--- title: June 2026 Kudos Newsletter --- Your Monthly Kudos Update ![Your Monthly Kudos Update](https://media.beefree.cloud/pub/bfra/macd453s/4k1/wvx/f9r/Kudos-Client-Newsletter-June-2025-Banner%20%281%29.png "Your Monthly Kudos Update") ## What we're talking about this month: - ⭐️ Start preparing for this years’ Best Culture Awards - **🤝** Connecting deskless employees to recognition - 📣 Psychological safety is not something leaders decide ### Your Feedback is Valued  Thank you to everyone who completed the Kudos survey in partnership with Leger. We greatly appreciate it!  Your feedback helps us decide what to improve and where to invest next. We’ll be sharing the results of the survey in the coming months.   If you have any questions about the survey results, please do not hesitate to reach out to [marketing@kudos.com.](mailto:marketing@kudos.com?subject=Question%20about%20Leger%20survey%20by%20Kudos%C2%AE)  ### Best Culture Awards: Applications Opening Soon   It’s almost that time of year! The 2026 Best Culture Awards will be **open for applications on Monday, July 6, 2026**. To help you prepare for your application, here are some resources to get a jump-start: - [How to Prepare for Your Application (Tip Sheet)](https://go.kudos.com/hubfs/2026%20Best%20Culture%20Awards/Tip-Sheet-2026-Best-Culture-Awards-Kudos.pdf?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=June%202026&utm_campaign=Client%20Newsletter) - [See the list of last year’s winners](https://www.kudos.com/news/16-new-organizations-recognized-in-the-2025-kudos-best-culture-awards?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=June%202026&utm_campaign=Client%20Newsletter)  - Case Study Example: [KidsPeace Improves Engagement and Turnover Through Recognition](https://go.kudos.com/hubfs/Case-Studies/Kudos-Case-Study-KidsPeace.pdf?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=June%202026&utm_campaign=Client%20Newsletter) *Organizations have until the end of September 2026 to apply after the application portal opens (July 6).* # Kudos Updates ### **🚨 All new functionality and feature enhancements are only available in the upgraded version of Kudos.**  If you haven’t already made the switch, connect with your Client Success Manager, [support@kudos.com](mailto:support@kudos.com) or [schedule a time](https://calendly.com/d/cncn-rsh-yx5/kudos-next-gen-demo?month=2025-06&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9pf-pPFMa3wKXYfb3PsB6Dj3k-KOGL59WTudqDowg_bUaQ_eK7Yr8_a5_b8yf1cvPrmLVc&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=June%202026&utm_campaign=Client%20Newsletter) to learn more.   **Helpful resources:**  📘 [FAQs](https://go.kudos.com/hubfs/Client%20Success/Kudos%20Next%20Gen%20FAQs.pdf?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=June%202026&utm_campaign=Client%20Newsletter)  🎥 [Watch the New Kudos Tour](https://vimeo.com/1138203529?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=June%202026&utm_campaign=Client%20Newsletter)  📖 [Explore the Full Kudos Experience Guide](https://go.kudos.com/hubfs/Product/A-New-Kudos-Experience-Build-for-You.pdf?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=June%202026&utm_campaign=Client%20Newsletter)  **If your organization started using Kudos in 2026,** you’re already using the upgraded version, and no action is required from you. 😊  ### **Expanding Support for Frontline & Deskless Employees**   Connecting frontline and deskless employees to recognition just got easier.  Organizations can now onboard users without company email addresses, removing the need for workarounds and simplifying access without compromising security. New signup codes and a dedicated Employee ID login give employees more ways to get into Kudos from day one.  This is part of our continued investment in the deskless experience, with more enhancements on the way.  **Also new in Kudos:**  - Custom welcome emails (available upon request)  - Improved keyboard and screen reader support for @mentions  # Kudos Banners ### July 2026 Kudos Banners   Here are your July 2026 banners for your Kudos platform. You can select one of these banners, or create your own, and upload it right into Kudos.   [Download Banners](https://go.kudos.com/hubfs/Kudos%20Banners/2026/July-Kudos-Banners-2026.zip?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=June%202026&utm_campaign=Client%20Newsletter) ⬆️ Inside the file you’ll find two different banner sizes: use the **2256x382** sizes if you’re still using the Kudos Classic platform and use the **3384x573** sizes for the upgraded Kudos platform. # Resources ### Deloitte 2026 Gen Z & Millennial Survey: 8 Key Takeaways for HR  22,595 workers. 44 countries. 52 pages. We read the whole thing, so you don't have to.   Deloitte's 2026 Gen Z & Millennial Survey revealed this generation is financially pressured but optimistic, ambitious but unwilling to lead at the cost of their health, and adapting to AI faster than their organizations can support.  But there’s one finding HR leaders need to act on immediately: **lack of recognition is the #2 driver of job-related stress for both generations.**  In 2026, that’s a shocking and disappointing reality.   👉 [This blog breaks down all eight chapters of the report](https://www.kudos.com/blog/deloittes-gen-z-and-millennial-survey?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=June%202026&utm_campaign=Client%20Newsletter) and connects the data to what HR leaders and people managers can do about it.  ![](https://media.beefree.cloud/pub/bfra/macd453s/16s/hms/o6z/People%20People%20Logo.png) ### You can’t tell employees a “space is safe.” They decide.    *A conversation with Rebecca Taylor, Head of Community & Content at AllVoices *  📣 Psychological safety is not something leaders decide. It’s something employees decide they *feel*.   You can say “this is a safe space” all day, that doesn’t make it true. Psychological safety is built through **repeated experiences**:   - ❌ Not leader intent  - ❌ Not company values slides  - ❌ Not one good all-hands meeting  Psychological safety is *not* about making everyone speak the same way. It’s about creating conditions where **different people can engage honestly**.   Some people will never be comfortable speaking in a meeting. That does not mean they have nothing to say.  If people only have one way to speak up, you do not have a psychologically safe culture. You have a** preferred communication style**.   👉 If your feedback culture only works for extroverts, it doesn’t work. Without multiple avenues for feedback, leaders mostly hear from the people already comfortable speaking up.   That’s not culture data. **That’s a sampling bias**. If you want real input, build multiple ways to contribute:   - ✅ Live discussions   - ✅ Written feedback   - ✅ Anonymous channels   - ✅ 1:1 follow-ups or check-ins  **Psychological safety is a system, not a slogan**. If you want better feedback, better decisions, and better trust, you must design it for different communication styles.   Not just reward the loudest voices in the room.  *Our People *People series is where we chat with *people *people (like you!) and share the human side of HR with stories that stick and lessons that lead.   **Hit “reply**” or you can [**book a time with Taryn**](https://meetings.hubspot.com/taryn-hart?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=June%202026&utm_campaign=Client%20Newsletter) and share your story – big wins, bold ideas, or lessons learned the hard way. Your experience might just be the spark someone else needs. ✨    [![](https://d15k2d11r6t6rl.cloudfront.net/pub/bfra/macd453s/ftf/m9l/lvg/Kudos-KNG-Logo-Colour-Light.png)](https://www.kudos.com/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=June%202026&utm_campaign=Client%20Newsletter) [![facebook](https://app-rsrc.getbee.io/public/resources/social-networks-icon-sets/t-circle-white/facebook@2x.png "facebook")](https://www.facebook.com/KudosWork?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=June%202026&utm_campaign=Client%20Newsletter)[![linkedin](https://app-rsrc.getbee.io/public/resources/social-networks-icon-sets/t-circle-white/linkedin@2x.png "linkedin")](https://www.linkedin.com/company/kudos-inc-/?viewAsMember=true&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=June%202026&utm_campaign=Client%20Newsletter)[![instagram](https://app-rsrc.getbee.io/public/resources/social-networks-icon-sets/t-circle-white/instagram@2x.png "instagram")](https://www.instagram.com/kudos/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=June%202026&utm_campaign=Client%20Newsletter)[![YouTube](https://app-rsrc.getbee.io/public/resources/social-networks-icon-sets/t-circle-white/youtube@2x.png "YouTube")](https://www.youtube.com/@Kudos-employee-recognition?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=June%202026&utm_campaign=Client%20Newsletter)[![TikTok](https://app-rsrc.getbee.io/public/resources/social-networks-icon-sets/t-circle-white/tiktok@2x.png "TikTok")](https://www.tiktok.com/@kudosplatform?_r=1&_t=ZS-9421JUutnCW&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=June%202026&utm_campaign=Client%20Newsletter) Reach out to us at [support@kudos.com](mailto:support%40kudos.com)  View in browser | [Manage preferences](https://go.kudos.com/hs/manage-preferences/unsubscribe-test?languagePreference=en&d=Vnchd94SydLCVMmmHK4rB-bHW3zgF7T3Y1kcDW4cg7sG3_fymHW17f7hv6PhbG3W8lXRNd65wJ1rW5kHTRh7xkrMSV28WDk6gS4_wMGKd_P20N5nW2RgJBt1jm45cW4Ryspz5sX59l4nfsg1&v=3&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=2&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--j90ES5RYncYyutQ47UJ9_khN5astwnIVDzCb5r4SnbQJ24XuxDnqt9Y4cE3WFJXmmS9GQy6yhoC_WNybgoTkH8S6_Gw&_hsmi=2&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=June%202026&utm_campaign=Client%20Newsletter)| Unsubscribe Kudos Inc.  Suite 2500, 500 4 Ave SW  Calgary AB   [Terms of Use](https://www.kudos.com/terms-of-service?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=June%202026&utm_campaign=Client%20Newsletter) | [Privacy Policy](https://www.kudos.com/privacy-policy?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=June%202026&utm_campaign=Client%20Newsletter) Copyright © 2026 Kudos Inc., All rights reserved.