Workhuman Research Finds Employee Recognition Data Can Reveal Hidden Signals About Performance, Burnout, AI Adoption and Workplace Culture

Analysis of 2.6 million recognition messages shows how recognition can surface workforce trends in real time, including a sharp rise in recognition for AI-related work.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. & DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Workhuman^®, the world’s leading employee recognition provider and a pioneer in transforming recognition into workforce intelligence, today released its Recognition Intelligence Report: What human data reveals about work, culture, and the modern workforce. Drawing on natural language processing (NLP) analysis of a research dataset comprising 2.6 million recognition messages, the report examines how recognition data can provide a deeper view into how work actually happens – surfacing signals around employee contribution, skills, psychological safety, burnout-related strain, AI adoption, physical safety, performance, and retention.

The report also features customer analyses from Moody’s, British Airways, Encore, Panduit, CAA Club Group, and Zentiva, and shows how recognition data can be combined with an organization’s own workforce data to explore a broad range of questions – from psychological safety, engagement, and wellbeing to performance, retention, culture, and program effectiveness.

“Every meaningful recognition moment creates human-authored data – such as an observation about what someone contributed, how they worked, which skills they demonstrated, whom they affected, and why the contribution mattered,” said Meisha-Ann Martin, VP, People Analytics at Workhuman. “When those observations are analyzed responsibly by AI at scale, they can reveal patterns that conventional workforce systems often miss.”

Based on Workhuman recognition data, the report found:

• Skills appeared throughout the recognition record. Roughly 4 in 5 Workhuman recognition messages contained at least one identifiable skill, providing contextual evidence of capabilities colleagues observed in the flow of work.
• Recognition made cross-functional work visible. Of the recognition awards studied, 43% crossed departmental lines, creating a measurable record of collaboration beyond the formal organizational chart.
• AI and digital themes in recognition more than doubled, increasing from approximately 1.6% of recognition messages in January 2025 to 3.8% in June 2026. The finding shows how AI-related work is becoming more visible in the moments employees choose to recognize – and how recognition can help leaders move from measuring AI adoption to understanding AI contribution.
• The language of valued work is changing. “Ownership,” “meaningful,” and “execution” were the three words gaining the most ground during the first half of 2026 compared with the previous six months. “Consistently,” “proactively,” “clear,” and “clearly” also increased – showing how recognition language can track changes in what organizations notice and reinforce.
• Psychological-safety-related language became more visible, increasing from approximately 9.8% of recognition messages in January 2025 to 11.1% in June 2026. These patterns are signals of the behavior’s employees observe and experience in everyday work.
• Workplace-strain language remained persistent, ending at approximately 17.2% of recognition messages in June 2026. The model surfaced language related to excessive workload, schedule pressure, unclear responsibilities, inadequate resources, exhaustion, and unattainable expectations.

“Psychological safety and burnout are often treated as survey topics, but recognition gives us a complementary way of seeing how they surface in the work,” continued Martin. “Surveys ask employees to tell us how they feel. Recognition offers a more comprehensive view of what that looks like in the work, and another source of evidence to understand what employees are really experiencing and where interventions may be required.”

About Workhuman

Workhuman^® is the world’s leading recognition and rewards platform, serving organizations of all sizes—from the Fortune 500 to fast-growing mid-market companies—across more than 180 countries. With over 25 years of category leadership, we support 8+ million employees worldwide and have facilitated more than 100 million moments of connection that elevate culture and drive performance.

With over a decade of consistent profitability, Workhuman^® stands as proof that investing in people delivers lasting business value. Our pioneering Human Intelligence^® technology transforms recognition into strategic insight, empowering organizations to unlock the full potential of their people while driving measurable business impact and culture transformation.

Learn more at www.workhuman.com.