In this session, Amy Butler, Vice President of People Operations at Awardco, shares how meaningful employee recognition can transform employee engagement, culture, and business performance. Drawing from real-world leadership experience, Amy explains why recognition works best when it’s authentic, timely, and integrated into everyday workflows—not treated as a once-a-year engagement survey or a compensation substitute.

Key Takeaways

• Recognition should be real-time and authentic: Employees want to feel seen and heard, and recognition is most impactful when it’s timely and meaningful.
• Listening must lead to action: Engagement strategies fail when organizations collect feedback but don’t act on it—closing the feedback loop builds trust.
• Recognition drives behavior and culture: When recognition aligns with company goals, it reinforces the behaviors that improve performance and engagement.
• Employee experience requires integration: Combining recognition, engagement data, and feedback helps leaders turn insights into measurable business outcomes.