Pioneering Excellence

Madison is a global leader in employee recognition and incentives, pioneering digital programs since 1995. As an employee-owned company, we deliver recognition, events, and incentive travel solutions that strengthen culture and drive results.

Learn More

people in a meeting
Designing Sales Meetings That Drive Business Outcomes, Not Just Attendance
Annual sales meetings often represent one of the largest internal investments an organization makes each...
employee traveling
What Actually Drives a Successful Incentive Travel Program After 20 Years in the Field
Incentive travel has never been about the destination. That may sound surprising in an industry that...
employees working together
Sustainability Without Operational Discipline Is Just Messaging
Sustainability is now standard language in meetings and incentive travel. RFPs reference ESG commitments....

Destinations

London

Scotland

Jumby Bay

South Africa

Explore All

Employee Retention

Knowledge Center

Knowledge Center

people shaking hands
Blog

Are You Unconcerned About Employee Poaching?

Then you’re ignoring the data. Yes, the number of “net” new jobs is stuck in the low 200K range, but those aren’t the figures you should be worried about. Actually the number of open job postings — a whopping 5M in total — represents the real problem for companies looking…

Read More »
two people working together
Blog

When Substantial Financial Bonuses Backfire

Recently, The New York Times’ Business Day featured an article discussing the bonus culture on Wall Street. According to a prediction report from Johnson Associates, Bonuses in the financial industry last year were expected to fall 5-10 percent… Nathaniel Popper, The New York Times. The article reported that last year…

Read More »
coworkers high fiving together
Blog

3 Ways to Make More Days Feel Like Employee Appreciation Day

Friday is Employee Appreciation Day! An opportunity for companies to show their employees that they really care and that they value their contributions. Not a bad idea on its merits. Unless, of course, it’s the only time you give employee recognition any real consideration. What I mean by that is…

Read More »
person on tablet smiling
Blog

Don’t Ask Alexa, Ask Us

Who is Alexa? Or should I ask, what is she? Alexa is the digital assistant inside Amazon’s new voice activated smart speaker called the Echo system. You can ask it to do a lot of different things such as play music, update you on the news, tell you about the…

Read More »
boss showing employee something at work
Blog

Are You Naughty or Nice? (As a Boss That Is)

The quality of bosses (and the impact they have on their employees) is the biggest influence on organizational performance. Lousy bosses create confusion and stress; they contribute to higher turnover and lower productivity. When employees leave a company they often cite poor relationships with their superiors. On the other hand…

Read More »
people talking shaking hands
Blog

Boomerang Employees: What’s Their Worth & How to Retain Them

They could be leading your department; perhaps you have one on your team; or maybe you’re one of them. We’re talking about Boomerang Employees, those who leave an organization and return to their former employer, and they’re on the rise. With retention being a top issue for HR leaders, it’s…

Read More »
people talking looking at a tablet
Blog

When Employees Swipe Left, Companies Need to Get Recognition Right

“The number of Americans who voluntarily quit their jobs climbed to a post recession high in December, suggesting workers are confident about their employment prospects despite financial-market turmoil and a slowdown overseas.”  The Wall Street Journal. Last month, The Wall Street Journal published findings from the Labor Department’s monthly Job…

Read More »
people working in the office together around computer
Blog

Rewarding Employees With the Future in Mind

Do you reward behaviors that will help your employees to stay in their role or grow out of it? Are your team members future leaders or managers? Are they getting the rewards conducive to moving them towards that path? Do those rewards also support the growth of your organization? Rewards…

Read More »
two people talking to each other at work
Blog

Why On-boarding Recognition is Key to Employee Retention

Employee poaching and staff turnover are on the rise, and employee engagement has flat-lined at around 31% of the workforce (according to a survey performed by Gallup earlier this year). These issues are fueled, in part, by employees feeling under appreciated for the work they do. Employees may leave of…

Read More »
people smiling and talking
Blog

How Engaged Employees Lead to Engaged Customers

In my last two posts I offered several stats that identified recognition’s impact on worker retention and productivity. To review, employee engagement triggered by the timely and consistent use of recognition, effects how profitable a company can become over time. Examining companies with higher levels of engaged employees uncovered noticeable…

Read More »
Spot the First Domino: Early Warning Signs Your Team Is Quietly Disengaging
Most leaders wait until disengagement is obvious: declining performance, missed deadlines, or increased conflict. But by then, the damage is already done. The first domino falls long before performance metrics change. In our newest white paper, The Disengagement Domino Effect, we outline how disengagement follows a predictable pattern — and how leaders can spot it months before it becomes costly.
The Most Dangerous Cultural Shift Is the One You Don’t See
Every leader worries about burnout or turnover. But the more immediate threat isn’t the person who leaves — it’s the person who mentally checks out but continues showing up. This shift is subtle. A camera turns off. Ideas dry up. A once-energized employee becomes emotionally muted. And at first, nothing seems wrong.
Let Your Recognition Program Do the Talking: Spotting Your Top Performers vs Your Average Performers
A well-run recognition program does more than boost morale—it provides actionable insights. Over time, patterns emerge, painting a clear picture of who consistently hits benchmarks and drives results, and who might be flying under the radar. When recognition is visible, consistent, and tied to meaningful behaviors, it becomes a powerful tool, not just a reward system...
No more posts to show