Case Study: U.S. Bank achieves a culture of appreciation and increased employee engagement with O.C. Tanner’s recognition solution

US Bank - Customer Case Study

U.S. Bank, a 150‑year‑old financial institution with about 67,000 employees across 11 countries, needed to fix a fragmented, inconsistent approach to employee recognition: fifteen business lines were using different, cumbersome tools (eCards, spot awards, Visa rewards) and leadership lacked an easy way to celebrate cross‑functional achievements. The bank wanted a simple, integrated, global platform tied to its service values that encouraged meaningful, fun recognition and provided robust reporting and budget controls.

Partnering with O.C. Tanner, U.S. Bank launched The Best in US in February 2012 — a working‑committee‑designed program combining eThanks/eCards, customer Thank‑a‑Banker buttons, team awards (TAB) and the Circle of Service Excellence, supported by manager training, ambassadors and creative campaigns. The program drove broad adoption (2 million eThanks by May 2014), increased employee connection and engagement, and showed measurable business impact: higher customer satisfaction where recognition was frequent and lower turnover in units giving and receiving more recognition.

US Bank

Richard Davis

Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer