O.C. Tanner, a global leader in employee recognition and workplace culture solutions, has unveiled Say Thanks, a new feature within its Culture Cloud platform that enables customers, clients, and patients to directly recognize frontline employees.
The launch comes at a pivotal time for the 80% of the global workforce who work outside traditional office settings and often lack access to the same recognition opportunities as their desk-based peers. Research shows that half of these workers feel their organizations view them as expendable, while only 30% feel truly valued and just 26% believe recognition they receive is meaningful. Say Thanks seeks to address this gap by empowering those who interact most closely with frontline workers to provide authentic appreciation.
“This product is an exciting way for companies to enable all recognition to be captured inside and outside their walls,” said Dave Hilton, Chief Product Officer at O.C. Tanner. “Not only does Say Thanks broaden how recognition is shared, it also ensures frontline workers feel genuinely valued and energized by the people they serve every day.”
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Accessible through Culture Cloud, Say Thanks can be activated via QR codes on badges, signage, or digital channels such as email. Once submitted, recognition is visible to employees’ managers, peers, and leaders, offering not only meaningful validation but also valuable customer insights.
Findings from O.C. Tanner ’s newly released 2026 Global Culture Report reinforce the feature’s impact, showing that recognition from customers and direct leaders carries the strongest influence on employees, with both rated at 72% for meaningfulness—significantly higher than peer recognition (58%). Employees who consistently receive customer feedback are also 2.3 times more likely to report a sense of purpose in their work.
With Say Thanks, O.C. Tanner is extending recognition beyond company walls, helping organizations strengthen culture, elevate employee engagement, and capture authentic moments of gratitude from the people who matter most.
