From Pessimism to Pride: The Case for Recognition at Work

In a world dominated by workplace pessimism, rising anxiety, and record levels of employee disconnect, one overlooked tool stands out as a quiet revolution: pride. Not just the kind that shows up in annual surveys or mission statements, but everyday, observable pride in your work and your workplace.

And right now, pride is precisely what we’re missing.

The Crisis of Pessimism and Disconnection

If you’ve read meQ’s 2025 State of the Workforce Report, you’re already aware that the numbers are bleak. Employee pessimism has reached critical mass:

• 64% higher productivity loss among pessimistic employees
• 68% productivity impairment tied to uncertainty stress
• Over 50% of the workforce shows signs of disconnect

The crisis meQ references in the study aren’t a minor dip in morale; it’s a systemic disengagement that erodes performance, culture, and profitability. And for frontline and high-stress industries like healthcare, the situation is even worse. According to the WorkProud Study, 70% of healthcare employees would consider leaving their current job for a higher salary. Less than 20% say they’re satisfied. And nearly one in four say they haven’t been recognized at all in the past month.

Let me say that again: one in four haven’t heard “thank you” in 30 days.

Pride Is Strategy, Not Sentiment

At WorkProud, we don’t treat recognition as a perk. We treat it like what it is: a strategic lever for performance.

When employees are proud of their work and proud of their company, they give more. They stay longer. They advocate for your brand.

They appear differently.

Not just physically, but also emotionally and intellectually.

Our research revealed that workplace pride is correlated with a range of benefits, including improved attendance and retention, stronger brand loyalty, and increased discretionary effort. It’s not fluff.

It’s fuel.

And it doesn’t require massive budgets to begin. It simply involves leadership that believes recognition is a business function, not an HR ‘nice-to-have’.

But here’s the challenge: how do you get a CEO or Board to care about pride when it’s not in a spreadsheet?

Madeline Des Jardins from WalkMe offers this advice, “There is so much research about the impact of recognition and employee engagement on business outcomes that I highly, highly, highly recommend building a full deck for your ELT. Pitch it like it’s a brand-new product that you’re selling to your leaders, and make it real. So it’s not just conceptual, it’s impacting day-to-day life.”

Recognition as a Resilience Engine

meQ’s report highlighted two key buffers against disconnect, empathetic leadership and individual resilience. What they didn’t say outright, but what we see daily, is that recognition fuels both of them.

• Empathetic leaders recognize. They don’t wait for performance reviews.
• Resilient employees feel seen. Recognition reinforces their optimism and emotional regulation.

When recognition becomes part of your operating rhythm, it builds protective layers. You create cultures where uncertainty doesn’t become burnout, because people trust that their work matters.

Ryan Costella from Wayne County Airport Authority captured it perfectly in our recent webinar, “We told our managers: ‘Hey, go look for someone doing something right. Go see something you’re doing correctly this time.’ … There was so much activity on the site of people just saying thank you to each other. It really opened our eyes to like, oh, wow, there’s a lot of good stuff going on here that we can really use.”

Ryan’s points weren’t anecdotal.

It led to a measurable impact for the Wayne County Airport Authority: less overtime, lower staffing pressure, and better morale. Recognition isn’t a feel-good initiative. It’s a force multiplier.

The ROI of Recognition

Let’s bring it down to numbers. According to SHRM, replacing one employee costs between 50% and 200% of their annual salary. In healthcare alone, that’s $15,000 to $22,000 per person.
A well-executed recognition program costs a fraction of that and delivers measurable returns:

• Improved retention
• Reduced absenteeism
• Increased productivity
• Higher engagement
• Stronger employer brand equity

“When people feel welcome and happy at their job, they’re going to stay longer. That will cut down on your turnover expenses and the cost of onboarding. You won’t have to increase your headcount or work hours — less overtime — because people are doing it in the first place.”

– Ryan Costella, again.

Healthcare: The Case for Urgency

The WorkProud Study found that only 17% of healthcare employees feel fairly paid. Less than a third of employees feel trusted or appreciated by their leadership.

Healthcare is a sector where people save lives, yet they often feel invisible.

Recognition can’t solve all of healthcare’s systemic problems. But it can improve the human experience of work, immediately and tangibly. Whether through peer-to-peer platforms, manager-led praise, or milestone celebrations, meaningful acknowledgment has the power to transform and strengthen relationships at work.

As Christi Gilhoi from Cisco points out, “Your milestones are not your employees’ milestones. Maybe the milestone is three months. If you’re a new grad, three months is a long time in a new job. Perhaps you see your attrition at 18 months, so I would connect it to what you’re trying to incentivize.”

The Recognition Flywheel

What we’ve found across industries is that when recognition becomes a habit, it turns into a flywheel. Here’s how:

1. Make it personal. Not everyone wants public praise. Learn your people.
2. Make it visible. Use peer-to-peer tools to share appreciation out loud.
3. Make it automatic. Celebrate key milestones such as anniversaries, promotions, and onboarding without manual effort.
4. Make it strategic. Tie recognition to values and outcomes. Reinforce what matters.
5. Make it story-worthy. Encourage people to share why someone made a difference.

Pride in action creates culture. It tells employees:

You belong here.

You matter.

You are seen.

Managers: The Tipping Point

meQ and WorkProud agree that the manager is the pivot point. Managers who consistently recognize their teams:

• Cut disconnect by 50%
• Reduce uncertainty-related stress by 37%
• Encourage more prosocial behavior.

That’s why we’ve invested heavily in building tools that help leaders lead through recognition. From mobile-first shoutouts to automated milestone kits, we make it easy for managers to embed appreciation into their day-to-day workflow.

Madeline Des Jardins adds, “What can you pre-schedule? What can you do in the moment? How can you embed it into your day-to-day? There’s a curve where at first it feels like another task, and then it becomes real for you. You have to figure out a way to help it click for your leaders.”

Christi Gilhoi offers a clever nudge, “I like to use positive peer pressure. Put leaderboards up and say, ‘Here are the departments doing recognition well.’ Their ENPS scores are much higher and attrition much lower.”

Costella said it best, “When [our people] feel recognized, they don’t just show up—they do the job 10% better. And that means less overtime, fewer headcount needs, and higher retention.”

And if you’re supporting a deskless workforce? Mobile matters. “Frontline employees make up a huge portion of our workforce,” Costella explained. “Having the mobile option was huge for us. It makes it quick and easy.”

Recognition Is Not a Gift Card

This part’s important; recognition is not the same thing as rewards. Tossing out gift cards once a month doesn’t build pride.

In fact, if done wrong, it can make people feel like their efforts are commoditized.

What works is balance.

• Tangible rewards: Curated merchandise, branded gifts, milestone celebrations
• Intangible rewards: Public praise, peer nominations, manager shoutouts, value-aligned storytelling

At WorkProud, we blend both, so recognition becomes something employees look forward to and identify with.

Belief Is the Battleground

Here’s the truth. Employees aren’t leaving because of ping pong tables or free coffee. They’re leaving because they no longer believe in it. They don’t think their work matters. They don’t believe their leaders see them. They don’t believe their company cares.

Recognition rebuilds that belief.

It’s not just about thank-yous. It’s about meaning. Connection. Visibility. Culture.

So if you’re dealing with churn, disengagement, burnout, or brand apathy, don’t start with a new tech platform or benefits overhaul. Start with recognition. It’s fast. It’s proven. And it’s scalable.

Ready to Start?

If this resonates, and if you’re tired of seeing great people slip away, then maybe it’s time to build something better. Something your employees can believe in again.

Want to see what this could look like for your workforce?

Learn more about creating a recognition experience that actually matters.