The most effective recognition programs aren’t effective because they’re flashy—they’re effective because they’re consistent, meaningful, and easy for people to use. In a closing Summit conversation moderated by Awardco’s Dave Christensen, leaders from Lockton, Pacific Life, and Lockheed Martin shared what works and what doesn’t inside large, complex organizations.

It was a practical look at how recognition becomes a daily culture-builder, how to drive adoption without burning people out, and how to talk about ROI in a way leaders actually care about.

Read the recap below, or watch the full recording here.

Start with culture first—not features

Each organization described recognition as more than a program. It was framed as something that reinforces identity:

• Built-in, people-first recognition (Lockton): Recognition is part of the company’s DNA, not a side initiative.
• Belonging (Pacific Life): Recognition is a way to help employees feel connected across locations, work styles, and career stages.
• Hear and be heard (Lockheed Martin): Recognition supports a broader cultural goal that creates dialogue, feedback, and visible appreciation.

Different words, same idea: recognition works best when it’s tied to who you are and how you want people to show up.

Adoption doesn’t happen by accident

High adoption isn’t just a happy side effect, it’s a sign of an effective program.

At Lockton, the approach was intentionally hands-on and high-energy: in-person roadshows, playful in-office moments, and a lot of direct support for employees who were hesitant to log in or weren’t sure where to start. The goal wasn’t to announce recognition, it was to help people experience it.

Two principles stood out:

• Make it social. Make it simple. When recognition feels like a cultural moment—not another tool—people participate.
• Meet people where they are. That includes remote employees. The same energy that happens in-office can translate virtually when the experience is thoughtfully recreated (not just communicated).

Each leader mentioned a few activation strategies:

• On-site pop-ins that include quick demos and 1:1 help
• Light gamification (bingo, scavenger hunts, trivia)
• “Oprah moments” that create memorable first experiences (points, swag, public recognition, celebration)
• Remote-friendly versions of the same moments (virtual events, mailed surprises, shared experiences)

Leadership participation is a multiplier

One of the strongest themes across all three companies is that when leaders recognize, everyone recognizes.

Lockheed Martin shared a clear internal pattern: business areas where leaders recognized at a higher rate also saw employees recognizing at higher rates. In other words, leadership behavior sets the pace.

What helped drive leadership engagement wasn’t guilt or pressure. It was connecting recognition to what leaders already care about, such as:

• culture alignment
• productivity and engagement
• reinforcing expectations in a distributed workforce
• long-term retention

Recognition becomes easier to champion when it’s framed as a leadership tool, not an HR activity.

Recognize the real work

Recognition should not only happen for extraordinary moments.

Several panelists called out that people often need recognition for the work that’s hardest to sustain—the consistent, behind-the-scenes effort that keeps teams running. Recognizing everyday excellence normalizes appreciation.

The key is how you do it. Specificity matters.

For example, instead of: “Thanks for all you do,” try: “Thank you for jumping in last-minute, keeping the project moving, and making sure the team had what they needed to deliver on time.”

That’s where recognition stops being a message and starts becoming reinforcement.

Non-monetary recognition is not second best

Many leaders mistakenly believe that recognition without money attached is less effective.

Every leader on stage pushed back on that.

Non-monetary recognition works because it creates visibility, storytelling, and connection. It helps quieter employees feel seen. It helps teams talk to each other differently. And it often becomes the moment people remember long after the points are spent.

A few ways non-monetary recognition showed up as high-impact:

• Peer-to-peer shoutouts that build team energy
• Public appreciation that invites “me too” reinforcement from others
• Leadership recognition that becomes a lasting career moment
• Simple acknowledgements that arrive at the exact right time

Monetary recognition absolutely has a place. But if a program relies on points to feel meaningful, it’s missing the cultural engine.

Avoid the end-of-year transaction trap

Another common mistake is treating recognition like a budget to use up.

When recognition becomes a year-end scramble (“We have to spend this”), it turns transactional, and employees can feel the difference immediately. The most effective programs make recognition frequent and consistent, not occasional and overdue.

Instead, plan for recognition as a year-round rhythm, not a year-end event.

That can look like:

• small, steady allocations instead of big “dump” moments
• reminders built into team meetings
• recognition nudges tied to natural moments of work (projects finishing, cross-team help, customer impact)

Tie recognition to values so it scales globally

When organizations grow, recognition can easily splinter into disconnected behaviors. Lockheed Martin shared a strategy that makes scaling more consistent: using recognition “tags” tied to company values and culture pillars.

Values-based recognition creates a shared language across regions, roles, and teams. It gives recognition meaning beyond the message itself and helps leaders see cultural trends, not just activity volume.

ROI conversations that leaders actually listen to

ROI doesn’t always start with a perfect dashboard. It starts with a credible story supported by internal data.

Across the panel, the most persuasive metrics weren’t industry benchmarks. They were company-specific signals, like:

• participation rates (who’s recognizing, who’s being recognized)
• recognition volume over time (launch spike vs sustained behavior)
• survey deltas in groups using recognition vs groups that aren’t
• correlations between recognition and outcomes like retention, performance, or productivity (with the right caution: correlation isn’t causation)

One important nuance: recognition data is rarely the only factor, but it’s a meaningful part of the overall culture and engagement picture.

Budget buy-in: start with reallocation before expansion

A question from the audience hit a common reality: companies grow, but recognition budgets don’t always grow with them.

Two practical paths emerged:

1. Tie budgets to headcount where possible. If allocation is built per eligible employee, budget scales naturally as the workforce grows.
2. Reallocate from underused programs. Several leaders shared versions of the same strategy: find money sitting in underutilized bonus pools or outdated recognition spend, and move it into a system that’s more visible and more consistently used.

Recognition isn’t extra. It’s one of the clearest levers organizations have to reinforce behavior and sustain culture, especially when teams are distributed, workloads are heavy, and change is constant.

The recognition basics that separate good programs from great ones

If you’re building or rebuilding a recognition strategy, these are the fundamentals that came through most clearly:

• Make it easy. Reduce friction and help people get started.
• Make it meaningful. Specific, timely recognition matters more than perfect wording.
• Make it consistent. Avoid the year-end scramble by recognizing throughout the year.
• Make it visible. Recognition scales when it becomes part of how teams communicate.
• Make it aligned. Tie recognition to values so it reinforces culture, not randomness.
• Make it top-down. Leadership participation isn’t optional if you want adoption.

Recognition doesn’t have to be complicated to be powerful. But it does have to be intentional.

Reach out to see how Awardco can help you hit your recognition goals.