Why Recognition Today Needs a Redesign (And How We Can Do It Better)

Since joining Xoxoday, I’ve had many wonderful conversations with fellow HR leaders, business owners, and culture champions about something we all care deeply about: how to motivate people in meaningful ways.

One of the biggest questions I keep hearing is: What does good recognition actually look like in today’s world of work?

Recognition has changed—but not everyone has caught up.

Gone are the days when a generic "Employee of the Month" plaque or a $100 gift card was enough. Today’s employees are craving something deeper. Recognition now needs to be:

• Timely – Not 6 months later at an all-hands, but in the moment.

• Personal – Not one-size-fits-all, but aligned with individual preferences.

• Visible – Not just in private emails, but celebrated in a way that builds culture.

• Tied to values – Not random or obligatory, but clearly connected to behaviors that matter.

A story that stayed with me:

At a previous company, one of our engineers stayed up all night fixing a critical issue right before a major launch. Instead of just saying “thanks,” her manager sent a public Slack shoutout, tagged the leadership team, and awarded her recognition points she later used to treat her family to a weekend getaway.

She later told me: “It wasn’t even the reward. It was knowing that someone noticed, and that my family got to feel proud too.”

That’s when it clicked. Recognition isn't just about perks or programs. It's about belonging. It's about helping people feel seen and valued in ways that matter to them.

So how do we get this right?

As someone who’s worked in HR for two decades, I’ve learned that the best recognition systems are:

• Flexible – Different people are motivated by different things (experiences, donations, branded swag, time off, even personalized notes).

• Integrated – Recognition shouldn't feel like “another platform” to check. It should be embedded into your daily workflows—your email, Slack, Teams, or even Zoom.

• Empowered – Peer-to-peer recognition is incredibly powerful. Sometimes your coworkers notice your efforts even more than your boss does.

At Xoxoday, I joined a team that’s made it their mission to simplify this—by creating tools that make rewards and recognition more human, more scalable, and more impactful. Not because rewards are “nice to have,” but because they shape culture at its core.

I’d love to hear from you:

• What’s the best recognition experience you’ve had at work?

• What’s something your company is doing (or could do) to make recognition more meaningful?

• Where do you think we, as HR leaders, are still getting it wrong?

Let’s swap stories, learn from each other, and build a more motivated workplace—one thoughtful moment at a time.

Feel free to connect or drop a comment. Let’s make this a conversation, not a campaign.

#EmployeeExperience #RecognitionMatters #FutureOfWork #HRLeadership #Xoxoday #CultureByDesign