Evaluate your employee recognition program’s performance, celebrate successes, and prepare for the upcoming year. Use the checklist to guide your review, then capture your findings and next steps in the accompanying workbook.
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1️⃣ Program Performance Review
- Review overall participation metrics: number of recognitions sent, nominations submitted, and challenges completed.
- Analyze engagement trends across departments and teams.
- Identify top-performing employees, managers, and teams in the program.
- Compare this year’s data to previous periods to identify growth areas or declines.
2️⃣ Employee Feedback & Sentiment
- Gather feedback from employees via surveys or focus groups about the program.
- Assess satisfaction with available recognition types, badges, and rewards.
- Identify barriers preventing participation (e.g., lack of awareness, program complexity).
- Review comments or suggestions submitted throughout the year.
3️⃣ Program Features & Content
- Review current badges, campaigns, and challenge offerings.
- Identify underutilized features or recognition types.
- Ensure all company values are adequately represented in recognition options.
- Audit reward catalog to confirm items are relevant and appealing.
4️⃣ Manager & Leadership Engagement
- Review manager participation in sending recognitions or nominations.
- Assess leadership visibility and support in recognizing top performers.
- Identify teams or managers who may need additional guidance or training.
- Plan targeted campaigns to increase manager and executive involvement.
5️⃣ Communications & Awareness
- Review program communications: newsletters, announcements, and internal campaigns.
- Evaluate effectiveness of campaigns, contests, and themed recognition weeks.
- Identify gaps in awareness and plan messaging strategies for the new year.
6️⃣ Budget & Rewards
- Review total points awarded versus points redeemed to assess program usage.
- Track unredeemed points and plan communications to encourage redemption before year-end.
- Analyze spending on rewards versus allocated budget to identify savings or overages.
- Prepare budget for the upcoming year, accounting for expected growth in participation and new reward offerings.
- Plan for potential new reward items, campaigns, or challenges that may require budget allocation.
7️⃣ Planning for the New Year
- Set goals for recognition program participation and engagement for the upcoming year.
- Refresh campaigns, challenges, and badges to align with company goals and values.
- Schedule regular check-ins and reporting cadence for program monitoring.
- Plan manager and leadership training to increase adoption and recognition quality.
- Introduce new initiatives or recognition categories based on employee feedback.
8️⃣ Celebration & Acknowledgment
- Highlight top contributors and program champions in year-end communications.
- Consider end-of-year awards or special recognition events.
- Share success stories and metrics to demonstrate the impact of the program.
✅ Tip: Keep a running document with this checklist to track completed actions and lessons learned. It will make program management smoother and help start the new year with a clear plan.
Download the Checklist & Workbook
Two tools to help you move from reflection to action. Complete them digitally or print them for your planning session.
✅ Year-End Recognition Checklist
A three-page checklist covering eight areas of your recognition program, with clickable boxes to track your progress.
📝 Year-End Recognition Workbook
A 10-page companion with guided worksheets, fillable tables, reflection prompts, and a final action plan for your top priorities.
Make Your Review Actionable
Work through the checklist, record your findings in the matching workbook sections, and choose up to three priorities. Assign an owner and due date to each, then schedule your next review.