Recognition Works 2026: Watch the Sessions On Demand

Recognition Works brought together HR leaders, practitioners, and industry experts for a full day of conversations about what recognition can actually change at work.

From performance and retention to manager enablement, AI, measurement, and recognition strategy, each session explored practical ways to make recognition more intentional and more connected to the outcomes that matter.

Catch up on the sessions below and explore the ideas, research, and practical takeaways from Recognition Works 2026.

Watch Recognition Works 2026

Missed a session or want to revisit a conversation? Choose a recording below.

Session	Speaker(s)
Do I Matter Here? How Recognition Impacts Performance & Retention	Sarah McVanel
Recognition Matters. What It Builds Matters More.	Jason Lindstrom
The Recognition Impact Gap: Why Some Programs Drive Behavior	Yannick Provencher
Recognition for Performance: Turning Business Priorities Into Behaviors	Eric Clark, Becky Krekelberg & Sean MacLeay
Recognition for Retention: Turning Signals Into Action	Nicole Tenneyuque, Katie Kleyla & Jacqueline McMahon
HR & AI: What to Automate, Assist & Keep Human	Phil Strazzulla, Paul Carney & Paul Satkunasingam
How to Build a Recognition Strategy That Works	Zech Dahms & Vanessa Cannizzaro
Solving Your Biggest Recognition Challenges	Rodrigo Ortega
Recognition, Coaching & What Leaders Need to Measure	Sarah Sheehan & Maureen Kennedy
The Future of Bucketlist: Recognition, Rewards & Motivation	Joe Marconato & Day Kirby

Do I Matter Here? Why Recognition Changes How People Perform, Contribute, and Stay

Presented by: Sarah McVanel, Recognition Expert & Keynote Speaker at Greatness Magnified

One of the most important questions we can ask at work is also one of the simplest: Do I matter here?

In this keynote, Sarah McVanel explores why that question has such a powerful influence on connection, motivation, discretionary effort, performance, and an employee’s willingness to stay.

In this session, you’ll learn how to:

• Understand why feeling valued matters to performance, motivation, and retention
• Use recognition to strengthen connection and contribution across your organization
• Create more meaningful moments at work that help employees feel seen and valued

Recognition Matters. What It Builds Matters More.

Presented by: Jason Lindstrom, CEO at Bucketlist Rewards

Recognition is important, but the real opportunity is what recognition can help build.

This session explores how recognition can connect culture, behaviours, rewards, and business priorities to create a stronger employee experience and reinforce the things that matter most to your organization.

In this session, you’ll learn how to:

• Rethink the role recognition plays in your organization
• Connect recognition to culture, behaviours, and business priorities
• Use recognition to reinforce what matters most and drive more intentional outcomes

The Recognition Impact Gap: Why Some Programs Change Behavior and Others Don’t

Presented by: Yannick Provencher, I/O Psychology Advisor at Bucketlist Rewards

Why do some recognition programs meaningfully influence employee behaviour while others become background noise?

This research-focused session explores the practices behind recognition that creates real impact, from how recognition is designed to how organizations measure whether it is changing the behaviours and outcomes they care about.

In this session, you’ll learn how to:

• Design recognition practices that drive real impact
• Reinforce the behaviours that support performance and business outcomes
• Measure what changes so you can understand whether recognition is truly working

Recognition Works for Performance: Turn Business Priorities Into Behaviors That Drive Results

Presented by: Eric Clark, Chief Culture & Communications Officer at JRI Hospitality · Becky Krekelberg, Vice President of Talent Strategy at Nexus Family Healing · Sean MacLeay, Customer Success Manager at Bucketlist Rewards

Every organization has priorities it needs employees to act on. The challenge is translating those priorities into clear, repeatable behaviours people can put into practice every day.

This session explores how recognition can help reinforce those behaviours and connect everyday employee actions back to the outcomes the business is working toward.

In this session, you’ll learn how to:

• Turn business priorities into clear employee behaviours
• Define the habits and actions that recognition should reinforce
• Build a recognition approach that helps drive performance in a practical, repeatable way

Recognition Works for Retention: Turn Signals Into Action Before People Leave

Presented by: Nicole Tenneyuque, Senior Global Engagement & Impact Manager at Storable · Katie Kleyla, Director of Teammate Experience at Esler Companies · Jacqueline McMahon, Vice President of Customer Success at Bucketlist Rewards

Retention challenges often start long before an employee decides to leave.

This session explores how recognition signals can help organizations identify where employees may not be feeling seen, spot patterns across teams and managers, and take action before those signals turn into bigger retention problems.

In this session, you’ll learn how to:

• Spot recognition signals that may point to retention challenges
• Identify patterns across teams, managers, locations, or employee groups
• Turn those insights into action before retention becomes a bigger issue

Build Your HR AI Operating Model: What to Automate, Assist, and Keep Human

Presented by: Phil Strazzulla, Founder & Head of People at SelectSoftware Reviews · Paul Carney, Founder & President at Ishtot and Former CHRO · Paul Satkunasingam, Director of Engineering at Bucketlist Rewards

AI is quickly becoming part of how HR teams work, but adopting AI is only part of the challenge. Teams also need to decide where it should help, where it should automate, and where people should remain firmly in control.

This session provides a practical framework for making those decisions while keeping judgment, empathy, accountability, and the human experience at the centre.

In this session, you’ll learn how to:

• Identify the HR work AI can automate without losing what matters
• Use AI to surface insights and patterns more efficiently
• Decide what should stay human when empathy, judgment, and accountability are essential

AMA: Building a Recognition Strategy That Works

Presented by: Zech Dahms, President at Achieve Network · Vanessa Cannizzaro, Vice President of Talent Management & Operations at Intelerad

Recognition already happens in every organization. The opportunity is making it more intentional, consistent, and connected to what your organization is trying to achieve.

This session explores what it takes to move beyond one-off recognition moments and build a broader strategy that supports employee experience, culture, performance, and retention.

In this session, you’ll learn how to:

• Build a recognition strategy that goes beyond one-off moments
• Align recognition with business needs, employee experience, and culture
• Measure and evolve your approach so it continues to support performance and retention

Hot Seat: Bring Your Biggest Recognition Challenge

Presented by Rodrigo Ortega, Customer Success Manager at Bucketlist rewards

Every organization has different recognition challenges, from low participation and manager adoption to inconsistent recognition and unclear business impact.

In this live hot-seat session, Rodrigo works through real recognition challenges and breaks them down into the behaviours that need to change, where recognition can help, and the practical next steps organizations can take.

In this session, you’ll learn how to:

• Break down recognition challenges into clear, practical problems to solve
• Identify where your current strategy may be falling short
• Take the next best step to improve your recognition approach

Never Miss a Moment: Recognition, Coaching, and What Executives Need to Measure

Presented by: Sarah Sheehan, CEO at Bravely · Maureen Kennedy, Head of Coaching at Bravely

Some of the most important moments at work happen in the middle of everyday conversations.

This session explores how recognition and coaching can work together to help managers respond to those moments more effectively while giving leaders greater visibility into whether recognition is happening consistently across the organization.

In this session, you’ll learn how to:

• Recognize the moments that matter most in everyday work
• Use recognition and coaching together to support stronger manager habits
• Measure what leaders need to see to strengthen recognition across the organization

Motivation in Action: A First Look at the Future of Bucketlist

Presented by: Joe Marconato, President & COO at Bucketlist Rewards · Day Kirby, Senior Product Manager at Bucketlist Rewards

What could work look like if motivation became part of how employees experience their day, rather than something organizations try to create after the fact?

This session explores the future of Bucketlist and how recognition, rewards, incentives, and intelligent technology can work together to connect employee actions with the goals organizations are trying to achieve.

In this session, you’ll learn how to:

• Turn business goals into motivating actions
• Use recognition, rewards, and incentives to reinforce the behaviours that matter
• Create meaningful momentum by connecting everyday actions to broader business outcomes

Ready to Put Recognition to Work?

The ideas from Recognition Works are only the starting point.

Connect with a Bucketlist Recognition Expert to explore how recognition could support your organization’s goals, from strengthening manager habits and employee retention to reinforcing the behaviours that drive performance.