General Motors leverages employee recognition to engage a global workforce

When General Motors (GM) set out to transform its culture, the challenge was clear: how do you connect 160,000 employees across six continents to one bold vision — “zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion?”

The answer was recognition. GM discovered their existing programs weren’t meeting employee or leader expectations. People wanted more appreciation and visibility, while leaders needed a simple global solution. By partnering with Achievers, GM launched a recognition program that empowered employees to celebrate one another daily for living company values, hitting milestones, and going above and beyond.

The impact was immediate: 87% of employees were active within 30 days, sending over 80,000 recognitions. A year later, activation soared to 97%, with six in ten employees active monthly. Recognition quickly became one of the top five most improved areas in GM’s engagement survey.

As Sandra Garcia, GM’s Global Compensation Lead, put it:

Curious how GM built a culture of appreciation at scale? Download their customer story to find out.