$1.9 trillion lost
Employees who are not engaged or actively disengaged account for an estimated $1.9 trillion in lost U.S. productivity.
—Gallup
Human Resources Solutions
Employee Engagement Programs That Drive Participation, Culture, and Retention
Recognition Employees Notice. Rewards They Choose.
Employee engagement programs combine communication, manager support, rewards, and experiences to connect employees to their work, team, and organization. Next Level Performance builds employee engagement programs for HR leaders that raise participation, support retention, and give leadership reporting on results.
HR leaders shape engagement through the full employee experience: how people hear from leadership, how managers support them, and how the organization marks progress. When HR aligns those pieces, participation climbs and people stay longer.
Ready to improve engagement? Share your goals and timeline, and we will recommend the right mix of strategy, technology, rewards, and experiences.
Let’s TalkFor 50 years, we have helped HR teams raise participation, strengthen retention, and build cultures employees choose to stay in.
The Data Behind Employee Engagement
When engagement is strong, organizations often see meaningful gains, including lower absenteeism, improved retention, stronger performance, and higher customer satisfaction.
44%
Incentive programs running for a year or more are associated with performance improvements of up to 44%.
—Incentive Research Foundation, Incentives, Motivation and Workplace Performance
50% not engaged
In 2023, 50% of employees were not engaged and 16% were actively disengaged.
—Gallup
Employee Engagement Strategies That Hold Up After Launch
Four strategies anchor every employee engagement program we design. Each one gives HR a result it can measure.
Listen before you design.
Start with what employees tell you through surveys, interviews, and manager feedback. HR teams that build around real priorities earn participation from the first week.
Equip your managers first.
Managers set the tone for their teams. Give them simple tools, talking points, and visibility into team activity, and they carry the program forward.
Connect rewards to values.
Tie rewards, milestones, and experiences to the behaviors your culture depends on. Employees learn what matters by watching what the organization celebrates.
Consistently measure participation.
Track who participates, where activity drops, and how engagement signals move. Review reports monthly so you can adjust before momentum slows.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
Employee Experience Solutions for HR Teams
Engagement Program Design
Program goals, participation targets, milestone moments, values-based categories, and guidelines employees understand from day one.
Everyday Appreciation Tools
Peer and manager appreciation built into daily work. Supported by Applaudit®.
Rewards and Experiences
Points redeemable across thousands of options in the Global Rewards Marketplace, plus travel experiences for top performers, when rewards are the right move.
Communications and Manager Enablement
Launch campaigns, system communications, and manager guides that keep participation steady past the first month.
Reporting Leaders can Trust
Adoption and activity visibility to prove value and optimize over time.
Low Participation
We design actions employees complete in minutes and launch with communications that build momentum, so participation grows past the first few weeks.
Inconsistent Recognition
We help you build repeatable recognition moments with manager tools and simple workflows so appreciation is timely, visible, and fair.
Budget Pressure and Proving Value
We tie the program to metrics your leadership tracks, including participation, engagement signals, and retention, so you can report what the investment returns.
Culture Change that Doesn’t Stick
We translate company values into visible behaviors, program criteria, and experiences, so employees see the culture in action every week.
Common Challenges and How We Help
HR teams face the same obstacles across industries. Next Level Performance addresses each one with clear goals and values-based program design.
Low Participation
We design actions employees complete in minutes and launch with communications that build momentum, so participation grows past the first few weeks.
Inconsistent Recognition
We help you build repeatable recognition moments with manager tools and simple workflows so appreciation is timely, visible, and fair.
Budget Pressure and Proving Value
We tie the program to metrics your leadership tracks, including participation, engagement signals, and retention, so you can report what the investment returns.
Culture Change that Doesn’t Stick
We translate company values into visible behaviors, program criteria, and experiences, so employees see the culture in action every week.
Ready to Talk?
Tell us your workforce size, goals, and timeline. We will respond with recommended next steps and the right solution mix.
Where Engagement & Recognition Solutions Fit
Engagement works best when it’s built into how work gets done. Embed appreciation into daily culture so recognition doesn’t fade — it compounds. From Applaudit®, our employee engagement platform solution for the moments that matter to turnkey solutions like Great Rewards®, and Great Escapes®, we can make administration easy while you focus on timely, visible recognition that supports performance and reduces turnover.
Ready to build sustained engagement? Explore the solutions that fit your culture and goals.
With Applaudit, you can:
- Make recognition easy to repeat
- Strengthen connections
- Spotlight everyday wins
- Reinforce values with meaningful rewards
Frequently Asked Questions
Employee Recognition & Engagement Insights
Case Study
Success Story: Do The Right Thing
Insight Blog
Why Top Companies Balance Compensation and Company Culture
Let’s Talk
Have a question?
Contact Us about your audience, goals, and timeline. We’ll recommend the best next step and the right solution mix.