Employee Gifting Simplified with CT

Recognition That Actually Retains Employees

This conversation spotlights how Stephanie Anderson, CHRO at Opportunity Enterprises in Indiana, builds a recognition culture for a workforce doing high-stakes, emotionally demanding work. Tray Ross and Stephanie discuss what recognition looks like when budgets are tight, turnover is high, and leaders need practical systems that feel personal. The episode is especially useful for HR and people leaders looking for recognition ideas that are simple to run, scalable, and tied directly to retention. It also includes a few creative approaches that make appreciation more tangible for frontline staff.

Connect with Stephanie Anderson on LinkedIn or by email at [email protected]

Connect with Tray Ross on LinkedIn or by email at [email protected]

Key Topics

• In this episode, Stephanie Anderson shares how her career path moved from public relations and event planning into development, fundraising, and eventually HR.
• She explains why working at Opportunity Enterprises matters to her personally, since the organization supports adults with developmental disabilities and depends on trusted, compassionate staff.
• Stephanie says recognition needs to be consistent and constant, not occasional, especially in a high-turnover environment where direct support care can see 50 to 60 percent turnover nationally.
• She describes a simple but powerful practice: mailing handwritten notes home to employees so appreciation reaches them in a way that feels unexpected and memorable.
• Stephanie walks through how she equips leaders with a “menu” of recognition options, including favorite things lists for each employee so praise can be personalized instead of generic.
• She shares a candy bar exercise she used with supervisors to prove that a personalized reward lands better than giving everyone the same item.
• The conversation connects recognition directly to retention and budget strategy, including the idea that if recognition helps retain even a couple of employees, it can pay for itself.
• Stephanie explains how data is used at Opportunity Enterprises to look at turnover, engagement, and leader behavior together, rather than treating recognition as a soft or isolated effort.
• She describes a gratitude initiative that included bringing in a speaker and giving staff journals to encourage daily reflection on something they are thankful for.
• Stephanie also shares a site ambassador model, where leaders who do not directly oversee programs still check in monthly with staff at assigned locations so employees feel seen.
• The episode covers practical benefits beyond recognition, including a staff food pantry that helps put money back into employees’ pockets.
• Stephanie previews a new leadership roulette concept where leaders earn poker chips for meeting tracking and accountability goals, then redeem them for rewards like candy, gift cards, or PTO.
• Tray and Stephanie agree that blanket, one size fits all appreciation often falls flat and that personalized recognition is more effective and more memorable.
• The conversation ends with a reminder that leaders should stop defaulting to criticism and start looking intentionally for something positive to recognize.

What if the foundation of great employee experience isn't a perk, a platform, or a budget line, but simply treating people like whole people?

In this episode, Tray sits down with Nurdes Gomez, Director of People Operations at eMed, a GLP-1 weight management program based in Miami. With 17 years in healthcare and HR, Nurdes has seen it all, from leading people at Baptist Health South Florida (one of the largest non-profits in the region with 5,000+ employees) to being employee #77 at a fast-moving startup where she has personally onboarded nearly the entire team.

Nurdes returns again and again to a simple but powerful idea: we're whole people. Work takes 80% of our time, but our employees show up carrying everything else too, including kids, parents, health, finances, and all the in-between. She shares how she creates an environment where team members feel safe asking for help, why a $1 handwritten card can outlast any branded swag (some of her team members still have the chocolate-and-card notes she made years ago), and how mental health resources like eMed's zero-copay therapy benefit have become non-negotiable infrastructure.

For HR leaders who are a team of one and balancing recruiting, onboarding, ops, and everything in between, Nurdes offers a refreshing reminder that resourcefulness and personalization will always beat budget. The smallest gestures, when they're genuine, are the ones employees remember years later.

You'll learn:

• Why treating employees as whole people is the engagement strategy that scales at any company size
• How to build the infrastructure that makes employees comfortable asking for help
• Why personalization beats generic recognition every time
• The mindset shift that helps HR teams of one make a big impact without a big budget
• How Nurdes refills her own bucket as an HR team of one (hint: she walks 100+ miles a month)

If you're an HR or People leader looking for human-first ways to make your team feel seen, this one is packed with wisdom and practical takeaways.

Connect with Nurdes on LinkedIn, and check out her work as a SHRM National Mentor.

Donuts and pizza parties used to be enough. Today, employees expect more, and Joe Scotto has had a front-row seat to all of it. With 40 years in HR and currently serving as an HR Director in the New York City area, Joe joins Tray to talk about how employee recognition has evolved, what actually resonates with employees now, and why the best appreciation strategies cost very little to pull off.

They dig into authentic manager-employee relationships, how to make remote employees feel included (Joe shares a great story involving astronaut ice cream), the power of tangible gifts that families notice, and why giving employees the "why" behind their work is one of the biggest shifts of the last decade.

If you're an HR or People leader looking for practical, human-first ways to recognize your team, this one is packed with wisdom from someone who has seen it all.

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn.

What if the most powerful employee recognition tool you have costs absolutely nothing?

In this episode, Tray sits down with Summer Boyd, VP of Talent and Engagement at a national healthcare company that grew from 30 to over 1,000 employees in just five years. Summer shares how her team keeps engagement high not through swag and gift cards alone, but through intentional leadership, knowing how individuals want to receive praise, and building a culture of trust and flexibility. From mentorship programs and pulse surveys to promoting 100% from within, Summer breaks down the people-first philosophy that has made her organization one people actually want to grow with.

You'll learn:

• How to use tools like 15Five to personalize recognition at scale
• Why flexibility is one of your most powerful (and free) retention tools
• The difference between managers and leaders — and why it matters
• How Summer scaled her engagement strategy from a team of one to a certified team of specialists

Connect with Summer on LinkedIn

If you've ever meant to celebrate an employee's birthday and suddenly realized it was three months ago — this episode is for you.

In this session, Tray Ross, VP of Growth at Corporate Traditions, walks HR leaders and business owners through a common but costly problem: employee recognition programs that start with great intentions and slowly collapse under the weight of manual work, missed milestones, and admin chaos.

What happens when seven birthdays a month turns into seventeen? When "just grab signatures" becomes a full-day project? When the personal touch you wanted to give becomes another fire to put out?

Tray shares how organizations of all sizes — from small businesses to brands like Pepsi, Kohler, and Chobani — are solving this with a simple, scalable system that takes about five minutes to set up, requires no contracts or down payments, and lets employees choose exactly what they want.

You'll hear a live walkthrough of the Corporate Traditions platform, including how to bulk upload employee birthdays and anniversaries, schedule gift cards to go out automatically, and give every employee a personalized experience — without the chaos.

This episode was originally recorded as a live webinar on January 21, 2026 — we're sharing it here so you don't miss out on the conversation.

If employee recognition has been on your to-do list longer than you'd like to admit, this one's worth a listen.

Check out Corporate Traditions at www.corporatetraditions.com

In this engaging episode of "Employee Gifting Simplified," host Tray Ross welcomes Laura Van Winkle from Adobe Population Health.

They delve into the nuances of employee recognition and appreciation, exploring how personalized gestures can significantly impact workplace culture.

Laura shares her journey in HR, the importance of understanding individual employee preferences, and the challenges faced in healthcare settings.

The conversation highlights the power of choice, communication, and compassion in fostering a supportive work environment.

Connect with Laura on LinkedIn and get to know Carla the Cow.

In this episode, Tray Ross and Hannah Bologna discuss the evolving landscape of employee recognition and appreciation. They explore the importance of understanding individual preferences, the best practices for engaging employees, and innovative strategies for recognition, especially in budget-constrained environments. The conversation emphasizes the significance of genuine connections and the real-life impact of recognition on employee morale and motivation.

Connect with Hannah:

LinkedIn: Hanna Bologna

Email: [email protected]

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Employee Recognition

03:00 Understanding Employee Preferences

05:58 Best Practices for Employee Engagement

08:51 Innovative Recognition Strategies

12:05 Low-Budget Recognition Ideas

14:58 The Importance of Genuine Connections

17:53 Real-Life Impact of Recognition

21:07 Closing Thoughts and Contact Information

In this episode, Tray Ross speaks with Ben Zander, the Growth and Development Manager at Zander Real Estate, about the importance of employee recognition and appreciation in the workplace.

Ben shares his career journey, highlighting his experiences in various HR roles from Fortune 500 to SMB and the significance of building trust and relationships within teams.

The conversation delves into the evolving values of employees, emphasizing that recognition and development have become more important than monetary compensation.

Ben discusses effective strategies for recognizing employees, including accountability and creating memorable experiences, and concludes with insights on fostering a positive workplace culture.

Connect with Ben:

LinkedIn: Ben Zander

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.zanderteam.com/

With the holiday season here—and many families still feeling the ripple effects of the government shutdown and delayed backpay—leaders are looking for ways to support their teams that are actually meaningful.

In this short conversation, benefits broker Riley Schleifer and Tray Ross break down how companies can help employees stretch their budgets, feed their families, and still feel seen and supported during a tough season.

We discuss:

• Why employee hardship is rising and how it’s showing up across industries
• Tax-free, high-impact gifting options companies can use today
• How Grocery Vouchers (like turkeys, holiday meals, everyday groceries) support families without adding admin burden
• Why Gift Card+ and GiftYouPick are not cash equivalents—and why that matters
• How leaders can give employees the full value of the gift with no contracts, no minimums, and no extra fees

If you’re a benefits broker, HR leader, or employer looking for a simple, meaningful way to help employees this season—this conversation will be worth 10 minutes of your time.