Global teams thrive on a sense of belonging. Offering inclusive perks bridges geographical distances, fosters a strong company culture, and improves engagement. This, in turn, helps make the most of the diverse talents and perspectives that fuel innovation and business growth. 

So, as a business or HR leader, how do you keep the momentum going? We’re here to help you fuel the fire by offering employee perk ideas that’ll engage your global workforce. This guide touches on key topics like cultural sensitivities and perk ideas based on regional and virtual circumstances. 

Use these tips to approach your talent strategy with more empathy and elevate your global employee perks.

Understanding cultural sensitivity in employee perks

Perks that are culturally insensitive lead to costly errors and damaged relationships. They can even make people feel unsafe. When managing a global workforce, knowing how to navigate potential cultural sensitivities is essential.

Examples of culturally insensitive perks

Culturally insensitive perks often stem from a need for greater understanding and consideration for diverse backgrounds and needs. Here are some examples: 

• Celebrating only Western holidays: Excluding or downplaying the celebrations of other cultures can create a sense of invalidation.
• Using stereotypes in decorations or themes: Doing this can be disrespectful and perpetuate harmful stereotypes.
• Ignoring dietary restrictions: Offering food options that don’t accommodate various dietary needs or preferences can also make people feel excluded.
• Gifting culturally insensitive items: This can be offensive and show a lack of understanding.

Always keep in mind that everyone is different. Think about how your words and actions might impact someone’s perception of their value at work. 

As a leader, you must create a workplace where everyone feels respected and included. That way, you can build an environment that nurtures everyone’s potential.

Research and respect cultural norms 

Researching the norms of the cultures your workforce members hail from can help improve your cultural sensitivity around employee perks. While online research can be helpful, you shouldn’t stop there. 

Again, cultural norms are nuanced and complex. To navigate this, ask the source—your workforce. Get to understand their experiences, expectations, and values. This will help prevent misunderstandings.

Developing cultural sensitivity toward employees requires two main things:

1. Striking a balance between curiosity and appreciation. Ask questions politely. Listen with an open mind. This creates space for you to learn different customs and perspectives and shows your willingness to learn and understand. Displaying this empathy is critical to creating a space that respects cultural differences. 

2. Asking for feedback. Implementing changes is just the first step. To truly understand their impact, it’s essential to solicit ongoing employee feedback to gauge their satisfaction and comfort levels. 

The bottom line is that we all crave connection and a sense of belonging. That’s why celebrating diversity and respecting different cultures is so important. It creates a workplace where everyone feels like they matter.

Employee perk best practices for regional adaptations

Want to make your global team feel valued? Tailor your perks to their culture. By understanding what matters in different regions, you can boost employee happiness and loyalty. 

To achieve this, we encourage you to tap into employee surveys to deliver perks that authentically connect with workforce members. 

Some areas worth discussing in these surveys include: 

• Local/regional preferences: Gather information about local customs, traditions, and values to understand what employees in each region might appreciate and what they might not appreciate. 
• Local values: What values do employees find meaningful in a given office/region? Collaborate with local HR leaders to identify reward and recognition strategies that have proven to be effective. 
• Local laws and regulations: Ensure your perks comply with local labor laws and regulations. Consult with legal experts to verify your program is compliant.

Before you implement employee perks, run them by your workforce. They are your ticket to delivering a successful employee perk program. 

Upon review, you might test new perks to gauge their effectiveness and popularity. Continuously gather feedback to make necessary adjustments over time. 

Virtual employee perk ideas for a remote global workforce

Virtual perks are essential for fostering engagement and a sense of community among remote employees. They can combat isolation and boost morale, bridging the physical distance and establishing a sense of connection. 

We’ve broken down virtual employee perk ideas based on areas of focus.

Health and wellness 

• Global fitness classes: Offer live-streamed fitness classes led by instructors from various time zones to accommodate employees worldwide. You might even consider combining classes (if time zones permit) to help employees across countries participate in the virtual class together. 
• Multilingual mental health support: Provide access to counseling services, meditation apps, or stress management workshops.
• Fitness challenge: Create a fitness challenge leaderboard so the employees can support one another from different offices or countries. 

Professional development 

• On-demand learning resources: Provide a library of on-demand courses, webinars, and workshops accessible to all wherever they are.
• Global mentorship programs: Connect employees with mentors from different countries to foster cross-cultural learning and development.
• Language learning resources: Offer language learning tools and resources to support employees in acquiring new languages.

Recognition and rewards

• Personalized recognition: Tailor recognition programs to individual preferences and cultural norms to ensure rewards are meaningful and appreciated. 
• Peer-to-peer channels: Implement peer-to-peer recognition programs and public appreciation channels to encourage workforce members across the globe to celebrate together. 
• Global rewards marketplace: Provide a rewards marketplace with a wide range of options that cater to employees from different regions.
• Virtual awards ceremonies: Host virtual award ceremonies to celebrate employee achievements and recognize outstanding contributions. Or consider sending out company-wide messages that inform employees across the globe.

Community building 

• Time zone-friendly team-building activities: Schedule virtual team-building activities at times that accommodate employees in different regions. Fun ideas include murder mystery games, virtual escape rooms, and book clubs. 
• Cultural exchange events: Organize virtual events that celebrate different cultures and traditions, such as cooking demonstrations or cultural presentations. This can provide everyone with a bigger-picture perspective and understand their colleagues better. 
• Global volunteer initiatives: Facilitate opportunities for employees to participate in virtual volunteer projects that benefit communities worldwide. Encourage employees to share their experiences with teams. 

Seasonal and holiday-specific ideas for employee perks

Seasonal and holiday perks aren't just nice to have—they're essential for keeping your team happy and motivated. Showing your employees you care by giving a little extra goes a long way toward building a positive work atmosphere.

Consider seasonal offerings' power to create a truly impactful perk strategy. Remember, holidays vary across cultures, so involve your employees in the planning process. Get the ball rolling with the starter ideas below.

Spring perks

• Wellness challenges: Step challenges, meditation sessions, healthy recipe contests
• Outdoor activities: Company picnics, hiking or biking excursions, outdoor team-building activities
• Professional development: Tuition reimbursement, conference attendance, mentorship programs

Summer perks

• Flexible hours: Summer Fridays, compressed workweeks, remote work options
• Virtual team-building events: Online games, trivia contests, virtual happy hours
• Family-friendly perks: On-site childcare, summer camp discounts, flexible time off for family vacations

Fall perks

• Training programs: Leadership development workshops, technical skills training, soft skills development
• Holiday preparations: Holiday parties, volunteer opportunities, office decorating contests 
• Recognition awards: Employee of the quarter awards, peer-to-peer recognition programs, service anniversaries

Winter perks

• Health and wellness: Flu shot clinics, mental health resources, wellness challenges
• Virtual holiday parties: Festive online gatherings, gift exchanges, holiday-themed games
• Bonuses: Performance-based bonuses, holiday/end-of-year bonuses, spot bonuses for exceptional work

Real-world example of recognition and rewards at a global scale

At RCGNZ Summit 2025, leaders from Accenture, Amazon Business, and Awardco shared how they partnered to scale employee recognition across hundreds of thousands of employees worldwide while still honoring local needs, cultures, and expectations.

Here are the most relevant takeaways from their discussion. (Watch the full presentation here.)

Why this partnership worked

For Accenture, the goal was clear: deliver a globally equitable recognition experience without sacrificing choice, value, or local relevance.

Amazon Business brought scale, pricing efficiency, and unmatched product variety. Awardco provided the infrastructure to connect recognition, rewards, and data into one global system. Together, the three organizations created a model that balanced cost control with employee freedom of choice.

Key drivers of success included:

• consistent pricing aligned with local retail expectations
• broad product availability curated by region
• global governance paired with local flexibility

Global does not mean one-size-fits-all

One of the strongest themes was the difference between launching a global program and running one well.

Accenture emphasized the importance of listening locally before scaling globally. Through a 72-hour global ideation event, employees across regions shared feedback, voted on priorities, and shaped program requirements. That input directly influenced how recognition was designed and rolled out.

The result was a program that respected regional customs, local purchasing habits, and country-specific regulations without fragmenting the overall experience.

Recognition ambassadors drive adoption

To support engagement at scale, Accenture launched a global recognition ambassador program.

These ambassadors act as local advocates who:

• model recognition behaviors
• share best practices within their regions
• surface local needs and gaps in the program
• help reinforce messaging peer to peer

Quarterly touchpoints and open office hours keep ambassadors connected while ensuring feedback flows both ways. This structure helped recognition feel personal, not corporate.

Procurement and recognition are stronger together

A unique advantage of this partnership was the ability to align procurement spend and recognition spend.

Accenture saw measurable value in consolidating suppliers, reducing tail spend, and unlocking significant cost savings through Amazon Business. At the same time, recognition redemptions shifted far beyond office supplies to items employees genuinely wanted, reinforcing the emotional impact of rewards.

Choice, transparency, and perceived value mattered as much as the recognition itself.

ESG and local sourcing matter to employees

Global recognition raised important ESG considerations.

Employees wanted rewards that felt familiar and locally sourced. Shipping items across borders created unnecessary cost, carbon impact, and friction. Amazon Business enabled localized catalogs and support for diverse and minority-owned suppliers, helping recognition feel more community-centered while supporting broader ESG goals.

Innovation came from shared pressure

This was not a passive vendor relationship.

Accenture pushed for rapid innovation, bringing hundreds of business requirements to the table. Awardco and Amazon Business responded through close collaboration across product, engineering, and tax teams. Many of the resulting improvements now benefit all global clients, not just Accenture.

Innovation was driven by real employee needs, not theoretical roadmaps.

The future of global recognition

Looking ahead, all three organizations pointed to AI as an enabler, not a replacement, for human recognition.

Future opportunities include:

• surfacing recognition moments from meetings and messages
• simplifying redemption through smarter curation
• reducing friction while preserving authenticity

The focus remains on making recognition easier, more timely, and more meaningful without removing the human voice.

See how Awardco can partner with you

Awardco empowered Accenture to build a custom recognition platform that equally reaches their 784,000 employees across 120 countries, providing meaningful recognition and rewards at scale.

See how Awardco can help you do the same—talk with a representative today.

Elevate your global employee perks strategy

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to build stronger employee relationships. Discover how celebrating milestones can boost morale and drive business success. Unlock your company’s full potential with Awardco’s expert guidance.