A global approach to creating a high-performance culture
A global bank recognised the critical role an effective recognition strategy plays in driving business performance and employee engagement.
With a workforce of more than 90,000 people across 52 countries, the bank sought to reimagine the way it recognised its employees. Their aim was clear: to establish a unified global solution that would link recognition activity to strategic objectives and valued behaviours while maintaining the flexibility to respect regional differences.
Partnering with BI WORLDWIDE, the bank embarked on a complex global recognition implementation that laid the foundation for a high-performance, recognition-rich culture.
The scope: one global programme to unite diverse markets
Prior to the new programme, the bank operated several global and local recognition initiatives. However, these were fragmented and lacked consistency across markets.
The bank wanted a single platform that would provide line of sight on recognition activity across its entire organisation, and the key requirement was a global solution that could:
- Align all recognition to business goals and behavioural values
- Offer flexibility to accommodate local markets
- Reach all employees regardless of location, culture or language.
With over 90,000 employees spanning 52 countries, the challenge was significant. The bank needed a robust technical and cultural framework that could support global scale while respecting regional nuances.
The approach: six streams to a successful global rollout
Global recognition programmes bring unique complexities around legal, technical, financial and cultural considerations. BI WORLDWIDE’s ‘Six Streams of Implementation’ methodology provided a clear, structured approach.
Over a 10-month period, conducted entirely online due to the global scale, BI WORLDWIDE guided 75 stakeholders from the bank’s HR, IT, marketing, finance, legal and communications teams through each stream:
Legal, compliance and governance
This involved master service agreements, regulatory requirements, audits and risk considerations. It was crucial to meet strict internal policies as well as external financial services regulators’ standards globally.
IT integrations, data security and transfer
Information security reviews and hosting options were carefully managed. The solution included bespoke integrations with the bank’s HRIS and a ‘One Cert’ system that allowed finely tuned permissions and reporting access.
Finance, tax and payroll
The programme accounted for invoicing requirements, tax compliance and maintaining points parity across regions to ensure fairness and transparency.
Programme design
This included auditing existing recognition initiatives and designing workshops to creatively develop a global framework that incorporated regional programmes and extended reach.
Platform development
The solution was configured to support multiple languages (initially four, with plans for 19) and underwent rigorous user acceptance testing to ensure seamless functionality.
Communication and engagement
A comprehensive communications strategy was created, including training, gap analysis, engagement plans and ongoing reporting to ensure adoption and enthusiasm.
Delivering with DayMaker and the Global Rewards Marketplace
The foundation of the implementation was BI WORLDWIDE’s DayMaker recognition platform, seamlessly integrated with the Global Rewards Marketplace. This provided employees with access to over seven million merchandise, experience, and personal development rewards worldwide.
The new programme, aptly named “Appreciate,” provided the bank with a world-class, flexible recognition solution that balanced global scale with local relevance.
Building momentum across the organisation
Rolling out a recognition programme at this scale required careful coordination and meaningful engagement across the business.
To secure early support, BI WORLDWIDE led a series of global briefing sessions with the bank’s 2,000-strong HR community. These sessions focused on demonstrating how the programme aligned with the organisation’s IT and data security policies, as well as meeting regulatory expectations from bodies such as the FCA and local Monetary Authorities.
To build further anticipation and awareness, a comprehensive communications campaign was launched. This included a naming contest for the programme, a series of teaser messages to generate early interest, and high-profile announcements from the CEO.
These were supported by practical resources, including best practice guides and FAQs, to help managers and employees understand the platform and how to get involved.
Together, these efforts created a strong sense of anticipation and support across the organisation, ensuring the launch landed with optimum impact.
Immediate results and growing engagement
The effect of the coordinated launch strategy was clear from day one. In just the first 30 days, the platform recorded 52,000 visits, with over 35,000 recognitions submitted and more than two million reward points issued to employees.
Impressively, the first reward redemption took place on the second day, highlighting the immediate appeal and accessibility of the platform.
Since launch, engagement has continued to grow steadily, underlining the programme’s effectiveness in inspiring meaningful recognition and helping to embed a culture of appreciation throughout the business.
Strengthening culture through recognition
Following the successful launch, the bank is now working with BI WORLDWIDE to expand the programme’s reach even further. Plans are underway to introduce global service awards, support life events with tailored recognition, run targeted employee engagement campaigns, and implement performance-related incentives.
Each of these additions will help embed a deeper, more consistent culture of appreciation across the organisation, while continuing to reinforce the high-performance behaviours the bank values.
Uniting recognition efforts across such a large and globally dispersed workforce is no small task. But BI WORLDWIDE’s structured and collaborative approach has delivered a recognition solution that not only meets complex regulatory and compliance standards, but also genuinely resonates with employees.
“Appreciate” now sits at the heart of the bank’s approach to employee recognition, proving that a well-executed programme can build momentum, drive cultural change and support long-term business success.
Supplied by REBA Associate Member, BI WORLDWIDE
BI WORLDWIDE is a global engagement agency delivering measurable results for clients through inspirational employee and channel reward and recognition solutions.
