7 Strategies to Smartly Set and Achieve Career Goals in Today’s Workplace

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7 Strategies to Smartly Set and Achieve Career Goals in Today’s Workplace

February 9, 2026 By Michelle Myers

When it comes to your career, you want to set goals all the time – daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly …

But one of the biggest challenges is actually setting realistic and attainable goals. It can be the difference between success and never-ending frustration. Without setting the right goals, it’s difficult to ensure you’ll reach the next step or hit successful completion.

Goals that Propel Your Career

You need to be properly equipped with effective strategies for setting and achieving your goals to propel your career and help you reach your full potential.

Here are seven steps to ensure wins and move your career where you want it.

1. Define Your Vision

The initial step towards setting career goals involves having a clear vision of what you want to accomplish. Take the time to reflect on your aspirations and identify what success means to you. What are your most important personal values? What are your strengths?

Aligning your goals with your personal values and strengths ensures you will have the intrinsic motivation to help you follow through. Define your long-term aspirations. When your vision is crystal clear, it becomes easier to set meaningful goals aligned with your career trajectory.

For example: “I want to advance into a management position so I can be better positioned to help make decisions that will better align with the needs of our clients and better utilize my strength in motivating others toward a common goal.”

2. Be SMART

SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.

When setting goals, ensure they are specific and well-defined, measurable to enable progress tracking, and achievable to maintain motivation, relevant to your career aspirations, and time-bound to create a sense of urgency.

For example, instead of setting a goal like “Get a promotion,” which is too broad, set a SMART goal instead.

Try this: “Earn a leadership position within my department within the next two years.”

3. Break It Down

Large goals can feel overwhelming and daunting. To prevent this, break down what you want achieve into smaller, actionable steps. Create a roadmap outlining the milestones and actions required to reach your goal.

By focusing on these smaller tasks, you can maintain a sense of progress and stay motivated throughout the journey. Remember to keep even your smaller goals SMART.

For example: “I will complete one leadership course a month to strengthen my soft skills, and one course a month to strengthen my technical skills. I will check in with my supervisor weekly to discuss my progress and ask about any opportunities to take on more relevant responsibilities. I will attend each upcoming company event to network internally with the current leadership.”

4. Seek Accountability

Share your goals with someone you trust, such as a mentor, colleague, or supportive friend. When you make your hopes known to others, you create a sense of accountability. Regular check-ins and discussions about your progress can provide valuable feedback and encouragement to keep you on track. Consider joining professional networks or organizations where you can find like-minded individuals who can support and inspire you.

5. Embrace Continuous Learning

A key aspect of setting professional goals is identifying the skills and knowledge you need to acquire or improve upon. Invest in personal and professional growth by seeking learning opportunities, such as workshops, webinars, online courses, or conferences.

Stay up-to-date with industry trends and advancements to ensure your goals remain relevant in the evolving professional landscape. And don’t be afraid to use what you’re learning outside of your industry as well.

6. Reflect and Adapt

Regularly assess your goals and progress. Take the time to reflect on what is working well and what could be improved. As you progress, be open to adapting and adjusting them when necessary.

Circumstances may change, and new opportunities may arise. Embrace flexibility and be willing to pivot if needed. Remember, it is not a sign of failure to modify your goals; it is a sign of resilience and growth.

7. Celebrate Milestones

Recognize and celebrate your achievements along the way. Acknowledging your progress boosts your confidence and motivates you to keep pushing forward. Treat yourself to small rewards or moments of self-care to recharge and reflect on your accomplishments.

Setting goals requires a strategic approach and a commitment to taking action. By following this strategy, you can set yourself up for success. Remember, you have the power to shape your career path and transform your thoughts into reality. Stay focused, stay determined and keep moving forward.

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Payroll Errors Keep Repeating: How HR Can Catch Issues Earlier

February 9, 2026 By Carol Warner

After payday, an employee flags a missing differential. HR sends the details to payroll, and the team begins retracing punches, schedules, and pay rules. By the next day, the issue has escalated to Finance because the fix now requires a correction run.

Once payroll reaches that stage, the questions change. What broke? When did it break? And most importantly, how do we make sure the same thing doesn’t happen again next pay cycle? That’s where automated workforce management testing comes into play – before fixes turn into repeat corrections and added cost.

How Automated Workforce Management Testing Catches Pay Rule Issues

Workforce management and payroll systems apply layers of rules: overtime thresholds, shift differentials, premiums, accrual logic. But here’s the part that tends to get overlooked. Those rules don’t stay static. They change when schedules change, pay codes are updated, laws shift, or systems get patched.

Automated workforce management testing focuses on payroll error detection after those changes. It runs real pay scenarios against the current rules and checks whether the results match what HR, payroll, and Finance expect. When something doesn’t line up, payroll and HR can see it before payroll closes, while there’s still time to fix the issue upstream.

That changes how problems show up. Instead of discovering issues through correction runs and retro adjustments, HR and payroll can pinpoint where rule combinations stop working and address them earlier. Ultimately, Finance sees fewer corrections hitting the books and fewer surprises during close, including the downstream cost of payroll errors that HR and Finance both know too well.

Why Payroll Checks Miss Issues Until After Payday

If you’re like most organizations, you already have ways to catch payroll issues. You spot-check. You run reports. Payroll reviews exceptions. HR listens for complaints. All of that work matters – it just happens late in the cycle.

The challenge is that workforce and payroll systems change faster than those checks can keep up. Rule updates stack on top of older configurations. New pay codes get layered into existing logic. Scheduling changes interact with overtime rules in ways no one planned for. By the time something looks off, payroll has already closed or is hours away from closing, which is when payroll mistakes start affecting employee trust and business outcomes.

Manual checks usually focus on the change itself. Payroll verifies the new pay code works. HR confirms the updated policy was applied. What rarely gets tested is how that change interacts with existing rules, like when a night shift differential overlaps with overtime after a new premium is added.

There’s also a practical limit to how much testing people can do by hand. Payroll can’t run dozens of scenarios every time a rule changes. HR doesn’t have visibility into system logic. Finance typically gets pulled in after correction runs start affecting close and reporting.

Payroll, HR, and Finance are all responding to issues once they appear. What’s missing is a consistent way to validate pay results before payroll runs.

When Testing Becomes Part of How Pay Changes Get Approved

Most payroll and workforce changes don’t feel risky at the time. They’re practical decisions made to keep systems up to date. The problem usually isn’t the change itself. It’s what happens when that change collides with everything else already in the system.

Automated workforce management testing reframes how those changes get handled, especially given why HR technology reviews stall in Finance.

Instead of relying on random spot checks and cleanup, HR, payroll, and Finance establish a shared way to confirm that pay rules still produce the outcomes the organization expects before changes go live, highlighting the limits of payroll accuracy controls.

In practice, testing becomes part of how pay-critical changes are approved. Rule updates get validated against real scenarios, giving teams time to address issues before employees are paid or correction runs are required.

That doesn’t eliminate errors – it shifts who sees them first and when.

A Different Way to Think About Workforce Technology

Workforce management technology decisions usually focus on features and coverage. That’s part of a larger conversation about HR technology tools and trends that reshape how work gets done.

Automated workforce management testing is different. It sits outside the system itself and checks whether the system behaves the way the organization expects.

As payroll environments grow more complex, pay errors are more likely to be discovered after payday rather than before it. By then, rule changes and pay logic are already live in the system, and the work shifts from checking outcomes to explaining discrepancies and fixing them.

Treating testing as part of how pay-critical systems are governed gives HR, payroll, and Finance a shared way to manage that risk without turning every issue into a scramble, including the challenges around testing at all phases of a WFM implementation. It creates room to confirm outcomes before they affect employees, close, and reporting.

A practical next step is to look at recent payroll fixes and ask a few basic questions:

Where was the issue first noticed?
Who owned validating the change?
Was the pay result checked before employees were paid or after?

Those answers usually show whether pay results were validated before payroll ran or only discovered after, which is exactly the problem automated workforce management testing is meant to address.

For a deeper look at how payroll inaccuracies compound across cycles and what earlier validation can change, join us Wednesday, Feb. 18, for a free webinar – The Compounding Cost of Payroll Inaccuracy. We’ll dig into how minor breakdowns escalate and what you can do to regain control before problems spread. Save your spot and get guidance you can put to work right away. Register here.

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Bowl Games & Beyond: 6 Ways To Beat Distractions That Kill Productivity

February 9, 2026 By Michele McGovern

Think your employees are extra distracted this time of year?

After all, there are a lot of distractions outside of work — the Super Bowl, Oscars, Grammys — in these early months. In fact, sick day requests jump by 45% the day after the big game alone, according to data from Paycom. Another big surge is after the Grammys.

Of course, we can’t just blame movies, sporting events and music awards for distractions. (And we won’t even go down the road of social and mainstream media.) But there will always be something.

It adds up: Almost 80% of employees said they can’t go a full hour without being distracted, according to research from Insightful. At least 11% get distracted every five minutes, while almost 60% face distractions every 30 minutes.

“Employees struggle to get work done due to constant distractions and find it difficult to regain focus after being disrupted repeatedly,” the researchers said.

We just can’t get as much done when our minds or mouths wander.

Difficult to Beat Distractions

Pop culture is the rarer problem with productivity, pulling people away from work for about a half hour, according to another study. The bigger issues include: chatty co-workers, excessive office noise, office gossip, internet browsing and multi-tasking.

It’s tough to beat distractions, considering they’re everywhere all the time. But we have some remedies — whether you need them or want to pass them on to your staff when productivity slips (or better, before it slips).

6 Tips to Beat Distractions

Here’s why we need help beating distractions: We just can’t make them go away entirely.

You’ll see some of these tips might eliminate one kind of distraction, but there’s always another kind lurking nearby. So, the first tip is to:

1. Identify Your Biggest Distraction

For some, it’s those pop culture and gossip prompts with co-workers. And for goodness sake, whether you’re a lover or hater, nearly everyone has something to say about Taylor Swift, football and the frenzy that follows them.

Meanwhile, some of us lose productivity because we try to do too much at once — aka multi-tasking. So, take a day and note what pulls you from the work you want to get done. From there:

2. Manage Notifications

You can’t always stop people from interrupting your work, but you can control how notifications, pop-ups and other digital distractions affect you.

Switch Slack, email and other work or social notifications off. Turn on “Do Not Disturb” mode when you need to work on critical tasks.

3. Fix a Schedule for Checking the Inbox

Checking email and other communication apps multiple times an hour causes unnecessary and excessive task-switching. Use your signature line to let others know when you check-in so they know when to expect a response. And then, most importantly, stick to those check-in times.

4. Take Scheduled Breaks

A University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign study found brief diversions can improve focus, productivity and effectiveness when you’re on task. Ideally, you work for about 50 minutes and break 10-15. That break could include some of the distractions you might otherwise fall victim to, such as internet scrolling. But keep a timer on that!

5. Divide and Conquer

Cross an easy task off your to-do early and quickly. Then, once you’re focused, you can work toward bigger, more daunting tasks.

The momentum will make you less susceptible to distractions.

6. Resist the Urge to Multitask

The prescription for this problem is simple: Stop multitasking.

Instead, adopt the practice of single-tasking. You want to put your complete attention to a literal single task. Create a space, time and setting where colleagues or physical interruptions can’t interfere with that single task.

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Workplace Romance: 3 Keys to Handling Love in the Office

February 9, 2026 By Carol Warner

Valentine’s Day brings workplace relationships into focus. Office romances introduce risk, especially when authority, pay, or performance decisions are involved.

How common are workplace romances — and how should HR respond?

The Current State of Office Romances

As it turns out, workplace romances are more common than some folks realize, according to Monster’s 2026 Workplace Relationships report.

In fact, 40% of respondents say they’ve had a crush on a co-worker — and 27% admit they’ve had a romantic relationship with a co-worker.

Moreover, 13% say they’ve had a crush on a manager — and 6% admit to having an office romance with a manager, highlighting the added risk when personal relationships involve reporting or decision authority.

Taken together, the findings point to a simple reality: workplace relationships happen, whether company policies anticipate them or not. Flat-out bans on workplace romance are hard to enforce and often counterproductive. You don’t want to lose valuable employees over outdated employee fraternization policies.

And as an FYI, California employers can’t ban workplace romances. Under the California Labor Code, an employee’s personal life outside of work is protected, and employers aren’t permitted to make disciplinary decisions based on after-hours conduct – including romantic relationships with co-workers. Having said that, of course, employers can prohibit inappropriate behaviors in the workplace.

Attorneys Share Best Practices for Managing Office Relationships

To preempt such problems, employment law attorneys Meredith Campbell and Joy Einstein of the Shulman Rogers firm recommended the following strategy to handle workplace romance.

First, recognize that romance in the workplace does happen. Work is where many people spend most of their waking hours, and as the old saying goes, sometimes you love the one you’re with. That said, it’s important to implement rules prohibiting romantic relationships in certain situations — for example, between a boss and a subordinate.

If there is no power dynamic between the individuals in the relationship, your primary concern is to ensure that the relationship is and remains consensual, Einstein said.

You might want to consider a signed document, often referred to as a relationship contract, a “Cupid Contract” or a love contract, that confirms both parties consent to the relationship and acknowledges that either can leave the relationship with no adverse impact at work, according to Campbell.

Love contracts matter most when workplace romance intersects with authority, pay decisions, performance reviews, or reporting lines.

What’s in a Relationship Contract?

Campbell and Einstein said that a well-crafted relationship contract:

Prohibits retaliation of any kind.
Includes a reminder that if either party feels like an action violates the company’s anti-harassment or anti-discrimination policy, then they should let HR know so the company can investigate and take appropriate action.
Stipulates that if the relationship becomes a distraction for co-workers or if things change so that both employees can’t remain in their current role, the company reserves the right to transfer or terminate employment for either or both employees.

FAQs for a Workplace Romance Disclosure Policy

If your company decides to implement a Workplace Romance Disclosure Policy, your HR team will need to consider the following questions.

1. At what point does the relationship have to be disclosed?

Campbell and Einstein recommend encouraging early disclosure to HR, before a relationship intersects with reporting lines, performance reviews, or pay decisions. HR does not need to know about every personal interaction, but once a relationship could affect authority or objectivity, disclosure should occur.

HR expert contributor Jackie Plunkett notes that office rumors often trigger the introduction of a relationship contract when employees delay coming forward.

2. How do you help employees feel comfortable disclosing a budding relationship?

Campbell and Einstein say HR needs to establish trust so employees understand disclosure will be handled professionally and without judgment. Plunkett adds that while some employees may hesitate to sign a relationship contract, the agreement protects both the employee and the company by clearly setting conduct expectations and boundaries.

3. What if the relationship doesn’t work out?

Campbell and Einstein say HR may need to meet with both employees to determine whether a transfer or role change is necessary — with voluntary moves preferred when possible.

And Plunkett notes that when expectations are set up front and documented, many employees can continue working professionally after a breakup. A well-crafted agreement helps reduce confusion and protect all parties if the relationship ends.

The bottom line, according to Plunkett, is that the contract still offers protection for all.

True Story: An Employee’s Take on Relationship Contracts

A few years ago, a friend of mine had just been promoted to an entry-level management position. In that role, part of his job duties involved going to job fairs and validating new candidates. At a job fair, he was impressed by a candidate and recommended her for an interview. Ultimately, the woman was hired for a position in another department.

Over the next six to nine months, my friend chatted with the woman at work. And then they started talking outside of work. As things progressed, they kept their relationship on the down-low for a while. When the holidays rolled around, they knew that they were going to be making family introductions and posting photos on social media. And becoming “Instagram official” meant the news about their relationship was going to get out.

My friend and his then-girlfriend (spoiler: now wife!) reached out to HR and explained their dating situation. In response, the company had them sign a contract stating that their relationship was consensual and that they’d behave professionally at work. It also stipulated that the two couldn’t work together or for each other on the same team.

An Employee’s Perspective: Pros and Cons of a Contract

I asked my friend if he had any reservations about signing, and his answer was pretty interesting. He said no, he didn’t have any reservations. Mostly, he felt relieved that the company took the news so well. He was able to keep his job and his salary, which made him really happy.

He also felt like the contract provided a layer of protection at the office. Because the contract stipulated that he couldn’t work with his girlfriend, he didn’t have to deal with perceived favoritism by other employees. They weren’t working on the same team, so it never became an issue.

He quickly realized the contract also had another benefit: It provided a layer of protection for the relationship. The prohibition against working together meant that they weren’t making day-to-day decisions about each other’s jobs, which he said could’ve caused a strain on things.

Next, I asked my friend what, if anything, in the contract would’ve been a dealbreaker for him. After thinking about it for a minute, he said anything that might’ve seemed to limit either of their career paths or restrict their ability to rise through the ranks of the company. He also said he wouldn’t have liked a clause that limited their ability to attend company events together, such as inter-office parties and happy hours.

As a final thought, he added that the relationship strengthened their ties to the company. They had a shared focus and interest that grew at work – and several years later, they got married.

That outcome wasn’t accidental. It was shaped by clear expectations and guardrails set by HR.

Banning workplace romance is unrealistic and often ineffective. Clear disclosure rules and well-designed relationship contracts give HR a way to manage authority, performance, and fairness risks before problems arise. When expectations are set early and documented, organizations are better positioned to protect employees and decision integrity, regardless of how a relationship unfolds.

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New California Paid Sick Leave Settlement – Notices and Accruals Trigger $6.2M Hit

February 9, 2026 By Carol Warner

A $6.2 million California paid sick leave settlement is prompting a closer look at how paid sick leave notices, payroll practices, and labor costs connect.

The agreement closes out claims tied to labor practices during the height of the pandemic, when large agricultural employers were managing housing, transportation, and payroll for thousands of workers at once. The scope of the settlement reflects both the size of the workforce involved and the length of time the practices were under review.

Agency Announces California Paid Sick Leave Settlement

California reached the seven-figure settlement to resolve widespread wage-and-hour violations that affected more than 10,000 farmworkers, including H-2A workers living in employer-provided housing.

The settlement stems from findings that required paid sick leave notices were not provided and that some compensable work time went unpaid.

In the view of the California Labor Commissioner’s Office, the violations left farmworkers without access to paid sick leave and shorted them on wages they were legally owed. The settlement requires payment of back wages, paid sick leave damages, and civil penalties tied to violations that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alco Harvesting LLC, dba Bonipak Produce Inc., agreed to pay $6.175 million, with $4.2 million going directly to affected farmworkers and another $1.5 million tied to paid sick leave and minimum wage violations. The remaining funds will be used to cover:

Administrative costs
Attorneys’ fees
Civil penalties and interest assessed by the state

“Alco Harvesting failed to meet basic employer responsibilities by not informing workers of their right to sick leave,” said California Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower. “Workers in California are protected by labor laws no matter their immigration status, and when these rights are violated, the state will act decisively to deliver justice.”

The case also shows how quickly paid sick leave issues can expand once payroll records are reviewed across multiple cycles. When enforcement widens the lens to include accrual tracking, hours worked, and related wage categories, settlements grow beyond the original trigger. That dynamic pushes cases like this beyond agriculture or California alone.

California leads labor contractor enforcement, but multi-state payroll teams face identical exposure wherever sick leave meets hourly workforces. Controllers know one policy gap across thousands of workers triggers investigators who pull years of records. Finance owns timekeeping and reconciliation cadence. HR secures notice delivery and accruals. Routine execution across those roles contains claims at manageable levels. Payroll controllers see this math daily – one drift cycle becomes back wages across thousands.

How Employers Can Reduce Similar Risk

Finance teams own the biggest exposure in settlements like this, but HR and shared controls intersect on payroll accuracy. Here’s a breakdown by role, from immediate compliance checks to ongoing prevention.

For Finance/payroll teams:

Audit timekeeping systems for all compensable work, including pre-shift waits or travel time workers might claim.
Reconcile payroll runs quarterly against policy – drift compounds into back wage exposure.

For HR leaders:

Verify sick leave notices reach every worker and get acknowledged – posters in break rooms aren’t enough if employees miss them.
Track accrual and usage against state minimums – gaps here triggered this settlement.

Shared controls:

Run wage and hour audits as routine finance tasks, not reactions to complaints.
Document everything – investigators pull years of records, so clean trails limit penalties.

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How FMLA Retaliation Risk Starts With One Leave Call

February 9, 2026 By Carol Warner

An employee asked for FMLA leave. Not long after, he was fired. He sued, claiming the termination of his employment amounted to retaliation for using protected leave – a claim tied to how his request was handled.

In Pack v. CSX Transportation, Inc., a federal judge refused to dismiss the employee’s FMLA retaliation claim, leaving the employer facing a costly trial – or an expensive settlement.

Fired for Misusing Intermittent Leave – or FMLA Retaliation?

Toby Pack worked for CSX Transportation. In April 2017, he applied for intermittent FMLA leave related to chronic kidney stones. His doctor estimated the condition could require intermittent leave up to three times per month. CSX approved the request.

On August 23, 2017, Pack called CSX’s Crew Management Center to request time off. After being transferred several times, he initially requested a personal day because his children were moving to a new school. He was told a personal day wasn’t available.

Pack then referenced his approved intermittent FMLA leave and asked that the day be marked as FMLA. The representative coded the absence accordingly.

Pack later explained that he needed the day off for health-related reasons tied to his kidney stone condition but had asked for a personal day first because it would’ve been paid, and he didn’t want to use his intermittent FMLA time if he didn’t have to.

After a hearing, CSX concluded that Pack had misused his FMLA leave and fired him. He sued, alleging FMLA retaliation and interference.

Dispute Focuses on Phone Call

The dispute focused on how CSX interpreted Pack’s August 23 call and the absence that followed.

CSX viewed the call as a misuse of FMLA leave. The company focused on the sequence of the conversation, noting that Pack first asked for a personal day because his children were starting a new school. Only after learning that a personal day was unavailable did he reference the FMLA. That order of events led CSX to question whether the absence qualified for protected leave.

From Pack’s perspective, the call reflected overlapping reasons, not a shifting story. He acknowledged that his children’s school schedule came up during the conversation and admitted that pay considerations came into play.

At the same time, he said his kidney stone condition was flaring up and that he needed time off for medical reasons covered by his approved intermittent FMLA leave. He pointed out that he provided a doctor’s note supporting the medical need for the absence.

What HR Needs to Know About FMLA Retaliation Claims

At this early stage, the court wasn’t deciding whether retaliation occurred, only whether Pack’s claim was strong enough to proceed to trial.

To move the FMLA retaliation claim forward, Pack had to show a plausible link between his FMLA leave and the termination of his employment. The court said he did.

Under the burden-shifting framework established by the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, CSX then had to point to a legitimate reason for firing Pack, and the court examined whether that explanation held up against the facts alleged.

CSX argued the phone call showed Pack misused FMLA leave. But the court wasn’t persuaded. It pointed to Pack’s testimony that he needed time off for both medical and family-related reasons, along with the doctor’s note supporting the medical need. Taken together, the judge said, a reasonable jury could question CSX’s stated reason for the termination and find it amounted to FMLA retaliation.

The court dismissed the interference claim and allowed the case to proceed solely on the FMLA retaliation claim.

Key Takeaways for HR

How HR handles FMLA requests in real time can significantly reduce retaliation risk.

Mixed reasons happen. Employees often mention personal and medical issues in the same conversation. Courts tend to look at the full exchange – not just the least protected detail.
Front-line handling can shape the case. Supervisors and call-center staff who field leave calls need clear guidance on how to document dual-purpose requests so later investigations don’t overread or mischaracterize the exchange.
Pay concerns aren’t proof of FMLA misuse. In a tight economic climate, employees often ask about paid time off first to manage cash flow and financial stress, without any intent to game the system.
Intermittent leave creates gray areas. Doubt alone won’t justify discipline. Employers need something firmer than skepticism about intermittent leave requests.
Medical notes still matter. A doctor’s note tied to the approved condition can undercut a misuse argument, even when the employee’s explanation comes out imperfectly during the initial call. When a doctor’s note leaves room for doubt, HR guidance on questionable FMLA certification can help.
Timing magnifies risk. When termination closely follows protected leave, courts are more willing to let a jury decide motive.

HR Action Steps

Audit how leave calls are documented before FMLA investigations begin
Keep call records factual and separate from later investigation notes and hearing conclusions
Revisit intermittent FMLA handling annually using real call examples

Pack v. CSX Transportation, Inc., No. 3:24-0688 (S.D.W. Va. 1/14/26).

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Employee Recognition Letters: 6 Examples and Templates

February 6, 2026 By Carol Warner

When to Use Each Employee Recognition Letter

Performance Recognition Letter – Reinforce results that exceeded defined goals, closed a critical project, or delivered measurable outcomes.
Milestone Recognition Letter – Mark tenure anniversaries, promotions, or role expansions tied to retention moments.
Going the Extra Mile Recognition Letter – Recognize initiative, stretch work, or effort beyond an employee’s core responsibilities.
Team Recognition Letter – Acknowledge shared effort after cross-functional pushes, peak workloads, or high-pressure periods.
Client or Customer Appreciation Letter – Highlight employee actions that directly strengthened client relationships or outcomes.
New-Hire Recognition Letter – Set expectations early by recognizing initial wins that reflect desired behaviors.

What Makes an Employee Recognition Letter Effective

HR professionals know the value of employee recognition: It can do wonders for engagement, morale, productivity and more. But recognition can fall flat when it feels canned or impersonal.

An impersonal thumbs-up emoji or a quick “good job” often leaves employees disillusioned and less motivated to put in extra effort going forward.

Employee recognition letters put appreciation in writing by naming what an employee did well and reinforcing the behavior you want repeated.

If you’re looking for a way to show your appreciation for employees in a way that will be more meaningful and impactful than just a generic “nice work,” employee recognition letters are a great place to start. Keep reading for templates, examples and more.

Importance of Employee Recognition Letters

A generic “good work” or “thanks for your help” can actually end up doing more harm than good.

Picture this: An employee spends extra time and effort to complete a project or meet a tight deadline, and all they get in response is a generic thank-you.

That experience can leave an employee feeling underappreciated and undervalued. It might even make them less likely to go the extra mile in the future.

Recognition letters reduce expensive retention risk by clarifying which efforts the organization pays attention to and wants repeated.

That clarity matters because employees take cues from what leaders put in writing.

Employee recognition letters can strengthen the employee-employer bond and support a positive work environment, thereby boosting the overall company culture. There is also evidence that these letters boost overall employee well-being.

Well-written recognition letters can also:

Increase job satisfaction
Boost overall productivity
Improve employee engagement, and
Aid in retention.

Employee Recognition Letter Examples

Here are some sample employee recognition letters to get you started.

Note: These are just a starting point. It’s important to add specific details in recognition letters and your own verbiage to help make your employee appreciation efforts meaningful. Sign-offs can be customized based on the sender and situation.

1. Sample Employee Recognition Letter for Outstanding Performance

Employees going above and beyond with their performance can be one of the best reasons to write recognition letters.

When employees exceed expectations, it’s clear that they either found a new, more efficient way of doing their job or put in extra effort on their own accord.

Outstanding performance is an umbrella term that may include several different things, but may look like:

Exceeding performance metrics by a considerable margin
Producing consistent high-quality or error-free work
Reaching and going beyond targets, or
Receiving excellent feedback from clients or customers on a regular basis.

Outstanding Performance Employee Recognition Letter Template:

Dear [Employee’s Name],

I’d like to express my sincere appreciation for your outstanding performance at [specific task/project]. You went above and beyond, and your dedication, hard work and attention to detail have not gone unnoticed. Your exemplary efforts not only helped the team, but the company’s success as a whole. Thank you for consistently exceeding expectations and setting a high standard for the entire team.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Your Position]

[Company Name]

2. Sample Employee Recognition Letter for Achieving Milestones

When employees achieve important milestones, that’s worth celebrating! Writing a letter of recognition to acknowledge their milestone can help validate all the hard work they put in.

Plus, employees tend to downplay their good work, so this can also be a good way to remind employees that their accomplishments are worth celebrating.

You can write a letter to recognize an employee’s achievements, like:

Years of service, such as 10, 15 or 20 years with the company
Completion of a big project
Professional development achievements, like obtaining a certification, or
Promotions.

Milestone Employee Recognition Letter Template:

Dear [Employee’s Name],

Wow! I can’t believe how fast time flies. Congratulations on [number] years of dedicated service to [Company Name]. Since day one, you’ve been an asset to our organization. Your commitment and hard work have played a vital role in our success. On behalf of everyone at [Company Name], we deeply appreciate your loyalty and the valuable contributions you have made throughout your time with us. Here’s to many more years of shared achievements!

3. Sample Employee Recognition Letter for Going the Extra Mile

Everyone wants employees to go the “extra mile” to help the company out. When an employee does just that – whether it be through taking initiative on a new project, volunteering in an area outside of their wheelhouse, or demonstrating creativity or innovation – that can be a great time to recognize their commitment to the organization.

Using recognition letters to nurture employees who go above and beyond their regular job duties can help encourage them – and their peers – to continue that behavior in the future.

Plus, it’s a win-win, as it can help the employee gain experience and develop new skills, helping to bolster outstanding employee performance in the future.

Extra Mile Employee Recognition Letter Template:

Dear [Employee’s Name],

I wanted to take a moment to recognize your exceptional efforts in going above and beyond expectations for [specific project/task]. It’s clear that your initiative, creativity, and dedication have been instrumental for the company as a whole. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed, and it’s helped drive our overall success. Thank you for going the extra mile and setting a standard of excellence for us all.

4. Sample Employee Recognition Letter for Team Collaboration

Giving an employee who helps foster team collaboration can not only help motivate the individual employee — it can also motivate the entire team.

Recognizing team collaboration can be for a collaborative achievement, or just promoting an overall positive environment, such as:

Helping a colleague with a heavy workload
Taking the initiative to improve team communication
Mitigating potential conflict between team members, or
Having a positive attitude each day.

Team Collaboration Employee Recognition Letter Template:

Dear [Employee’s Name],

I want to express my gratitude for your outstanding collaboration with the team. Our team would not be the same without you! Your positive attitude, teamwork, and willingness to support your colleagues has created a harmonious work environment, and the positive effects are felt by the entire team. Your collaborative spirit is truly appreciated, and it significantly enhances the overall success of our team. Thank you!

5. Sample Employee Recognition Letter for Customer or Client Appreciation

Making a manager, team or C-suite happy is one thing, but when employees go above and beyond for clients or customers, that’s especially important.

Whether it’s for exceptional work ethic, quick turnaround on projects, or positive feedback from clients or customers, it’s important to acknowledge and celebrate that achievement.

Customer Appreciation Employee Recognition Letter Template:

Dear [Employee’s Name],

I want to extend my sincere appreciation for the exceptional service and dedication you’ve shown to our clients. Your professionalism, attention to client needs, and the quality of service you provide has not gone unnoticed by me or our clients. Your efforts are an integral part of our client success and have a lasting impact on our company’s success and reputation. We are so grateful to have you representing us!

6. Sample Employee Appreciation Letter for New Hire Appreciation

Expressing appreciation for a new hire can help welcome them into the company and start them off on the right foot.

You can even make it part of the onboarding process and write a recognition letter after the first few weeks.

There are many benefits to writing a letter of appreciation for a new employee. For example, it can help boost engagement, retention and belonging. Plus, it’s a great way to showcase your company values and show that your company “walks the walk” when it comes to employee appreciation.

New Hire Employee Recognition Letter Template:

Dear [New Hire’s Name],

Welcome to [Company Name]! We are delighted to have you on board and wanted to take a moment to express our appreciation for your decision to join our team. Your skills, experience and enthusiasm make you a valuable addition to our organization.

Your positive energy and dedication during the onboarding process have not gone unnoticed. We believe that your unique talents will make a significant contribution to the success and growth of our team.

As you embark on this new journey with us, know that your contributions are valued, and we look forward to seeing your impact unfold. If there’s anything you need or questions you have, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or the human resources department.

Once again, welcome aboard! We’re excited to have you with us.

Best Practices for Writing Employee Recognition Letters

Now that you have a feel for what employee recognition letters should look like, you can easily modify our templates — or start from scratch to create the perfect personalized letter.

Recognition letters also create a record of what behaviors the organization reinforces. Over time, inconsistent or vague recognition can weaken performance standards, while clear, specific recognition helps align expectations across managers and teams.

Be Specific About Employee Praise

Using specific metrics, project timelines or feedback can help personalize your message. Using details is what takes a letter from a generic, canned message to a heartfelt thank-you, and can help employees feel appreciated and valued for their specific contributions.

Use Positive, Genuine Language

This one may sound like a no-brainer, but it’s worth stressing: Keep your message positive in recognition letters. Focus on what your employee is doing right, and save any negative feedback for a one-on-one. Focus on using genuine language and avoid cliches and canned phrases that can take away the value of the letter.

Highlight Impact and Contributions

Be sure to highlight specific contributions and the impact that the employee’s actions have had on your company’s success. If you can, reference specific metrics to show the true impact of the employee’s hard work.

Connect Employee Praise to Company Values

Recognition letters are a great way to show that your company truly commits to its company values. For example, if your company focuses on innovation, you could mention that the employee embodies this company value with their creativity on a new project. This helps connect employee achievements to the company’s broader mission.

Personalize Your Employee Appreciation Message

In addition to standard personalization – like adding in an employee’s name, position and specific efforts – you may also add some more personal touches. If you know the employee has a specific hobby or interest, you can try to work that into your letter.

For example, if your employee is a Star Wars fan, you may tell your employee they exemplify an iconic quote, like: “Do or do not. There is no try.”

Consider the Employee’s Personality

Personalizing employee recognition letters is an important part of making them impactful, and that includes taking the employee’s personality into consideration. If they’re more reserved, you may match that energy in your letter. Or, if they like to joke around, you may add in a few humorous elements or be a little more conversational in tone. All of this can help ensure that an employee feels truly seen and appreciated.

Keep It Concise and Focused

It can be easy to go overboard with praise and point out all the positive behaviors of an employee, but that can take away from the impact of your recognition letters. Instead, keep it focused on the specific task, project or metric that you’re recognizing and keep the letter concise.

Encourage Continued Excellence

In all recognition letters, it’s important to encourage the behavior for the future. Try adding in something like “I look forward to seeing what you will continue to accomplish,” or “Keep up the good work!”

This can help motivate employees and keep them focused on the future.

Provide Contact Information for Further Discussion

At the end of your recognition letters, it’s important to provide contact information in case the employee wants to discuss further and have a broader conversation. The contact depends on the type of recognition letter given – if it’s for a new hire, you may add contact information for the HR department. But if it’s for a direct project, you can provide contact information for the direct manager or project manager.

Making Recognition Count

Regardless of the situation, employee recognition letters work best when they name specific actions, explain why the effort mattered, and reinforce behaviors worth repeating.

Looking for additional ways to recognize employees beyond formal letters? Why It Pays to Praise: 20 Ways to Say “Good Job” offers practical options managers can use in everyday moments.

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New Study: What 2026 Data Reveals About Reporting Workplace Harassment

February 6, 2026 By Carol Warner

Nearly a quarter (22%) of employees who witness harassment never report it. But among those who do, 38% say they were dissatisfied with their employer’s response. The data highlights a trust gap that shapes whether employees speak up at all.

Those numbers come from Traliant’s The State of Workplace Harassment: 2026 Findings, which examines reporting workplace harassment and employee confidence in how employers respond when concerns are raised.

Where Harassment Risks Are Highest

Nearly half (46%) of Gen Z employees say they’ve witnessed workplace harassment – and 33% report experiencing it firsthand. Those rates exceed every other generation in the survey, suggesting that problematic behavior is showing up early in employees’ careers rather than fading with time.

Industry differences are sharper still. In customer-facing environments such as hotels, restaurants, and bars, 50% of employees report witnessing harassment and 29% say they have experienced it themselves. In office-based roles, those figures fall to 32% and 17%.

Public-facing work brings familiar risk factors: less control over interactions, fewer managers present, and a higher likelihood that harassment comes from customers rather than co-workers. The reality is, reporting systems designed around office-based work don’t always translate well to frontline roles.

Reporting frameworks can’t assume desk access or constant oversight, so frontline roles need options that work even when HR isn’t nearby.

Why Employees Decide Not to Report

Employees know that once a complaint is raised, there’s no rewind button – so reporting harassment is a risk decision.

In the survey, retaliation concerns show up early in that calculation. Five percent of employees say fear of retaliation would stop them from reporting harassment at all. Another 6% report that they’d stay silent because they don’t expect their employer to take effective action. Those aren’t tentative answers. They reflect decisions made before HR ever hears about an issue and directly undermine the effectiveness of any formal complaint process.

Among employees who have gone through the process of reporting workplace harassment, nearly four in 10 say their employer’s response left them either not at all satisfied (23%) or not very satisfied (15%). That experience sticks and spreads informally, shaping how others think about speaking up.

Employee views of how employers handle harassment reports vary by industry. In manufacturing, dissatisfaction is most pronounced, with one-third of employees who reported harassment saying they weren’t at all satisfied with their employer’s response. In hotels, restaurants, and bars, dissatisfaction is split, with 26% saying they weren’t very satisfied and 18% saying they weren’t at all satisfied. Retail shows a similar result, with one in four employees saying they weren’t at all satisfied with how their employer handled the report.

Office settings perform better, but not enough to call it solved. Even there, 17% say they weren’t at all satisfied and another 14% say the employer’s response missed the mark.

How Employees Prefer Reporting Workplace Harassment

When employees do consider reporting harassment, comfort varies widely by channel.

The good news: HR remains the most trusted option, with 59% of employees saying they would feel comfortable reporting there.

Managers follow at 53%, though that depends heavily on the supervisor relationship.

Other reporting channels give employees reporting options they feel safe using. Forty percent say they would feel comfortable using an anonymous option, while 29% would use an online reporting form. In addition, 20% said they’d feel comfortable reporting to legal or compliance teams and executive leadership.

A smaller group remains entirely shut out. Four percent of employees don’t feel comfortable reporting workplace harassment through any channel. When reporting processes are built primarily around managers, but employee comfort skews toward HR or anonymous routes, incident data will remain incomplete.

“When reports of misconduct go unaddressed, organizations risk reinforcing cycles of fear and tolerating harassment,” said Elissa Rossi, Vice President of Compliance Services at Traliant.

What Training and Systems Miss

Training matters, but not all training does the same work.

Across generations, most employees report receiving baseline instruction. Roughly two-thirds of younger and mid-career workers say they’ve had code-of-conduct and harassment prevention training in the past year. Exposure drops among Boomers, with 53% reporting code of conduct training and 48% receiving harassment prevention training.

More applied content is far less common. Only about one-third of Gen Z employees report receiving bystander intervention training, and exposure drops below 20% for older groups. Training on microaggressions is rarer still across all generations.

The generational split is clearest in those who receive no training at all. Only 7% of Gen Z employees report receiving no workplace training in the past year. That figure rises for Millennials (13%), Gen X (15%), and nearly one in four Boomers (24%).

When training is missing or inconsistent, employees misunderstand how reporting works. They base decisions on what they’ve been taught, not on what technically exists. In frontline roles, that misunderstanding cuts deeper. Employees may assume access to HR is limited or remote. Reporting may feel like it has to go through a direct supervisor they work alongside every day. Follow-up may seem informal or dependent on who is on shift.

Office-based settings tend to operate differently. Access to HR is more visible. Reporting channels are easier to find. Processes feel more standardized. That difference shows up in satisfaction data, with office employees reporting stronger outcomes after complaints, while manufacturing, retail, and customer-facing roles report higher dissatisfaction.

The end result is uneven reporting of workplace harassment, especially outside office settings.

With federal guidance in flux, internal clarity around reporting and response matters more than ever. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s decision to rescind its 2024 harassment guidance raises new uncertainty about expectations, leaving employers with less external direction and more pressure to get internal reporting and response right.

What Makes Reporting More Likely to Work

Set and enforce clear expectations. Zero-tolerance only works when leaders model it and enforce it consistently. Employees watch how reliably standards are applied, not how they’re written.
Make reporting easy to use and safe. Remove friction from reporting. Employees need clear options that feel confidential and protected from blowback, including clear messaging that retaliation is prohibited and will not be tolerated. When that protection isn’t clearly communicated, issues are far less likely to reach HR.
Respond clearly and without delay. How employers handle the first report sets the tone for every report that follows. Even when investigations take time, clarity around timelines and next steps helps prevent frustration and disengagement.
Update training to reflect real situations. Shift time away from generic policy refreshers toward bystander intervention, microaggression scenarios, and clear walk-throughs of how reporting works in practice, especially for frontline roles with limited access to HR.

The challenge ahead for HR is building reporting systems that employees trust enough to use early, before small concerns escalate into organizational risk.

Article

The 1 Thing Every Workplace Will Want to Become This Year: Kinder

February 6, 2026 By Michele McGovern

Most workplaces set goals for the year that involve growth, technology or development. This year, many want to become something different: kinder.

Kindness in the workplace is on the rise. In fact, 87% of employees and 94% of employers plan to make kindness a core company value this year, according to the Dexian HumanKindex.

“The findings show a marked rise in both employee and employer perceptions of kindness, signaling a cultural shift toward empathy, connection and respect as core business capabilities rather than soft ideals,” says Maruf Ahmed, CEO of Dexian.

Good Time for Kinder Times

And the timing couldn’t be better, as uncertainty surrounds employees outside of the workplace daily. We all know that it’s difficult to look at phones, TVs, social media, street signs or a stranger’s face and not be inundated with negative news.

“As we enter a new year, people are showing up to work carrying a larger amount of personal, professional, and emotional stress. The pace of work continues to increase, expectations are high, AI has people simultaneously excited and concerned, and uncertainty has become part of everyday life,” says Lydia Wilson, Chief People Officer at Dexian.

So, being in a workplace that is kinder than a cruel world can help.

“Kindness helps humanize our interactions. It reminds us that we are seen, supported, and not navigating challenges alone. When we feel grounded and valued, we do our best work and build more productive work communities,” says Wilson.

Even better, being in a kind workplace can help everyone work better. More than 90% of the people in the Dexian study agreed that a culture of kindness is essential to building a high-performing workplace.

More specifically, employees link kindness to measurable business outcomes, including:

Performance (85%)
Productivity (84%)
Engagement (82%)
Collaboration (81%), and
Innovation (79%).

Bottom line: People who work in a kind environment work better.

“Employees and leaders are aligned on its value and impact on performance, productivity, engagement, and talent attraction,” says Ahmed.

Building Kinder Workplaces

So while you work to stay on top of trends, on the edge of AI, ahead of turnover, or continue to grow this year, try to build a kinder workplace, too. That effort will likely help all your other initiatives.

Here are four tactics to create more kindness and happiness in your workplace.

1. Do It From the Start

According to Wilson, kind workplaces are built from the ground up — from the day people walk in the door.

“It’s about the systems we put in place, like how we onboard, how we develop people, and how we communicate. When kindness is reflected both in how we behave and how we operate, it simply becomes part of how we work every day,” says Wilson.

Her advice takes me back to a piece of advice that I’ve shared many times from this company: We have a collegiality expectation when we sign on. People are expected to treat others professionally and with courtesy. It’s not a nice-to-have. It’s a performance expectation.

2. Get People Involved in Solutions

Harvard Business School Professor and author of The Happiness Files: Insights on Work and Life, Arthur C. Brooks says making employees happy is the key to improving business performance. Simply put, when employees’ quality of life improves so does the business’s quality improve.

One of his first pieces of advice: To spread happiness, turn to employees to find a new way to solve one nagging problem. This serves two purposes: You fix a problem that causes people a reason to be unhappy and possibly unkind. And you give them greater meaning at work.

Pick a persistent issue and ask a senior team member for input. Explain how you’ve been approaching it, then invite their alternative perspective. This simple act signals openness to ideas and encourages innovation.

3. Be Honest and Move On

Start the year with some honesty about something you’ve been avoiding. Then meet it head-on and move on. Brooks suggests that you tell an employee — or as many as need to hear it — something you’ve been avoiding.

You might want to think of one difficult conversation you’ve been putting off — perhaps it’s about compensation, performance, uncertainty, expectations or next moves. Then deliver the message with clarity and honesty. Employees don’t need perfect answers, but they need the truth from their leaders all the time. In fact, 40% of employees in the Dexian study said they were most influenced by leaders who lead with kindness.

4. Give People Space

Brooks suggests that to build a kinder workplace this year, leaders schedule team lunches … and don’t go to them!

The point is to create space for people to connect where they can casually get together with no agenda. Then let them gather without the boss looking over their shoulder or hearing and directing their conversations.

Often, when leaders step back, employees can form genuine relationships that strengthen engagement and build a ground-up culture.

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What a New PBM Model Changes for HR Accountability

February 5, 2026 By Carol Warner

Pharmacy benefits are one of the hardest areas for HR to defend as drug costs climb. Employees feel it at the pharmacy counter. Finance sees it in renewal projections. HR ends up explaining the gap.

Medical and prescription drug expenses are projected to rise by 8.4% this year, according to HUB International’s 2026 Benefits Cost Trends Report. Now, many employers are reexamining pharmacy benefit options, including a new Medication Optimization PBM approach.

A New PBM Operating Model Enters the Conversation

EmpiRx Health recently announced the launch of its new Medication Optimization (MO) operating model. The company describes the approach as a shift away from price-first PBM management toward sustained clinical accountability across the plan year.

“From day one, our mission has been to reimagine pharmacy care by shifting the PBM operating model from emphasizing transactions to focusing on patient health outcomes,” said Danny Sanchez, Chief Executive Officer of EmpiRx Health, in announcing the model.

From Price Management to Clinical Accountability

Traditional PBM arrangements concentrate most control at the front end. Access challenges tied to pharmacy closures have added urgency to how employers structure and evaluate benefits. Pricing terms get negotiated. Formularies get set. Access rules get defined. After prescriptions are filled, employers often have limited insight into how medication use changes.

That structure creates a familiar problem. Pharmacy trends shift midyear, yet the drivers behind those changes are difficult to identify. Limited visibility is also drawing regulatory attention, as states like California move to require greater transparency and accountability from PBMs (see related PBM reform in Arkansas). Cost controls may exist on paper, but spending continues to climb without a clear explanation tied to medication decisions.

Employers now ask who monitors medication use once coverage is live, who intervenes when therapy no longer aligns with treatment goals, and who owns outcomes as utilization and costs change.

How the Medication Optimization Model Works

Under its Medication Optimization model, EmpiRx Health places that responsibility back with the PBM.

The MO approach relies on active, pharmacist-led monitoring rather than periodic utilization reviews. Clinical pharmacists track therapy patterns as they develop and intervene when medications are duplicative, ineffective, or no longer align with clinical guidelines.

That oversight continues beyond initial approvals. Pharmacists review dosing concerns, treatment effectiveness, and overlapping therapies, contacting prescribers when changes are warranted. Member outreach focuses on issues that commonly disrupt treatment, including side effects and affordability concerns.

The model pairs this clinical work with internal systems that flag risk and help prioritize intervention earlier while employees are still in treatment, instead of after utilization and costs escalate. It also relies on EmpiRx Health’s Clinically technology platform, which supports pharmacist-led medication review and helps surface potential therapy issues.

That shift has drawn attention beyond EmpiRx Health itself.

“Medication Optimization is the innovative, clinically focused breakthrough the PBM industry has long needed,” said Jim Tsipakis, RPh, former President, Supermarkets & Pharmacy, at Giant Eagle.

Tsipakis explained MO as a shift back to pharmacist-led care and clearer accountability for medication outcomes, noting that traditional PBM models have struggled to deliver that level of clinical ownership.

PBM Operating Models and Employer Accountability

The impact of a PBM operating model becomes clearer over the course of the plan year. Pricing establishes the baseline. Ongoing management determines how pharmacy results evolve.

EmpiRx Health describes Medication Optimization as an approach that keeps clinical responsibility with the PBM throughout the year. That framing reflects employer concern about absorbing risk when pharmacy outcomes shift after enrollment.

As more PBMs move toward active clinical oversight, HR teams may face growing pressure to distinguish price-focused contracts from those built around year-round accountability.

Employer focus continues to move toward ownership. Pharmacy outcomes invite less scrutiny when responsibility for oversight is clear and documented, especially when Finance asks why spending shifted midyear.

Questions HR Teams Rely on to Press PBM Vendors

When reviewing PBM options, HR teams focus on questions that clarify how pharmacy decisions are managed and explained after enrollment:

What clinical review activities occur after prescriptions are approved?
What reporting shows when interventions happen during the plan year?
What documentation supports decisions made on high-cost or complex therapies?
How does the PBM explain pharmacy cost changes outside of utilization spikes?
How are pharmacy trends communicated to employers ahead of renewal discussions?