Performance + Productivity = Employee Success? Not Really.

When Google launched Project Aristotle to decode what makes a "successful team,” their researchers expected success to stem from star performers or perfectly complementary skills. 

But after analyzing hundreds of teams, the strongest predictor of success wasn’t a hard skill, personality type, or job title.

It was psychological safety.

People who positively overshot expectations felt safe to speak up, admit mistakes, ask questions, and offer bold ideas, without fear. And Google's not alone in these findings. Additional research suggests that social belonging and positive reinforcement are wired into us, so in an environment where you spend almost half of your waking hours, it is less about what you do and more about how you’re supported while doing it.

And that’s at the heart of how we here at Bonusly think about employee success: not a tally of wins or promotions, but the strategic, holistic, and intentional efforts that set someone up to thrive. It’s the emotional infrastructure behind high-performing teams built on purpose, progress, and belonging, and sustained through meaningful recognition and feedback.

Bonusly’s 2025 State of Recognition Report drives it home: companies with strong people-centric practices outperform their peers across retention, morale, and output. 

Even still, recognition’s role in driving employee success is often treated as an afterthought—nice, but optional. This blog makes the case for a new definition of success that’s far more human, not hierarchical.

So what is employee success? 

As "People" people, we’ve long conflated employee success with performance metrics, productivity, and title changes. But it’s really all about momentum—the magic that happens when people are driven by purpose, fueled by growth, and anchored in belonging within an environment that helps them win.

Employee success hinges on three things:

• Purpose that feels aligned. Employees need to believe in what they’re building and see how their work contributes to the bigger picture. 
• Progress that feels real. Skill-building, growth moments, feedback loops, and trust that their career is evolving, not stalled. When people move forward, so does the company.
• Belonging that feels true. A culture where they feel like expressing their wild ideas, core identities, and perspectives. Where people are celebrated in a way that is not perfunctory, but genuine. 

Here’s what it isn’t.

Here’s where things get messy. When companies ignore employee success, people notice. 

There’s a viral meme about a person who gave decades to a company, only to be handed a plastic trinket in return. It was meant to honor his dedication. (Shocker: it didn’t.) Another employee shared how she was passed over for a promotion because she trained the new hire too well. And a high schooler was written up for missing a shift—the same weekend they graduated. 

It’s almost darkly funny. 

Except when it’s you.

Employee success can’t thrive in a climate of generic praise, stagnant roles, or cultural disconnects. Gallup found that only one in three workers in the U.S. feel like their work has been recognized. And those who don’t? They’re twice as likely to say they’ll quit within the year. 

It’s easy to label these employees as flight risks and ignore the deeper issue: a company-wide morale problem.

The fix? Ensuring that the three tenets of employee success—purpose, progress, and belonging—are strong. When there is recognition that is frequent, aligned, meaningful, and timely, people are excited to bring new ideas to the table, collaborate more effectively within and across teams, and as a result, are committed to the company's mission for the long haul. These employees move from doing the bare minimum to thriving in a culture driven by engaged teams because they see success for themselves.

Purpose isn’t a prop.

Purpose is the fire that keeps employees showing up. When someone believes their work matters, it has a profound impact on how they approach their work. 

In today’s workplace, employees need to feel connected to their company’s mission. When people believe their work has meaning, they’re four times more likely to be engaged. 

Purpose fuels resilience, too. One study found that 83% of workers rank “finding meaning in work” as a top priority, and over half would take a pay cut for a job that provides that sense of purpose​.

Here’s the problem: 79% of leaders say inspiring purpose is important, yet only 27% build it into daily work. That disconnect erodes trust, focus, and ambition. 

If your people can’t see how their work ladders up to something bigger, they’ll stop climbing. Recognition amplifies this sense of meaning—when employees are acknowledged for work that aligns with a mission they believe in, it reinforces purpose and strengthens emotional investment. 

Even a quick note like “thanks for bringing the meeting topic back to our mission” can reinforce that their work has purpose. 

The takeaway is clear: if you want the best from your people, give them a purpose. Help them see how their work ties to the broader mission. Employee success begins with why we work, not just what we do. 

Progress isn’t a perk.

Traditional career paths are outdated. 

Amidst all the chaos of today’s work (from economic swings to tech disruption), employees need to feel like they are progressing and supported, and see that the company is growing with them. 

Employees want to be set up to succeed. In one survey, 86% of employees said they would change jobs if a new company offered them more professional development opportunities​. And LinkedIn’s research found 94% of employees would stay longer at a company that invested in their career growth. 

That’s why smart leaders are obsessing over development in 2025 and beyond. 

Lack of growth is now the number one reason people quit their jobs. According to SHRM, it's a "lack of career opportunities or development” on the job, above work-life balance or manager issues, that's causing people to throw in the towel.

But progress doesn’t stem from intermittent reviews and flat metrics. It comes from regular, honest conversations about skills, goals, and growth—the kind of dialogue that only happens when managers lead with intention, consistency, and personalized attention. That’s why high-impact 1:1s are so effective at identifying gaps, spotting wins early, and offering real-time course correction before things stall.

Recognition helps anchor this progress. It signals what’s working, validates growth, and builds the confidence to keep moving forward. For example, when a manager says, “I noticed how you handled that difficult client call. You stayed calm, found a solution, and protected the relationship,” it reinforces development in action. Layering recognition in the form of feedback ensures that employees receive timely, actionable insights, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and engagement. 

You can have all the trust and responsibility in the world, but if there is no path to learn and advance, motivation will wither. Ambitious employees will simply take their ambitions elsewhere. You need to show them a roadmap and stick by it.  

Belonging isn’t a buzzword. 

Belonging is another overlooked, yet incredibly important, employee success factor.

Imagine spending a decade at a company and still feeling like a visitor. That’s the reality for thousands of people clocking into jobs they don't reallyfeel a part of.

The feeling is disheartening—isolating, even. It erodes trust, weakens confidence, and ultimately drives people to leave. And it’s more common than you think: 40% of workers say they feel isolated at work​.

Belonging is the antidote to isolation. It’s built in the small moments: The teammate who says, “I’ve got your back.” The manager who takes the time to really know their people. The Slack channel where colleagues swap pet photos and encouragement in equal measure.

But it’s also built in systemic ways. Think fireside chats, automated and equitable milestone celebrations, ERGs, and a culture that celebrates each person’s uniqueness. Something as simple as “I’ve seen how much thought you put into your design decisions” can make someone feel like they belong.

When employees feel like they belong, they take more creative risks, build stronger relationships, and stay longer. Harvard Business Review research quantifies it: a strong sense of belonging is linked to a 56% increase in job performance, along with a 50% drop in turnover risk​. 

When employees say, “I am part of something larger than myself,”​ it’s incredibly powerful. Recognition plays a key role in belonging, letting employees know they are valued for who they are and how they contribute. 

It’s the difference between showing up to get through the day and showing up with an intention to add and gain value. That shift can change how people work—and shape the reason behind why they stay.

Recognition as a catalyst for success.

If purpose lights the fire, progress fuels it, and belonging makes it burn brighter, recognition is what keeps it alive. It’s the catalyst for employee success, yet is often treated as a nice-to-have or cut when budgets shrink. 

Big mistake. 

Recognition is a core employee success strategy. Done right, it turns disconnected workplaces into thriving ones by making people feel valued, motivated, and committed to long-term employment. 

The best recognition is timely, personal, and specific. A manager saying, “Kate, your late-night bug fix saved our launch—thank you for living our customer-first value,” lands with real impact. 

Still want numbers? Data from Gallup agrees. Happy employees are:

• 4x more likely to be engaged
• 5x more likely to feel connected to company culture
• 73% less likely to experience burnout 

Recognition makes culture tangible and effort meaningful. When people feel recognized, they show up stronger—for their teams, their goals, and the bigger picture.

Success that stays.

Employee success is the engine behind strong, sustainable teams. Giving them the right environment means empowering them to speak up, take risks, and build lasting impact. 

The bottom line: Success is something you design—with intention, everyday. It is fostered via systems that reward momentum, managers that have real conversations, and above all, leaders that align every initiative to the three pillars: purpose, progress, and belonging.

Want to see how your culture stacks up? Start with Bonusly’s recognition tools and rewire the way employee success shows up at work.

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