How to adjust your recognition programme for different regions and cultures (2024)

If your organisation spans the globe, it’s crucial that employee recognition ismemorable and meaningful, regardless of an employee’s location. There are several compelling reasons to embrace a global recognition solution:

1. Resource efficiencies: Managing a single programme streamlines processes and compliance, allows for shared infrastructure and costs and reduces administrative overheads.

2. Greater transparency:Operating standalone regional programmes within global organisations can hinder monitoring effectiveness and measuring return on investment.A centralised recognition system not only provides a single view of performance but also captures meaningful engagement and trend data for global comparison.

3. Leveraging best practice: The organisation can adopt best practices and innovations, and avoid by sharing successful recognition strategies globally. Regional programmes may miss out on valuable insights.

4. More consistency and equality: Deploying your recognition strategy globally ensures a layer of standardisation of objectives, consistency and equality in programme delivery and overall wellbeing throughout your entire organisation.

5. Alignment to organisation values: A global programme reinforces the organisation’s core values universally.

6. Fosters inclusivity: A global programme encourages cross-cultural awareness and a more inclusive workplace.

7. Stronger employer brand: A consistent global recognition programme enhances the organisation’s reputation as an employer of choice, helping to attract top talent and retain existing employees.

What are some of the key considerations to ensure your global recognition programme has impact for the people in the different regions?

Comprehensive implementation

Too often, off-the-shelf solutions leave out critical components that turn a good peer-to-peer recognition programme into a great one. Overlay the additional complexity that comes with global implementation and factors such as how to integrate regional programmes and cultural exceptions, and how to manage cross-country recognition programmes and regional tax implications, and the risk for oversights increases.

Magnify recognition with culturally aspirational rewards

Business as usual doesn’t work in China

• Business strategies must be connected to China’s digital ecosystem. To effectively do business, you need to be mobile-first as well as integrated with WeChat, Tencent’s super app.
• The Great Firewall of China compounds digital engagement challenges. Multinational corporations who want to access Chinese users should engage with them through WeChat or localise websites inside the firewall with an internet content provider (ICP) license.
• Data privacy compliance is required and complex. Non-compliance with personal information protection laws (PIPL) can attract significant penalties.
• Guanxi (relationships, connections or networks) is a cultural gatekeeper. Chinese culture is based on face-to-face interactions and on guanxi. It’s essential to business success, supply chain management and deal-making.

To learn more, check out our full blog, 4 Fundamentals To Optimise Employee and Channel Partner Engagement in China.

Global recognition

BI WORLDWIDE champions truly global recognition solutions. In our interconnected world, a global recognition programme isn't just practical - it's essential. By embracing empathy and understanding regional and cultural nuances, organisations can create a unified employee experience that transcends borders, fosters collaboration, and builds cultureal awareness.

Recognition isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. To be effective, a global programme must acknowledge the unique fabric of each region within your organisation. A centralised approach, offering global oversight while allowing for regional implementation, ensures a recognition-rich culture worldwide.