The Recognition Programme Maturity Model
Is your recognition programme driving the outcomes that matter most?
Let’s be honest!
Recognition is everywhere – but is it working hard enough?
In some organisations, it’s a few thank-you emails. In others, it’s a global platform with bells and whistles. But even the most established programmes often fall short of their potential.
Why?
Because they’re stuck. Stuck in the middle. Stuck in “good enough.”
And in today’s world, “good enough” doesn’t move the needle.
Recognition has evolved
It’s no longer a feel-good initiative. In the world’s leading organisations, recognition is now a catalyst for shaping culture, reinforcing values, and retaining top talent, especially as employee expectations continue to evolve.
But here’s the truth: most organisations we speak to are surprised to discover that their recognition efforts, even when well-established within their organisation, are still in the early to mid-stages of maturity. That’s not a shortcoming; it’s a reflection of how much untapped potential still exists to deepen impact, align with strategic goals, and build a resilient, forward-looking employee experience.
That’s why we have created the Recognition Programme Maturity Model
The Recognition Programme Maturity Model is a five-stage framework designed to help you benchmark where you are today and uncover what’s possible in the future.
Whether you’re scaling globally or refining your approach, the model offers a clear roadmap for embedding recognition in a way that aligns with your broader people and business goals.
Through our work with hundreds of organisations, we’ve identified a clear pattern in how recognition evolves. These insights form the basis of our five-stage maturity model:
| Maturity Stage | Characteristic | Opportunity |
| Fragmented | Recognition exists but is inconsistent, often invisible, and varies significantly across teams and regions. | Introduce structure, centralise efforts, and build awareness. |
| Structured | A global framework delivers a standardised experience and early Employee Value Proposition integration. | Ensure consistency, align with values, engage managers, and localise effectively. |
| Embedded | Recognition is cultural, with high global adoption and strategic integration across the employee lifecycle. | Expand recognition types, measure impact against HR KPIs and personalise experiences. |
| Strategic | Recognition supports broader business goals and integrates with other technologies and initiatives. | Reinforce behaviours tied to outcomes like sales and profitability; link to non-HR KPIs. |
| Optimised | Recognition is core to how your organisation operates, leads, and grows. | Use data to guide strategy, prove impact, and future-proof the employee experience. |
Want to know where you stand?
Take our Recognition Programme Maturity Assessment and unlock your personalised Recognition Programme Maturity Toolkit, including:
In less than 10 minutes, you could start unlocking the roadmap to transformational change
Why advancing your recognition programme maturity is a business imperative
Recognition isn’t just about making people feel good, it’s about driving outcomes that matter.
As your programme matures, it unlocks a broader spectrum of employee and business results. The BI WORLDWIDE Engagement Framework outlines six key outcomes recognition can influence:
Achievement
Celebrate top performance
Loyalty
Honour milestones and tenure
Results
Reinforce goal attainment
Development
Recognise learning and growth
Progress
Acknowledge everyday performance
Culture
Embed values and behaviours
These outcomes scale in reach and frequency as recognition becomes more embedded and strategic.
Advancing your programme matters because it:
- Boosts engagement and retention – Employees who feel valued are more engaged, productive, and loyal.
Companies with highly effective recognition programmes have 31% lower voluntary turnover rates. [Source: SHRM/Globoforce] - Drives business performance – Strategic recognition links directly to outcomes like customer satisfaction, innovation, and revenue growth.
- Creates a consistent, inclusive global culture – Mature programmes ensure equity, adapt to local cultures, and unify the employee experience.
- Enables strategic, data-driven decision-making – Recognition data reveals gaps, correlates with performance metrics, and informs workforce planning.
- Future-proofs your employee experience – Tech-enabled, personalised, and real-time recognition keeps pace with evolving expectations.
- Strengthens your employer brand – Recognition enhances your Employee Value Proposition, attracts top talent, and reinforces your brand values
How BI WORLDWIDE supports you at every stage
In thriving workplaces, recognition is more than a programme, it’s a living, evolving part of the organisational culture. By understanding where your organisation sits today – fragmented, structured, embedded, strategic, or optimised – you can take intentional steps to create a recognition experience that celebrates contributions, defines culture and drives measurable business results.
Whatever stage you’re at, we work with you to build a recognition experience that fits your culture and goals.
- We help bring clarity and structure, launch scalable platforms, and equip managers.
- We align recognition with values, engage leaders, and personalise experiences.
- We connect recognition to onboarding, learning, wellbeing, and performance.
- We bring innovation; behavioural science, AI-powered nudges, predictive analytics, and global rewards.
So, where are you now? And, where could you go next?
Take our Recognition Programme Maturity assessment today and unlock your personalised playbook to start driving deeper engagement, stronger culture, and measurable business outcomes.
Find out more about our recognition solutions
BIW are global recognition leaders. Take a look at our solutions or speak to one of our experts to learn more about how we could help you.
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Service Awards
Celebrating service should go beyond counting years – it should honour impact and embrace the feeling that employees belong and matter.
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Elevate™
Elevate™ is the complete solution that offers all elements of employee and sales engagement. Elevate™ enables you to recognise outstanding performances and milestones with ease, via celebrations, incentives, merchandise, personalised experiences and more.
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Rewards Marketplace
Trust us – you’ve never rewarded like this before! A Global Rewards Marketplace with an unbeatable collection of over 1 million aspirational merchandise, once-in-a-lifetime experiences, self-serve travel options and learning opportunities to quench curiosities
