What does great recognition look like in 2026?

They celebrate the small wins as well as the big ones

Getting rewarded for a job well done is always appreciated, but it’s easy to fall into the trap of only recognising the major accomplishments. 

We see this often with managers and leadership, where everyone has a different view of what is recognition-worthy. For some, it’s about delivering on key results and projects. For others, it might be as simple as a thank you for supporting a colleague with a challenging task. 

That inconsistency creates a gap in experience. The real magic happens when both ends of the recognition spectrum are met. A simple thank you for a small win often gives people just as much feel good as a reward for a big win. 

If you’re seeing inconsistency in how and what is recognised, offer some examples - sometimes we just need a couple pointers on what can (and should) be recognised. Just make sure any examples are specific, meaningful and simple.

Recognition is in sight, in mind

We know that a thank you for a job well done is impactful, but recognition done behind closed doors loses momentum. 

Think of it like this: an employee is recognised by their peer in another team for their contribution to a project. When this recognition isn’t visible, that’s probably as far as it’ll go. 

If that recognition is out in the open, their manager might see it and give them a well done in their 1-to-1, or their team leader might give them a shout out in the next meeting. Or it could simply inspire someone in the team to recognise a colleague who helped them out, too.

Visibility is the foundation of a culture of celebration, and the organisations doing recognition right are making sure it’s at the front and centre of every day.

Recognition is a peer to peer and leadership smoothie

Just as celebrating the big and small wins (and the wins in between) creates a real culture of celebration, recognition shouldn’t just come from managers or leadership. 

Getting everyone involved in recognising good work is a quick way to get that feeling of celebration across your organisation. The contribution a colleague makes for their peer will be different to the impact they have for a senior leader. Not to mention, the managers often don’t see these efforts unless colleagues highlight it. 

A blend of recognition helps show these spider webs of connection and collaboration across the organisation – especially in larger organisations. When you see recognitions coming in from different teams and departments, it shows the amazing cross-functional work happening. And who doesn’t love that?

One size does not fit all

One thing we hear from people leaders time and time again is that one-size-fits-all approaches to recognition simply don’t work. 

The workforces of 2026 are too varied, with people not only working in different functions, but often across different locations, working patterns, and with differing levels of visibility. Recognition programmes need to reflect that reality.

The organisations who are doing tailored recognition well consider a few different things: who they are designing recognition for, how those people work, and what matters to them. Then they use that insight to build something that actually fits.

Often this means that recognition is layered. Reaching one group might be straightforward, but another might require an entirely different approach. Being flexible, thoughtful and willing to adapt to these differences helps tune your recognition programme to suit.

How Monica Vinader tailors recognition

As a retail business, Monica Vinader has a real mixed workforce: head office and customer care who are desk-based, alongside deskless warehouse and retail teams.

They found engaging their office-based teams straightforward, with moments of connection easily made in person and online, sharing and celebrating exciting team announcements.

Yet they needed to find a way to enable regular and meaningful connection for their retail teams. They found that these teams were really engaged on Google Chat, via iPads in store. Taking advantage of this existing communication platform, they created a celebration channel for shoutouts, connecting their retail teams, across many different locations.

It’s not all on HR

Recognition programmes that stick are the ones that are embedded in culture. Here at Perkbox, we even dedicated a whole month to kickstart a habit of celebration (with resources to boot).

Just as getting that blend of peer to peer and leadership recognition is key, any key initiatives and campaigns shouldn’t come from just HR. Creating ownership and accountability from others across the business is the easiest way to get wider involvement and embed it into culture. 

You might do it with:

• Manager training to get them understanding why recognition is important and their role in it
• Gamified recognitions by rewarding those who recognise others regularly
• Getting volunteers from around the business to lead recognition initiatives
• Empowered recognition champions, especially if you have multiple locations
• Holding leadership accountable for modelling the meaningful recognition

How West Brom Building Society does it

West Brom have a broad workforce, split between office and branches. To help tailor recognition to support their teams, they have recognition champions in different locations who are empowered to build their own recognition schemes. These champions lead the charge on open conversations with their local teams about what works, and what makes them feel good.

They also reward colleagues who give the most shout-outs and those who are nominated for consistently living their company values. 

Finally, recognise the whole person

We are all human, and we all have lives outside of work. Taking the time to recognise the whole person can make all the difference for people feeling seen and valued. 

Celebrate people for their actions in their personal lives. Is someone raising money for charity? Shout it out. Another person volunteering in their free time? Celebrate it. 

Not sure where to get started?

Start small - you don’t need fancy awards or big recognition budgets to start building a culture. Encouraging your teams to say thank you, give people a platform to shout out colleagues and let the momentum build from there. 
And if you already do recognition? Find out what your teams actually value from it - and do more of it. 

Recognition helps to connect colleagues and help them feel part of something bigger. When their impact is more visible, they feel more connected to the wider mission and feel more invested.
Learn more about how Monica Vinader and West Brom Building Society have created a culture of celebration in our on-demand webinar.