Recognition Champions Can Boost Retention

Restaurant operators can reduce staff turnover and enhance workplace culture by encouraging recognition champions who promote employee appreciation, according to The State of Employee Recognition 2026 from O.C. Tanner. When recognition becomes part of the day-to-day and strengthens relationships, organizations see up to 43 times higher odds of trust, 25 times higher odds of great work, along with three times higher odds of retention. 

“Recognition champions are the individuals in organizations who make appreciation contagious,” said Cristen Dalessandro, principal researcher at O.C. Tanner. “When I think about recognition champions in hospitality, I picture the people who create small but meaningful moments of connection between employees amid fast-paced, high-pressure shifts.”

What sets champions apart is that they do this regularly enough that it becomes part of how the team operates, not something occasional or forced, Dalessandro explained, offering an example of  line cooks and managers who take a moment to acknowledge a teammate during a rush or call out great service after a long shift. 

“Champions are the ones who make that possible by modeling what meaningful recognition actually looks like as a natural part of how the team operates every day.”

Create a Recognition Champion Program

An effective recognition program should feel as if it fits naturally into the work, she said. In an industry as busy and fast-paced as hospitality, recognition won’t last if it just feels like another task to complete or a box to check for employees, but when it’s built into moments that already exist, like pre-shift huddles, quick check-ins during a shift, or conversations between teammates, it becomes much easier to sustain.

Recognition champions play an important role because they act as the on-the-ground drivers of those moments, helping bring recognition to life in a way that feels natural and consistent. An effective program identifies those individuals and gives them the encouragement and space to model recognition regularly, Dalessandro noted.

Champions are the ones who make that possible by modeling what meaningful recognition actually looks like as a natural part of how the team operates every day.

“When champions are supported by leaders and empowered to recognize others in real time, it creates visible examples for the rest of the team. That’s what helps recognition build momentum and become part of the team’s everyday rhythm.”

Hospitality companies are least likely to have recognition champions for a number of reasons, the data found. Hospitality environments have a higher concentration of frontline employees, which means many workers don’t have the same access to the digital tools that corporate teams rely on for recognition. 

A lot of modern recognition is built around technology, whether that’s platforms, messaging tools, or digital shoutouts, so when employees aren’t regularly on those systems, recognition shows up less often in their day-to-day experience. Even in environments where these tools are available, 37 percent of employees don’t use their recognition technology regularly, which shows how difficult it can be to build consistent habits when recognition isn’t naturally embedded into the flow of work, Dalessandro pointed out. Because of that, many organizations struggle to translate recognition into environments where there’s no email, Slack, or easy way to share appreciation at scale. 

“It’s not that recognition isn’t valued, it’s that it doesn’t always have a clear way to show up. That gap impacts both recognition programs and recognition champions. Without visible examples of what recognition looks like in real time, it becomes harder for those behaviors to take hold and spread across the team.”

Why Recognition Champions Matter

The role of the recognition champion is important in restaurant environments because everything depends on how well the team works together in the moment, especially during high-pressure shifts where there’s little room for misalignment, she added. 

“Recognition champions help reinforce the importance of collaboration by showing each employee how their individual contributions matter to the overall success of the team, even when great work can easily go unnoticed. That visibility builds trust, strengthens communication, and helps teams stay aligned on what great service looks like. When employees know the unique value they bring, they’re more motivated to support one another, which ultimately strengthens how the team performs.”

Identifying Recognition Champions

Most teams already have recognition champions, Dalessandro said, adding that they just need to identify the individuals who naturally engage with others. These employees are the first to call out great work, step in to support teammates without being asked, and create a sense of camaraderie, even during the busiest shifts. They also tend to have strong relationships across roles, whether in the front or back of the house. 

“That trust shows up in how they bring teams together and make recognition feel part of the everyday. In fact, when recognition champions are present, employees are 3x more likely to say recognition builds community. You’ll often notice others mirroring their behavior, which is usually the clearest sign that you’ve found a champion.”

If hiring for potential recognition champions, look for people who are naturally tuned into others, not just focused on completing their own tasks. Authenticity and strong communication are key indicators, Dalessandro said. 

“The strongest candidates are those who notice what’s happening around them and take the time to acknowledge it, whether that’s a team member stepping in to support a coworker who’s getting overwhelmed during a rush or a manager recognizing when someone handled a difficult table well and calling it out in the moment. These are the kinds of behaviors that signal someone will naturally model recognition in a way others will follow.”

Another important quality is the ability to connect actions to impact as these champions understand not just what someone did, but why it mattered to the team or the overall business, she added. That’s important because recognition only drives results when it’s meaningful and when recognition is intentional, employees are ten times more likely to feel personally invested in helping the organization succeed, which shows how powerful those human moments can be when done well.

Encourage Recognition Champions

Management can encourage staff to be recognition champions by modeling the behavior themselves and doing so consistently, the data found. When managers make recognition visible during staff meetings and on the floor, it sends a clear message that appreciation is part of how the team operates, not something saved for special occasions.

Beyond that, it’s about creating an environment where recognition feels natural and easy to give. It doesn’t need to be formal or time-consuming to be effective. In fact, the most impactful moments are often quick and specific. 

“When employees see recognition happening around them, they’re two times more likely to engage with recognition tools themselves,” Dalessandro said. “That visibility is what helps recognition spread and become part of the team’s everyday rhythm.”

Operators can support recognition champions by reinforcing and elevating the people who are already modeling these behaviors, Dalessandro suggested. That might mean calling them out in team settings or giving them space to recognize others, like leading quick callouts during pre-shift or highlighting wins right after a busy service.

“What matters most is showing that this behavior is valued. When recognition champions are present and supported, the impact is measurable and produces stronger performance outcomes overall. Over time, those behaviors scale, creating a culture where appreciation is consistent, relationships are stronger, and teams are more engaged and resilient.”