How Technology Can Engage a Global Workforce: Ry Sullivan Talks Tech and Employee Engagement at ADP’s 2025 Meeting of the Minds

Businesses are increasingly operating across multiple regions, countries, and time zones. Engaging and driving authentic connection within a global workforce is more important than ever. At the 2025 ADP Meeting of the Minds conference in Las Vegas, Ry Sullivan, Chief Product Officer at Snappy, delivered an engaging and thought provoking presentation that explored how businesses can leverage technology to create meaningful connections across their organization. Ry’s talk in the ADP Solutions Theatre, “How Technology Can Engage a Global Workforce,” offered HR leaders the insights and actionable tools they need to foster inclusion, equity, and engagement in today’s diverse and distributed workplace.

A Brief History of Gifting: A Universal Language of Connection

Ry kicked off his session with a fascinating look at the history and cultural significance of gifting. Drawing from his own experience, as well as insights from research and experts in anthropology, Ry highlighted how gifting is an ancient, universal practice that transcends cultures and borders. He explained that gifts are more than just material objects—they play an emotional role in building relationships, strengthening partnerships, and motivating action.

Ry shared how gifting has been fundamental in building relationships and fostering connection across humanity for centuries. And gifting remains a powerful tool for human connection and business growth, even in the modern digital age we all live and work in today.

The Emotional Power of Gifting in the Modern Workplace

In the business world, gifting is not about transactional or celebratory exchanges; it's a core strategy for employee and customer engagement and loyalty. Ry dove into how businesses can harness the emotional power of gifting to drive connections among their global teams, and create a sense of unity and appreciation.

In his presentation, Ry pointed to recent Forbes research which underscores the direct connection between employee engagement and corporate prosperity. The data is clear: engaged employees are not only more productive, but they also stay longer, perform better, and contribute to improved organizational performance, including higher earnings per share (EPS). 

Employee engagement and recognition is not just a nice-to-have; it is critical to the long-term success of any company.

Creating engagement for a global workforce is no simple task. 

Ry addressed the growing challenge for HR professionals: how do you create a cohesive, consistent, and still deeply personal and authentic employee experience for teams that are spread across different cultures, geographies, and time zones, at scale?

Snappy: The Bridge Between Human Creativity and Scalable Tech Solutions

Here’s where technology becomes a game-changer. Ry introduced Snappy’s gifting platform as the solution to this challenge. Snappy offers a balance between human creativity and scalable software solutions. Snappy enables organizations to gift at scale, while still preserving the personal touch that makes recognition feel authentic and meaningful.

With Snappy, businesses can create tailored, thoughtful gifting campaigns that resonate with employees’ individual preferences and milestones, all while maintaining consistency and equity across global offices. As Ry put it, “Snappy empowers humans to be human.” 

Snappy is designed to help companies scale recognition programs without losing the personal connection that employees crave. Whether it's a birthday gift, a work anniversary, or a major project milestone, Snappy helps HR leaders create genuine moments of appreciation that employees will remember.

Real-World Impact: The ADP Workforce Now x Snappy Case Study

To illustrate the effectiveness of Snappy’s platform, Ry shared a compelling case study with attendees: Custom Assembly Inc., a company with 430 employees across eight states that faced hardship and challenges due to high turnover. Before implementing Snappy, Custom Assembly had a 62% annual turnover rate—a critical issue for the organization. After implementing Snappy through the integration designed for ADP Workforce Now, Custom Assembly saw a 85% reduction in turnover, with rates dropping to just 9%.

The best part? Custom Assembly employee participation in Snappy’s recognition programs was at 100%, showcasing the platform’s success in engaging employees at all levels. Robin McCord, HR Coordinator at Custom Assembly, shared glowing feedback about the program and partnership: “Snappy perfectly meets our needs. It boosts employee morale by letting them decide what they truly want. We’re extremely pleased with the reception we’ve received from employees.”

This case study provided powerful proof that gifting—when done strategically—can directly impact key HR metrics like retention and engagement, making it a crucial tool for HR professionals looking to improve workforce satisfaction and loyalty.

The Role of Technology in Engaging a Global Workforce

At the heart of Ry’s talk was a discussion on how technology—particularly platforms like Snappy—can bridge gaps and build meaningful and high-impact relationships between geographically dispersed teams, helping HR leaders engage employees in a personal, authentic, and scalable way.

Key takeaways from Ry’s session included:

1. Actionable insights into tech tools: How HR leaders can leverage technology to engage employees across global locations and maintain a consistent, personalized experience.
   
   
2. Creating equity across global offices: The importance of cohesive corporate experiences that resonate with employees, no matter where they work or what culture they belong to.
   
   
3. Tech as a facilitator for meaningful moments: How to use gifting and other engagement tools to build meaningful interactions throughout the entire employee lifecycle, from onboarding to work anniversaries and beyond.
   
   
4. Driving business ROI through engagement: Ry emphasized that engagement isn’t just about perks—it’s about creating purpose-driven, meaningful moments that have a direct impact on productivity, retention, and, ultimately, business success.

Technology that Enables Human Connection

Ry’s session provided HR professionals with a roadmap to create a global workforce engagement strategy that leverages technology to foster human connections. From onboarding to milestones to celebrating achievements, gifting is a powerful tool that can create lasting, meaningful moments that employees remember and value.

Technology, when used correctly, amplifies human connection. It’s not about replacing the personal touch but about scaling it in a way that’s authentic, meaningful, and impactful across a global organization.

By incorporating thoughtful gifting strategies and leveraging Snappy’s platform, businesses can create a more engaged, connected, and productive workforce—no matter where in the world they are.

If you're interested in learning more about Snappy software and tech solutions to help connect your global workforce, contact us to meet with a gift expert.