An employee recognition program gives company leaders and managers a chance to reward team members for meeting their goals and demonstrating their commitment to the organization. It’s an employee engagement strategy that can also allow for peer-to-peer acknowledgements. Here are some examples of companies with the best employee recognition programs, from hosting formal awards programs to point systems that let employees earn gift cards and other awards.
Companies With the Best Employee Recognition Programs
- Golden Hippo
- Edmunds
- MARS
- Merck
- Workhuman
- FullContact
- Paychex
Companies With the Best Employee Recognition Programs
Huntress’ fully managed security platform provides endpoint detection, identity protection and science-based security awareness training to small and mid-sized businesses. To ensure that all employees feel proud and recognized for their achievements while working remotely, the company uses a #kudos Slack channel integrated with Bonusly. This system allows employees to give tokens to publicly acknowledge each other’s accomplishments, work anniversaries and birthdays, which can then be redeemed for company merchandise, gift cards and other rewards.
Biopharmaceutical company Merck works to develop medicines and vaccines to combat various diseases. The company employs more than 60,000 people and has established a global recognition program called INSPIRE, which lets workers celebrate one another through messages, points and cash rewards. Employees have shared more than 3 million recognitions since the program started, according to Merck.
Gradient AI equips the insurance industry with data and automation solutions to support streamlined workflows across areas including underwriting, claims and auditing. Its quarterly “outstanding owls” initiative recognizes employees through company-wide meetings, office placards and company swag for their commitment to embodying Gradient AI’s core values.
Workhuman offers tools that enable businesses to set up employee engagement and recognition programs. The company works with more than 6 million users across 180 different countries. Its own employees are given recognition awards as well, and are able to redeem them for vacations, furniture, home improvements and other rewards.
Edmunds publishes consumer vehicle guides, reviews and listings that consumers use to guide their purchasing behavior. It prioritizes employee recognition, with a President’s Club badging system that awards team members diamond, platinum and gold tiers of status based on performance. In company-wide calls, the sales team also announces and celebrates top performers of the month.
CSC offers consulting services and software solutions to support administration and compliance, brand protection and operational efficiency for enterprises all over the world. The company encourages its global workforce to celebrate milestones, performance achievements and other big and small wins through its Recognition Central platform.
At Golden Hippo, employees’ achievements are celebrated in several ways, from a “Win of the Week” program to shout-outs and spot bonuses. The e-commerce company manufactures and markets products in the health, beauty and pet care sectors and says it’s constantly looking for ways to share employee wins and stories both internally and externally through its social media channels.
CompanyCam allows employees to share about how one another stands out through its “ship-and-shoutout” Slack channel. It also uses a recognition platform called OfficeVibe. The platform enables the company to reward employees for their efforts quarterly and annually through employee-nominated recognition posts.
Paychex is an HR tech company, providing its customers with tools for everything from managing payroll and benefits to simplifying attendance tracking. To ensure its employees are recognized for their achievements and able to recognize one another, Paychex established a platform that lets colleagues communicate gratitude, applause and congratulations.
Toast makes hardware and software products to support efficiency throughout the restaurant industry, from tableside service to back-office operations. The company's Bonusly program gives employees the chance to show appreciation for colleagues each month by offering a “toast” that recognizes specific peers for actions that reflect one of Toast’s core values. Toast also has company-wide as well as department-specific awards programs that celebrate employees.
AirDNA provides short-term rental hosts and investors with an intelligence platform that gives them access to property and market insights. Its AirMVP program for employees offers its quarterly MVPs a week-long trip to another company office. The company also has a “110% Club” for its sales team, and top performers are awarded with trips to destinations like Costa Rica, Vietnam and Tanzania.
FullContact’s SaaS platform gives brands data and intelligence to tailor their advertising efforts and customer experiences. As part of its employee compensation and benefits package, the company created a peer-to-peer recognition program that lets members of its workforce praise colleagues for their hard work. Employees are able to reward one another with points that can be redeemed for gift cards to thousands of vendors.
AlertMedia offers a SaaS product that sends emergency alerts throughout organizations. Its quarterly values program allows peers and management to nominate individual employees for recognition, and its executive team nominates recipients for annual awards. These initiatives both include company-wide meetings acknowledging individuals for their contributions and achievements.
Mars operates a family of well-known food industry brands, including Snickers and Ben’s Original, as well as big names in pet care like Pedigree and Banfield Pet Hospital. The company encourages employees to get involved in making positive change through the Mars Volunteer Program and Mars Ambassador Program. To reward employees who actively work to make a positive impact, the company also hosts the Mars Make the Difference Awards every other year to “recognize the best of the best.”
