Leveraging recognition programmes to boost profitability and growth
At its core, recognition is about acknowledgement: the intentional act of noticing and valuing someone’s contributions, efforts or behaviours. In high-performing organisations, recognition goes far beyond one-off gestures or transactional rewards and is instead a fundamental pillar of culture, connection, and performance.
New research shows that organisations with engaged teams consistently outperform their peers, while disengagement continues to be a huge cost to the global economy in lost productivity. As a result, leading organisations are rethinking recognition - moving beyond ad-hoc rewards to build scalable, data-driven programmes that reinforce the behaviours that matter most.
We highlight key insights drawn from Mercer’s flagship Recognition in Focus study, which analysed recognition programme design and outcomes across more than 1,000 organisations globally. The findings challenge common assumptions - including the belief that bigger budgets lead to better results - and highlight the design choices that make the greatest difference.
In this POV, you will discover:
- How recognition approaches are changing, and why.
- Current themes and trends in the recognition space, including how AI is impacting on recognition design and operationalisation.
- Key insights from Mercer’s Recognition in Focus global research.
- What actually works when designing a recognition programme, including why it’s not all about your budget, which features have a greater impact than spend, and more.
- Mercer’s POV on building effective recognition programmes.
- Advice on the steps to take when building a successful recognition programme.
