‍There’s a better way to do recognition

At Spark, recognition plays an important role in driving employee engagement.

Through engagement surveys, the team gained a deeper understanding of how recognition was showing up across the business and where there was an opportunity to evolve it further.

“Recognition is really tightly correlated with engagement… we wanted to make it more meaningful for our people.”

At the time, rewards were fixed at $100. It was consistent, but it didn’t reflect the range of contributions happening across the organisation.

This sparked a broader question. How do you build a recognition experience that actually matches how people contribute, in real time, across different roles and moments?

At the same time, Spark was exploring how to better support employees with everyday costs like commuting, looking for something practical that would make a difference day to day.

Why Extraordinary

Spark weren’t just looking for a tool. They were looking for a partner who could shape the solution with them.

“We wanted something that could align with our own insights and fit into how we already work.”

Extraordinary gave them the flexibility to design a recognition programme around their own research, not force their thinking into a fixed system.

The solution

The result was ‘The Power of Thanks’, a recognition programme built on a simple idea. The best recognition happens in the moment and reflects the impact of that moment.

With Extraordinary, Spark introduced a more flexible structure:

• Starting at $25 for everyday contributions
• Scaling up to $500 for their quarterly Spark Icon award

“We were able to move to a variable system… from $25 all the way up to $500.”

The rollout itself was fast and low effort.

“It was one of the easiest parts of the implementation.”

At the same time, Spark expanded into public transport benefits. This gave employees a practical way to reduce commuting costs through pre-tax savings, all within the same platform.

The impact

In the first 3 months 

• Over 1,000 employees have been recognised
• More than $60,000 in rewards has been distributed

More importantly, recognition is showing up differently across the business. It is more frequent, more visible, and better aligned to the moments that matter.

Employee experience

For employees, the change is simple but meaningful.

Recognition now reflects the moment, whether it is a quick thank you or something more significant.

That same simplicity carries through to commuting. Employees can access their card digitally and use it straight away, making savings immediate and easy to adopt.

“I took out my phone, tapped on, got the green light, and went.”

Built to scale without the admin

Low administration was a key requirement from the start.

“There’s been very little I’ve had to do.”

With the system running in the background, the focus has shifted to what actually matters. Building a culture where recognition happens naturally.

Looking ahead

With the foundations in place, Spark is now focused on expanding public transport benefits across the organisation.

“It’s a no-brainer… it puts money back in people’s pockets and supports more sustainable travel.”

Laurence Hopkins, Lead - Reward, People Tech & AI

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