We see recognition as a way to operationalise culture: O.C. Tanner’s Candy Fernandez

Recognition today is no longer a peripheral HR activity; it’s emerging as a core lever for culture, performance, and retention. But making it work isn’t about moments or mechanics. The challenge is execution. How do you ensure that recognition is not episodic but embedded? Not performative, but purposeful? And most importantly, not soft, but strategically significant?

To unpack these questions, we spoke with Candy Fernandez, Director – People & Great Work at O.C. Tanner. We explored what it means to make recognition sustainable and scalable, how leaders can model the right behaviours, why data must be part of the equation, and how expectations are shifting as new generations enter leadership. Here are some excerpts from the conversation.

Q1: Candy, you have had a diverse career spanning industries and regions, from oil and gas to IT services, recruitment, and consulting. How have these varied experiences shaped your understanding of what it takes to build a people-centric culture? And how have you applied these learnings at OC Tanner to shape a culture that prioritises purpose, belonging, and recognition?

A: I believe a people-centric culture rests on four key pillars:

• Leadership commitment: Leaders are the role models within an organisation. Their words and actions set the tone. They must model people-first behaviours and signal the essence of the organisation to employees.
• Having a clear purpose: Purpose is the heartbeat of a people-centric culture. It provides direction and meaning. When people understand how their work contributes to a larger goal, they feel recognised and valued, which creates a strong sense of belonging.
• Core values of the organisation: These must align with business goals. Once the values are clear, it is important to define the behaviours that reflect them, communicate these to employees, and recognise those who embody them.
• Open and transparent communication: Honest leadership updates, two-way channels, and feedback mechanisms such as surveys and check-ins build psychological safety and show employees that their voices matter.

Building a people-centric culture is not enough. It must be nurtured, sustained, and continuously improved. Other foundational elements include autonomy, inclusion, holistic wellbeing, continuous learning, and accountability. All of these help create and maintain a thriving workplace culture.

Q2: You mentioned the importance of leaders. What frameworks or behaviours have you found most effective in encouraging leaders to model and champion a culture of recognition? Could you also share examples of what has worked well at OC Tanner?

A: Leaders have a direct influence on employee engagement and satisfaction. However, many of them struggle to balance delivering business outcomes with supporting and recognising their people. This is where HR plays a crucial role.

We support leaders by providing frameworks and tools that make recognition part of daily conversations and actions. It is about more than just providing technology. We also invest in educating leaders on the impact of recognition on engagement, productivity, and business goals.

Our recognition framework is designed to be scalable and inclusive, supporting recognition across all levels. We encourage peer-to-peer recognition alongside traditional top-down approaches. Continuous communication with leaders helps ensure the technology is being used effectively and meaningfully.

At OC Tanner, we also ensure that recognition goes beyond outcomes. We focus on acknowledging daily efforts, small wins, and celebrating both personal milestones and major achievements. We offer multiple types of recognition, from e-cards to recognising life events and career milestones. This holistic approach ensures everyone can give and receive recognition in a way that feels genuine.

Q3: Recognition is sometimes seen as intangible or soft. What business metrics or data points have been most compelling in demonstrating its return on investment?

A: To demonstrate ROI, HR leaders first need to define what they want to measure. That could be retention, engagement, productivity, or something else like collaboration or a sense of connection.

We focus on three main areas:

• Employee Experience: This includes programme adoption, satisfaction, and ongoing engagement. Strong technology platforms provide analytics and dashboards to track how recognition is being used over time and across business units.
• Company Culture: This requires both quantitative and qualitative insights. Quantitative tools like pulse surveys are valuable, but so are qualitative methods like interviews and focus groups. One simple but powerful question we ask in surveys is, “Would you recommend your company as a great place to work to friends or family?”
• Business Impact: This includes tangible data such as retention rates, absenteeism, and performance metrics, which can be drawn from systems like HRMS and LMS.

When you combine insights from all three areas, you get a clear picture of the overall impact and ROI of your recognition programme.

Q4: Expectations around recognition have evolved, particularly as Gen Z and Millennials move into leadership roles. How has OC Tanner adapted its recognition strategies to meet these diverse and changing needs?

Many organisations today work with multi-generational teams, sometimes including up to four generations. Recognition needs to be timely, frequent, meaningful, and personalised to meet the expectations of all employees.

At OC Tanner, we focus on integrated recognition. It begins with the onboarding experience and continues throughout the employee's journey. This might include welcome notes, e-cards, or simple gestures from colleagues. Recognition must be woven into day-to-day interactions and workplace culture.

We celebrate both effort and achievement, whether large projects or small daily contributions. Our platform allows for top-down, bottom-up, and peer-to-peer recognition. We also recognise life events and career milestones, and ensure that our approach reflects cultural nuances and specific organisational contexts.

The right technology makes it possible to personalise recognition while meeting the expectations of a diverse workforce.

Q5: From your experience, what structural and cultural shifts do HR teams need to make to move from sporadic recognition to a sustainable, embedded culture of recognition?

Everything we have discussed so far leads to this. The key is integrated and sustainable recognition. According to our Global Culture Report, only 21 per cent of organisations have recognition fully embedded in their culture. Often, the focus is only on tools or programmes, rather than on embedding recognition into the everyday employee experience. 

As I mentioned earlier, recognition should be embedded across the employee journey and reflected in everyday culture.

When you have great technology and human intervention come together, it can bring magic to recognition in your organisation.

Q6: Looking ahead, what trends or innovations do you believe will most significantly shape the future of employee recognition over the next five years? How should HR leaders prepare for this shift?

We are seeing a shift towards hyper-personalised recognition, which requires strong technology to support it.

Some key trends include:

1. AI-driven recognition that enables tailored and timely recognition experiences.
2. Integration of recognition platforms with existing internal tools and systems.
3. Inclusive, value-based recognition aligned with organisational core values.
4. Recognition strategies backed by data help HR teams understand which types of recognition drive performance, retention, or engagement.

To prepare, HR leaders should invest in scalable platforms, equip managers with the skills to deliver authentic recognition, and ensure alignment between recognition and business goals. Embracing technology and AI is essential. When used thoughtfully, these tools can enhance human connection rather than complicate it.