Perceptyx Reveals Winners of 2026 EX IMPACT Awards

Organizations recognized for turning employee insight into measurable business impact—from AI adoption to retention, safety, and culture transformation

TEMECULA, Calif., April 2, 2026 — Perceptyx, the people activation company, today announced the winners of its 2026 EX IMPACT Awards. Now in its third year, the awards recognize organizations that are not just listening to employees — but operationalizing that insight to drive measurable change in how work gets done.

This year’s winners reflect a clear shift in the role of employee experience from a feedback exercise to a continuous, closed-loop system connecting insight to action to drive behavior change at scale. Across industries, these organizations are proving that when listening is directly tied to leadership action, AI enablement, and operational execution, it becomes a powerful driver of performance.

The winners of the 2026 EX IMPACT Awards are:

Winner: Atlantic Union Bank | Category: Culture and Belonging
Atlantic Union Bank used employee listening as a culture management system to successfully navigate back-to-back acquisitions that expanded its workforce by nearly 50%. By translating employee feedback — including 266 open-ended responses from newly acquired teammates — into a structured integration action plan, the organization preserved cultural consistency while scaling. Despite a 60% increase in survey population, engagement held steady at 84%, demonstrating how actively managed culture can withstand significant transformation.

“Listening only matters if it leads to meaningful change. We’ve been intentional about turning teammate feedback into visible action that strengthens trust, inclusion, and engagement across the organization," said Clare Miller, CHRO of Atlantic Union Bank. "Being recognized with the Perceptyx Impact Award for Culture & Belonging reflects both the progress we’ve made and our responsibility to keep leading with purpose. We're incredibly honored by this recognition, knowing the caliber of organizations in the benchmark set. Congratulations to all of the honorees!”

Winner: Avery Dennison | Category: AI Adoption
Avery Dennison leveraged AI-powered nudges and coaching through Perceptyx Activate to deliver personalized, scalable guidance to managers across its global workforce. As an early adopter, the company achieved 78.7% consistent activation among managers, with daily AI Coach engagement and strong repeat usage. The approach demonstrates how AI can embed behavior change into the flow of work — turning feedback into continuous, actionable leadership development at scale.

“At Avery Dennison, we believe a world-class employee experience begins with truly listening to our people. Winning the Perceptyx EX Impact Award is a testament to our team’s dedication to evolving that insight into meaningful action," said Lisa Edler, VP, Global Talent Management at Avery Dennison. “Through our partnership with Perceptyx, we better understand the needs of our global workforce and have bridged the gap between feedback and tangible change. This recognition celebrates our commitment to ensuring every team member—from the manufacturing floor to our corporate offices—is heard, valued, and empowered to drive our collective success."

Winner: Arca Continental Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages | Category: Leader Effectiveness
Arca Continental Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages transformed frontline leadership by connecting engagement data directly to behavior through Activate nudges, targeted development, and structured accountability. Over five years, its Leadership Index rose from 65% to 89.3%, with the most significant gains among previously low-performing leaders — who improved by an average of 40 points. With 93% of leaders creating action plans tied to employee feedback, the organization built a sustainable system for leadership excellence across a 9,000-person workforce.

Winner: C.H. Robinson | Category: Employee Engagement
C.H. Robinson delivered one of the most significant engagement turnarounds in recent years by aligning listening, strategy, and culture into a single, coherent system. After a 7-point decline, engagement rebounded by +5.9 points in just 12 months. Trust in senior leadership rose to an all-time high, and survey credibility increased +9.5 points — reversing four years of decline. By simplifying its cultural narrative and embedding action planning into daily operations, the company restored confidence and connection during a period of major transformation.

“At C.H. Robinson, we know that transformation is only possible if our people are part of it. We’ve been intentional about listening closely, acting on what we hear, and building a shared culture that clearly connects daily work to our strategy,” said Angie Freeman, Chief Human Resources and ESG Officer at C.H. Robsinson. “When employees see their voice reflected in decisions, it builds trust, strengthens engagement, and creates the momentum needed to harness change and create breakthrough performance.”

Winner: Horizon Health Network | Category: Employee Retention
Horizon Health Network built a listening-driven retention strategy that directly addressed friction points across the employee lifecycle. By launching nearly 60 initiatives based on employee feedback — including improvements to onboarding through its Day Zero Project — the organization reduced voluntary turnover from 9.6% to 7.6%, outperforming national benchmarks. Managers were empowered to take ownership of engagement through 120+ self-initiated surveys, reinforcing a culture of continuous improvement.

"Being recognized with the Perceptyx EX Impact Award for Employee Retention is an incredible honour for Horizon Health Network. This award affirms the deliberate, evidence‑based approach we have taken to listen deeply to our people and act boldly on what we hear. What makes this recognition especially meaningful is that it reflects the voices of our employees, said Gail Lebel, CHRO and Vice-President of Human Resources, at Horizon Health Network. “At Horizon, retention is not a program, it’s a promise. Through Our Promise and our ongoing culture work grounded in accountability, collaboration, and respect, we remain committed to building a healthy, inclusive workplace where every role is valued and every voice matters. This award reinforces that when we listen with intention and act with integrity, we create the conditions where people choose to stay, grow, and thrive."

Winner: New York Life | Category: Organizational Transformation
New York Life redefined enterprise AI adoption by placing employees at the center of the transformation. Through its Ignite AI and Continuous Improvement initiatives, the company scaled AI access to 12,000 employees while maintaining strong engagement and cultural alignment. Employees now save nearly three hours per week on average using AI tools, with over 10,000 custom GPTs created internally. By linking listening data to rollout strategy, New York Life ensured adoption strengthened — rather than strained — employee experience.

“At New York Life, employee feedback informs how we lead, operate, and evolve as an organization," said Paul Karavis, Director, Talent Management Practices & Employee Listening at New York Life. “We are proud to be recognized for our commitment to listening and taking meaningful action on what we hear. By embedding employee feedback into the way we do business, we are strengthening our culture, reinforcing our people-first approach, and ensuring every voice contributes to our long-term success.”

Winner: Sharp HealthCare | Category: Employee Safety and Well-Being
Sharp HealthCare demonstrated how listening can drive measurable improvements in workforce safety and well-being. By integrating employee feedback into enterprise strategy and governance, the organization reduced workplace violence claims by 12% and trip-and-fall incidents by 17%, while improving retention to 91.6%. Its holistic approach — spanning physical safety, psychological safety, and well-being — shows how protecting employees directly contributes to stability and performance in high-pressure environments.

"Our people told us where we were strong and where we needed to do better—and we acted," said Rita Essaian, DM, MHA, Executive Vice President & Chief People Officer at Sharp Healthcare. “By embedding safety, well‑being, and follow‑through into how we lead, we’re seeing real results for our workforce and greater stability across the organization.”

Winner: Solenis | Category: Learning and Development
Following a major acquisition, Solenis identified manager effectiveness as the critical lever for engagement and retention. The company implemented a comprehensive leadership development strategy anchored in accountability, requiring 99.8% of managers to complete action plans tied to employee feedback. These efforts drove measurable outcomes, including $4.7 million in turnover cost avoidance, a 9% increase in internal promotions, and significant gains in engagement and leadership effectiveness — demonstrating the impact of targeted, insight-driven development at scale.

“At Solenis, our people are the driving force behind every achievement,” said David Nocek, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources and Communications Officer, Solenis. “This award affirms the commitment our teams show every day to learning, growing and strengthening our culture. It reflects the passion of our employees who embrace development, support one another and turn continuous learning into meaningful impact for our company and our customers.”

Winner: Nokia | Category: Exceptional Impact in the European Market
Nokia transformed its approach to employee listening by consolidating more than 10 disconnected tools into a single, unified listening platform — enabling consistent, lifecycle-based insight and action across a global workforce of 78,000 employees. The shift drove an all-time high 81% survey participation rate and generated more than 70,000 open-text comments, giving leaders unprecedented visibility into employee sentiment. By embedding governance, accountability, and structured action planning, Nokia significantly improved follow-through, with some business units increasing action-plan completion by more than 35 percentage points year over year and top-performing teams nearing 100%. The result is a scalable, transparent listening ecosystem that connects employee voice directly to culture transformation and strategic decision-making across the organization.

“This year’s winners represent what’s possible when organizations move beyond listening to truly operationalize employee insight,” said Ross Wainwright, Chief Executive Officer of Perceptyx. “They are building continuous systems where feedback directly informs action and measurable business outcomes. The future of employee experience is already taking shape in organizations like these.”