In an increasingly competitive market, a new study from the Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) reveals how top-performing companies are leveraging non-cash rewards and recognition to drive success. The “2025 IRF Top Performer Study” examines how these leading businesses are using incentives to boost employee and partner performance, strengthen culture, and retain top talent.
The study, which surveyed 600 companies across the technology, financial services, and manufacturing/automotive sectors, identified 22.5% of participants as “top performers” based on their benchmarks in revenue growth, performance goals, customer trends, and employee retention.
“In today’s highly competitive economy, it is not surprising that businesses are seeking trusted new ways to differentiate themselves and sustain success,” said Stephanie Harris, President of the IRF. “Our research shows that successful companies are using incentives to boost the performance of employees and partners.”
The IRF released a white paper, “Top 10 Things Top Performing Companies Do Differently,” which highlights key findings from the study. According to the white paper, top performers differentiate themselves by:
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Integrating rewards into business strategy: These companies embed their reward programs deeply into their overall business strategy, with nearly all reporting strong executive support.
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Using a mix of metrics: Top performers are more likely to include both performance metrics and customer relationship measures when determining reward qualifications.
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Offering diverse rewards: A majority of these companies offer a variety of non-cash rewards, including gift cards (94%), points-based rewards (93%), travel (93%), and merchandise (79%).
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Creating tiered programs: Many of these businesses use “Fast Start” incentives to help participants begin earning quickly, and also frequently use tiered reward structures.
The full study and white paper are available for download on the IRF website. The IRF also announced that it will release industry-specific papers for the financial services, manufacturing/automotive, and technology sectors in September.
