IRF Releases Top Performer Study: How Leading Companies Leverage Rewards to Boost Performance

Washington, DC (July 29, 2025): The Incentive Research Foundation announces the release of Top 10 Things Top Performing Companies Do Differently. The white paper presents highlights and key insights from The 2025 IRF Top Performer Study which examines how top performing companies are leveraging non-cash rewards and recognition. The study also provides benchmarks and best practices for non-cash rewards program design.

“In today’s highly competitive economy, it is not surprising that businesses are seeking trusted new ways to differentiate themselves and sustain success. As major thought leaders and consultancies point repeatedly to human capital as the prime modern differentiator, the IRF conducted research on how successful companies are using incentives to boost the performance of employees and partners,” said Stephanie Harris, IRF President. “The IRF 2025 Top Performer Study presents benchmarks and best practices employed by top performing companies to influence performance, shape culture, strengthen partnerships, and retain top talent using non-cash rewards.”

The IRF 2025 Top Performer Study summarizes findings from data collected from participants in the technology, financial services, and manufacturing / automotive sectors. It also presents the data by program type, including employee, sales, and channel. To be considered a top performer for this study, companies met benchmarks in revenue growth, achievement of performance goals, customer trends, and employee attraction, and retention. Of the 600 companies reviewed, 22.5% of participating firms qualified as top-performing companies.

The IRF 2025 Top Performer Study reveals that high-performing companies differentiate themselves by embedding their reward and recognition programs deeply into their overall business strategy. Additional insights discussed in Top 10 Things Top Performing Companies Do Differently include:

• Support for reward and recognition programs among Top Performers is both widespread and deeply embedded. Nearly all report strong executive backing.
• When determining qualifications, Top Performers are more likely to include both performance metrics and customer relationship measures.
• Nearly all Top Performers offer gift cards (94%), points-based rewards (93%), travel (93%), and merchandise (79%), outpacing Comparators across the board.
• Many Top Performing companies use “Fast Start” incentives to help participants begin earning quickly. Tiered reward structures are also more common among Top Performers.

To download a copy of the full study and white paper, please visit the Top 10 Things Top Performing Companies Do Differently webpage.

In September, the IRF will release a series of Top Performer papers specific to the Financial Services, Manufacturing / Automotive, and Technology industries.

Top 10 Things Top Performing Companies Do Differently was supported by IRF Research Advocacy Partner, Hilton.

Hilton (NYSE: HLT), a leading global hospitality company, delivers the best stay across 24 world-class brands, over 8,600 properties, and nearly 1.3 million rooms in 139 countries and territories. With a founding vision to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality, Hilton has welcomed over 3 billion guests since its founding in 1919. Based in McLean, Virginia, Hilton introduced World’s Most Welcoming Events, a first-of-its-kind initiative that evolves and reimagines live events. Other industry-leading milestones include Digital Key, automated complimentary room upgrades, and the award-winning guest loyalty program, Hilton Honors, welcoming over 218 million members worldwide. Hilton has been named the No. 2 Best Company to Work For in the world by Fortune and Great Place to Work.

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