strategic imperative for building high-performing teams and fostering authentic workplace connections.
The companies featured in this article represent diverse industries, yet they share a common commitment to making recognition personal, inclusive, and aligned with their core values. Through candid responses about their recognition strategies, these organizations reveal innovative approaches that go far beyond traditional methods—from peer-to-peer recognition platforms to creative contests, milestone celebrations, and values-based awards.
Their insights offer valuable lessons for any organization looking to build a culture where every employee feels genuinely valued, regardless of their role or department level.
What creative approaches does your company take to recognize and celebrate employee achievements?
At N-able, we are committed to prioritizing a culture of recognition. N-ablite Recognition is our global, peer-to-peer recognition program and serves as a key initiative to drive our high-performance culture, supported by leadership. N-ablite Recognition is rooted in our values and showcases the meaningful ways our people impact business success. Since launching the program, N-ablites have sent over 70,000 recognitions to each other! In addition, leadership recognizes N-ablites’ outstanding achievements during our quarterly Town Halls, and we host President’s Circle, our annual premier, peer-nominated award, given to those who have gone above and beyond to live out our values and serve each other and our customers. Recipients celebrate on a company-sponsored trip each year, joined by global leaders.
How do you ensure your recognition programs remain meaningful and motivating across different departments and roles?
Our peer-to-peer N-ablite Recognition program empowers employees to celebrate one another for living our core values—N-spire Others, N-rich Lives, and N-joy the Journey—and delivering exceptional work. Colleagues across departments and locations can give recognition to each other fostering a connected global culture where everyone’s contributions matter.
An incredibly unique element of our recognition program is that N-abites can also receive recognition points. They can redeem the points on our N-able Store—a curated collection of high-quality, branded items shaped by employee feedback. From items like a collapsible dog bowl for our pet lovers and a pickleball set to support wellness while having fun, there’s something for everyone. This approach ensures recognition is meaningful and shaped by input our global workforce.
With great care and intentionality, we make recognition a core part of our culture because we know it drives engagement, fuels a positive culture, fosters high performance and ensures we Empower N-ablite Excellence!
Check out N-Able’s careers page here!
What creative approaches does your company take to recognize and celebrate employee achievements?
At Golden Hippo, we’re dedicated to celebrating and recognizing the people who make our success possible. We do this through a variety of programs designed to show appreciation in meaningful ways. Our Pitch Contest gives team members the opportunity to share innovative ideas and be recognized for their creativity, while our new IMPACT Awards spotlight employees who embody our core values. We celebrate milestones with our Work Anniversary Program and make birthdays special with a gift card and mailed postcard for every employee. To recognize exceptional efforts in real time, we offer Spot Bonuses, rewarding those who go above and beyond their job duties. We also highlight achievements through our Win of the Week Program and run company-wide recognition campaigns, such as our Women of Impact initiative and diversity spotlights, to ensure voices across the organization are celebrated. Beyond recognition, we value growth and development through our mentorship programs, company book club, and other opportunities that reward initiative. Together, these programs help foster a culture of appreciation, motivation, and connection at Golden Hippo.
How do you ensure your recognition programs remain meaningful and motivating across different departments and roles?
We ensure our recognition programs remain meaningful by tailoring them to celebrate a wide range of contributions, milestones, and personal growth across departments and roles. For example, while some employees are motivated by company-wide visibility through our Win of the Week Program or IMPACT Awards, others may find more value in the personal acknowledgment of a Spot Bonus, a birthday postcard, or a work anniversary celebration. Our Pitch Contest and mentorship cohorts allow employees in every role to be recognized not only for innovation but also for initiative and professional development, while our book club and reimbursement program further support individual growth. At the same time, our recognition campaigns, such as Women of Impact and diversity spotlights, ensure we are shining a light on the unique contributions of employees across different backgrounds and experiences. By balancing personal, team, and company-wide recognition, and by offering opportunities that honor both accomplishments and growth, we make sure our programs feel genuine, inclusive, and motivating for every Hippo.
Check out the Golden Hippo’s careers page here!
What creative approaches does your company take to recognize and celebrate employee achievements?
At RX we love celebrating our people, making recognition personal, genuine, and connected to our values. Our approach ensures that every contribution, big or small, is recognised and celebrated.
A great example is our NIMBLE Awards, held twice a year in each office. Anyone can nominate a co-worker who truly represents one of our NIMBLE values — Networking, Inclusive, Magical, Brave, Love of Learning, and Entrepreneurial. The winners are chosen for each office, and those winners are then nominated for a Global NIMBLE Award, where once a year, the RX Executive Leadership Team selects 6 overall global winners, resulting in cash prizes and internal publicity.
Teamwork also gets top billing. Our annual Building Business Awards shine a spotlight on great team achievements. It’s a great way to showcase and reward collaboration, innovation, and outstanding results across the company. We share their stories too, so their impact is felt company-wide and beyond.
In addition, our peer-to-peer recognition platform, Spotlight, lets colleagues celebrate each other, every day, in real time. Sharing praise, thanks, service milestones and success stories creates an ongoing cycle of positive reinforcement and support within RX.
And we don’t just stop at internal recognition. We regularly nominate colleagues and enter teams for industry awards and others focused on what matters most to us, like inclusion or sustainability. When RXers get external recognition, we make sure to share their good news stories with the whole company and externally, helping us to showcase the talent and innovation at RX, and our commitment to recognising excellence at every level.
How do you ensure your recognition programs remain meaningful and motivating across different departments and roles?
By keeping everything clear and inclusive with straightforward criteria, we make sure anyone at RX, no matter their role or location, has an equal opportunity to take part in our NIMBLE and Building Business awards. Whether they’re customer facing or behind the scenes, every employee can be nominated and celebrated. Because these awards are based on our core values, they feel relevant and motivating for all colleagues, and to keep the momentum going our award winners are regularly featured in our external stories, showcasing their achievements and life at RX.
Our recognition isn’t just about awards. With our peer-to-peer recognition system, any RXer can celebrate a colleague in real time and managers can award points for their achievements. These points can be redeemed for products or gift cards, turning hard work into real rewards. By continually celebrating achievements across the company RXers stay motivated, united, and focused on what we do best: delivering great results together.
Check out RX Global’s careers page here!
What creative approaches does your company take to recognize and celebrate employee achievements?
Victra takes a multi-layered and creative approach to recognizing and celebrating employee achievements, ensuring that recognition is both meaningful and aligned with our culture.
A few examples include:
Peer-to-peer recognition through VNationShoutOuts which empowers employees to recognize one another in real time for living our values, going above and beyond, or simply being great teammates. It’s a grassroots way to build connection and appreciation across departments.
High-impact performance awards like President’s Club which is a prestigious recognition for our corporate and field employees that celebrates excellence through exclusive experiences and leadership visibility. It’s a powerful motivator and a career milestone for many.
Sales contests and metrics-based awards which are creative, themed sales contests that drive engagement and performance. These are often tied to key business goals and include fun incentives, team competitions, and public recognition for hitting or exceeding metrics.
Celebrating life and work milestones through our VNationShoutOuts platform, we make it a point to acknowledge birthdays and work anniversaries across the organization.
Employee Spotlights is where we feature employees in internal newsletters, all hands meetings, and social media to share their stories, achievements, and contributions. This not only boosts morale but also fosters cross-functional appreciation and visibility.
By combining formal programs with everyday moments of appreciation, we’ve created a culture where recognition is consistent, inclusive, and aligned with what matters most to our people.
How do you ensure your recognition programs remain meaningful and motivating across different departments and roles?
To ensure our recognition programs remain meaningful and motivating across different departments and roles we regularly engage with employees and leaders from various departments to understand what recognition looks like in their specific context. This helps us tailor programs that resonate with their unique contributions—whether it’s frontline excellence, innovation, collaboration, or leadership. We also offer a mix of formal and informal recognition options—peer-to-peer shoutouts, manager-driven awards, and company-wide spotlights—so that everyone, regardless of role or level, has access to meaningful acknowledgment.
Ultimately, Victra’s goal is to create a culture where recognition is not just a program, but a daily practice that reflects our values and celebrates the many ways people contribute to our success.
Check Out Victra’s Careers Page Here!
What creative approaches does your company take to recognize and celebrate employee achievements?
At Vertafore, we know that our people thrive when they feel seen and valued, and so does our organization. The Vertafore Way is our set of six guiding principles that represent our roadmap to achieve success, amplify our company culture, and foster constant innovation for our customers. Every quarter, we recognize employees who are living the Vertafore Way and role models for our culture, with these outstanding examples nominated by their leaders and peers. A winner is chosen for each pillar each quarter, and, at the end of the year, an overall winner is chosen from those employees to attend the All-Stars trip at a fun destination.
RAVE is our peer-to-peer Employee Recognition Program. Using RAVE, employees can send points and recognition to their colleagues for the areas (large and small) where they show excellence in each day. Each employee receives a quarterly allotment of points to reward others for exhibiting the Vertafore Way principles every day. Employees can then redeem them for a large variety of merchandise, gift cards, and more!
We celebrate every new hire, promotion, and career move in our weekly employee newsletter and on our intranet, so everyone’s achievements get the spotlight they deserve. Employees get easy-to-use tools and a referral bonus to refer people they know and bring great talent to the team. They also have access to resources that help them grow their own careers and reach that next step.
How do you ensure your recognition programs remain meaningful and motivating across different departments and roles?
We highlight our employees’ wins and recognitions across multiple platforms internally and externally, including LinkedIn, company-wide emails, digital signage in our offices, internal newsletters, Town Halls and All Hands, and our intranet. We get the word out there far and wide and celebrate our teams’ wins!
At Vertafore, we celebrate hard work and build a strong culture in every way we can. On the sales team, top sellers can earn a spot on the All-Star trip alongside the Vertafore Way Champions. Other teams connect through hockey, baseball, golf, darts, and other fun activities that recognize dedication, teamwork, and achievements throughout the year.
Check out Vertafore’s careers page here!
What creative approaches does your company take to recognize and celebrate employee achievements?
At Calix, recognition is a daily practice rooted in appreciation, connection, and culture. Through our rewards and recognition platform, we’ve created a dynamic and inclusive experience that makes celebrating achievements easy, meaningful, and fun. Employees can send personalized eCards to peers, publicly or privately, which encourages a culture of appreciation across all levels of the organization.
We celebrate birthdays with eCards and honor milestone work anniversaries every five years with public recognition that’s visible across our internal platforms. People leaders can acknowledge one-time achievements that go beyond regular responsibilities with awards, while awards tied to raffles, giveaways, and gifts are also available. Additionally, we spotlight employees who amplify Calix’s culture and values, as well as those who dedicate time to making a difference by volunteering in their communities.
These creative approaches reflect our belief that recognition should be timely, personalized, and aligned with what makes Calix special: our people.
How do you ensure your recognition programs remain meaningful and motivating across different departments and roles?
Calix takes a thoughtful and research-informed approach to recognition, ensuring it resonates across teams, roles, and locations. Our strategy is shaped by employee feedback, including insights from internal surveys, where recognition emerges as a top priority. We also draw from research to ensure our programs are innovative and meet employee expectations, feel authentic, and are equitably distributed.
Leaders play a key role in modeling recognition behaviors, embedding appreciation into team culture and daily interactions. Through our recognition platform, employees can tie recognition to Calix’s cultural pillars and core competencies, making it more meaningful and aligned with our values. Our platform allows colleagues to like and comment on shared moments of appreciation.
Recognition at Calix is accessible to all employees, not just leaders. We offer visibility controls to respect individual preferences and encourage leaders to monitor recognition patterns to ensure inclusivity. Practical tools and tips, like incorporating recognition into team meetings or setting reminders to reflect and recognize are shared company-wide to help keep appreciation consistent and impactful.
Check out the Calix careers page here!
What creative approaches does your company take to recognize and celebrate employee achievements?
At Builders FirstSource, we’re more than coworkers. We’re a people first team. One of the ways we show that is by appreciating and recognizing hard work. While we are a large company, we manage our sites locally in the communities they serve across the country. In those markets, we believe in celebrating the small and big moments and our local leaders know the importance of recognizing our teams. Whether it’s a party for a thirtieth work anniversary, a cookout for five accident-free years or a location picnic where team members bring their families, our local leaders show their appreciation.
Our 1-TEAM MVP program gives our locations a way to celebrate their team members who make a big impact. We’re proud to share the stories and incredible talents of our MVP team members across the country. Nominations for our MVP recognition come from our team members. We get to showcase the talented individuals who go on to earn MVP recognition in company communications and on our bldr website. MVPs can go on to be recognized as Hall of Fame winners and join our leadership team on an all-expense paid incentive trip.
How do you ensure your recognition programs remain meaningful and motivating across different departments and roles?
We believe our team members should be rewarded for their great work, which is why we take pride in our pay-for-performance culture. That link between pay and performance is a big part of how we make our overall rewards meaningful – and it applies across all different roles and functions throughout the organization. We offer incentives, like profit-sharing, to recognize the team members who are responsible for our success as a company, ensuring team members at all levels get to share in our success.