How to Reinforce Desired Behaviors with Employee Recognition
Employee recognition is a powerful tool for shaping workplace behavior and culture. This article explores effective strategies for reinforcing desired behaviors through targeted appreciation programs. Drawing on insights from industry experts, we’ll examine real-world examples of successful recognition initiatives that have transformed company cultures and boosted employee engagement.
- Quiet Hero Award Sparks Initiative
- CHAMP Program Boosts Engagement and Standards
- Impact Shoutouts Drive Meaningful Collaboration
- Peer Recognition Enhances Interdepartmental Support
- Customer Champion Award Increases Satisfaction
- Targeted Recognition Program Transforms Company Culture
- Strategic Appreciation Fosters Innovation and Efficiency
- Ripple Award Reinforces Core Values
Quiet Hero Award Sparks Initiative
At our brand, we wanted to encourage initiative—team members who go above and beyond without waiting to be asked. So, we introduced a monthly “Quiet Hero” award, recognizing employees who took smart action behind the scenes that directly impacted customer experience or revenue.
What made it work? It wasn’t just about public praise—it was tied to specific outcomes. For example, one team member proactively redesigned our email flow based on customer feedback, resulting in a 22% uplift in conversions. We celebrated her in our internal newsletter, gifted her a surprise voucher, and made her approach the “template” for future improvements.
It created a ripple effect. Others felt empowered to speak up, suggest changes, and own their impact. Over six months, not only did our team morale improve, but our project efficiency and innovation velocity grew too.
Recognition is most powerful when it’s timely, specific, and tied to the values or results you want to see more of.
Aleksandra Ermolaeva
CEO, Ermoleve
CHAMP Program Boosts Engagement and Standards
In a previous role, I launched the PEOPLE Award—a values-based recognition program that honored employees who consistently demonstrated key company principles like professionalism, ownership, and leadership. It became a powerful tool for boosting morale, reinforcing accountability, and highlighting positive contributions across departments. The visible recognition helped align individual actions with company goals and fostered a stronger culture of appreciation.
We evolved that idea into our own internally developed C.H.A.M.P. Award program, which recognizes team members who exemplify our five core values: Client Focus, High Standards, Accountability, Mastery, and Partnership. The CHAMP Award includes both peer-nominated and supervisor-selected components, ensuring employees are celebrated both for team impact and performance metrics. Since implementing CHAMP, we’ve seen higher employee engagement, improved collaboration across departments, and a noticeable increase in employees holding each other—and themselves—to a higher standard. It’s been an effective and culture-shaping initiative.
David Torosyan
Human Resources & Payroll Manager, J&Y Law
Impact Shoutouts Drive Meaningful Collaboration
We learned that praise is not about handing out compliments—it’s about highlighting what’s most important in your culture.
One of the moments that was truly transformative to our internal culture was when some of us initiated what we’ve come to call the “Impact Shoutout.” Whenever a team member received a spontaneous, unprovoked compliment from a parent—whether it was a support specialist, curriculum developer, or designer—we celebrated it publicly in our all-hands Slack channel with context and a screenshot. No fanfare, just genuine voices from genuine families.
The result was a 30% increase in cross-functional collaboration on family experience improvements within the next quarter. Why? Because appreciation made their work connect to results that felt human, not transactional.
Recognition doesn’t have to be a mere pat on the back—it must be a compass that aligns your team with what matters most.
Vasilii Kiselev
CEO & Co-Founder, Legacy Online School
Peer Recognition Enhances Interdepartmental Support
Talmatic implemented a peer-nominated recognition process which honors acts that are associated with our core values, such as proactive problem-solving and inter-team collaboration.
And one standout example I’d like to share was when a developer went above and beyond to help the sales team demo a complex feature under tight deadlines.
Public recognition of this effort in our monthly all-hands meeting is more than just boosting that employee’s morale. It led to a noticeable increase in interdepartmental support and initiative-taking across the company.
We do all we can to recognize team members’ progress and reward it, so all employees feel valued.
George Fironov
Co-Founder & CEO, Talmatic
Customer Champion Award Increases Satisfaction
We created the “Customer Champion” monthly award for crew members who receive specific client compliments about communication, cleanliness, or going above and beyond. Winners get a $500 bonus and reserved parking for the month. Last quarter, client satisfaction scores increased 28% as employees began proactively explaining work processes, cleaning up daily instead of just at project end, and following up on concerns without prompting. The recognition program cost us $6,000 annually but generated over $45,000 in referral business from satisfied customers who specifically mentioned our crew’s professionalism.
Tony Mirzakhanyan
President, Prime American Roofing
Targeted Recognition Program Transforms Company Culture
I’ve always believed that recognition is one of the most powerful tools we have to shape our culture and drive the behaviors that matter most. Early on, I noticed that our team was hitting deadlines and delivering quality work, but the collaborative mindset and proactive problem-solving I wanted to see more of weren’t as consistent. So, we decided to experiment with a more intentional approach to employee recognition focused specifically on those behaviors.
We launched a peer-nominated recognition program where team members could highlight colleagues who went above and beyond in collaboration, took initiative, or demonstrated ownership. Each month, those nominated received a personal note from me, acknowledging exactly what they did and why it mattered—not just generic praise. We also shared these stories in our all-hands meetings to reinforce the behaviors publicly.
The impact was noticeable pretty quickly. People started calling out each other’s positive actions more naturally, creating a ripple effect of accountability and support. The focus shifted from just completing tasks to owning the outcomes together. As a result, our project delivery times improved, and we saw a measurable increase in cross-team initiatives that weren’t there before.
This approach didn’t just improve results; it deepened engagement. Employees told me they felt more seen and valued, which reinforced their motivation and commitment. The specificity of recognition was key—when people understand exactly what behaviors drive success, they’re more likely to repeat them.
The lesson for me was clear: recognition isn’t just about saying “good job.” It’s about reinforcing the culture and outcomes you want by spotlighting the right actions in real time. Done thoughtfully, it becomes a catalyst for both individual growth and organizational success.
Strategic Appreciation Fosters Innovation and Efficiency
We leverage employee appreciation as a strategic tool to reinforce high-impact behaviors. For instance, after one of our engineers successfully launched a new backend system that reduced our page load time by 40%, we featured him in our company-wide monthly meeting and related the work he did directly to our key value of “efficiency through innovation.” We even rewarded him with a bonus and LinkedIn kudos, connecting the behavior to a larger result.
Other team members started to share performance-boosting ideas throughout the week in stand-ups. We certainly witnessed a lot more internal collaboration and cross-functional problem-solving, especially between marketing and engineering. It was the kind of thing that had a ripple effect, and people weren’t waiting to be told they could do it—they were looking for ways to help.
The secret of success was linking the recognition to explicit outcomes and values, instead of just rewarding output. It contributed to a culture where people understand what excellence looks like and are motivated to reach for it.
Rob Dillan
Founder, EVhype.com
Ripple Award Reinforces Core Values
One of our core values is emotional presence—being fully engaged with our clients, even when the work is challenging. It’s not easy, especially in addiction treatment where burnout is a real concern. A few years ago, I noticed one of our clinicians consistently staying late—not just to finish paperwork, but to sit with clients through panic attacks, family calls, or just difficult evenings.
Instead of the usual “employee of the month” plaque, we created what we now call the “Ripple Award.” It’s a peer-nominated recognition for team members who show up in quiet, impactful ways that reflect our mission. Sarah was the first recipient.
We didn’t stop at handing her a certificate in a staff meeting. We read a few anonymous nominations aloud so she could hear how her work was perceived. We shared a story from a client who said, “She believed in me when I couldn’t even look in the mirror.” Then, we gave her a Friday off with full pay and arranged coverage—because recognition without rest doesn’t mean much in our line of work.
The result? Morale improved. More team members began nominating each other. It fostered a culture of appreciation from the ground up—not just top-down praise. More importantly, it reinforced the behaviors that actually save lives in our setting: empathy, presence, and consistency.
Recognition isn’t about trophies. It’s about ensuring that the people doing the difficult work know it matters—and that they matter.
Andy Danec
Owner, Ridgeline Recovery LLC