HR & Engagement Writer
Top 10 Employee Appreciation Tools of 2024
10 min read
Published: Jan 17, 2024
Revised on: Mar 1, 2024
- Assembly
- Easy to use and intuitive interface. Many reviews mentioned Assembly is simple, easy to navigate, and user-friendly.
- Good customer support. Reviews mentioned Assembly's support team is responsive in resolving issues.
- Rewards redemption process is smooth. Users liked the gift card and other reward options that can be redeemed with points.
- Integrates well with Slack and Microsoft Teams. The integration makes giving recognition quick and seamless.
- Good for employee recognition and engagement. Reviews highlighted Assembly's peer-to-peer recognition features that help boost employee morale.
- Bonusly
- Easy-to-use interface and seamless integrations (e.g. with Slack) make it simple for employees to recognize each other.
- Hundreds of international reward options make it useful for international teams.
- Wide variety of gift cards and reward options to redeem points.
- Analytics provide insights into employee engagement levels.
- Ability to customize rewards and tie them to company values.
- Awardco
- Easy to use and user friendly interface. Many reviews mention how simple and intuitive the platform is.
- Wide variety of redemption options, including gift cards, donations, and products through Amazon. Provides employees choice in how they want to be rewarded.
- Ability to recognize coworkers both publicly and privately. Allows for flexibility in giving praise.
- Integration with Amazon for product redemptions. Gives access to a huge catalog of items.
- Features like the recognition feed increase engagement and positivity among employees. Helps boost morale.
- Nectar
- Makes it easy to recognize and reward employees (praise, points, gifts)
- Boosts employee morale and positivity in the workplace
- Allows recognition across departments and remote teams
- Simple and intuitive interface, easy to use
- Provides analytics and insights into employee recognition
- WorkTango
- Easy to use and user-friendly interface. Many reviews mentioned how simple and intuitive the platform is.
- Ability to easily recognize and reward coworkers. Giving points and recognition is seamless.
- Fun way to boost employee morale. The gamification and rewards help motivate employees.
- Provides insight into employee engagement. The data and analytics provide valuable insights.
- Good variety of rewards to choose from. Many gift cards and merchandise options in the catalog.
Recognizing your team’s efforts goes beyond just boosting morale; it enhances their efficiency and commitment to their roles. Research from 2023 on the impact of employee recognition programs highlights their advantages for teams. The study shows that when these programs are effectively executed, they increase job satisfaction, stronger loyalty to the company, and greater motivation to excel in their work.
The long-term benefits of these programs are lower turnover rates, higher productivity, and better employee engagement rates. Starting a program means figuring out which employee appreciation software and tools are the best. We’ve looked at everything available and put together a list of the top options in this guide. Check out what each one offers, including their features, advantages, and what makes them stand out, to help your employees do their best work.
What Is the Best Reward for Employee Recognition?
The ideal employee recognition awards depend on several factors, including your company’s values and culture and each team member’s personal tastes. Customized gifts are the most effective, ensuring significance and leaving a lasting, positive impression.
- Public recognition - Recognizing an employee’s performance, accomplishments, or skills in a group setting is an easy yet powerful approach. It celebrates the contributions of one team member while also inspiring their peers.
- This public acknowledgment can take various forms, such as verbal praise during meetings, company newsletter highlights, or special mentions on a company intranet or social media post.
- Cash rewards - Monetary rewards rank among the top choices for employee appreciation gifts due to their immediate benefits. Popular options include gift cards and bonus payments. For the gift that keeps on giving, consider awarding a raise.
- Professional development opportunities - Another rewarding approach to recognizing an employee’s contributions is to provide opportunities for skill enhancement or networking, such as securing spots in training programs, workshops, or conferences.
- This reward is great for everyone involved. The employee learns and grows, and the company benefits by investing in a valuable employee’s future.
- Additional time off - Offering extra time off is among the most desired employee recognition awards across all industries. An NIH Employee Recognition Survey showed that almost 90% of its employees would like to get time off as a reward, making it the most popular choice. It’s a win-win in the long run. It gives employees a chance to take a break and recharge, so they return to work feeling refreshed and ready to do their best.
- Personalized gifts - Understanding your employees’ interests enables your organization to present personalized gifts and items that align with their tastes. An often-used method is to give employees access to a rewards and recognition platform featuring a self-select item catalog.
What Is Employee Recognition Software?
Employee recognition software is a digital tool that helps organizations set up and oversee their awards and recognition programs. These platforms often use unique systems, like points or social features, to structure how awards and recognitions are given.
They usually come with customization options, allowing organizations to adjust how the software handles and displays employee recognition and awards to meet their needs. Features may include personalized profiles where employees can showcase their achievements.
While each software is different, common elements include social media-inspired features, such as recognition walls or leaderboards, to encourage further motivation and engagement and act as a space for public praise.
Many of these platforms also come equipped with performance tracking and analytics capabilities, giving organizations valuable insights. This data can help managers refine and improve employee rewards programs, ensuring they align with company goals.
How Do I Create an Employee Rewards Program?
A successful employee rewards program should make your team feel valued and align with your company’s goals. To put this kind of program into action, your company needs to consider several key elements:
- Define the program’s role in organizational objectives. Identify your goals with the program, such as reducing turnover, enhancing productivity, or improving employee engagement.
- Research your team’s needs and wants - To gather this information, consider conducting internal surveys, holding company meetings, or holding one-on-one interviews. The feedback and insights you collect can guide you in creating a rewards catalog that resonates with your team.
- Set reward criteria - Every team member should clearly understand how rewards are distributed and what actions qualify them for these rewards. Ensuring transparency in your rewards program guarantees its fairness and ease of comprehension.
- Launch and refine the program—Once your employee recognition program is set up, kick it off and spread the word through internal channels. To monitor its success, track metrics like the number of people participating, how often, and what kinds of rewards are being handed out.
The 10 Best Employee Recognition Software Solutions for 2024
Businesses across different industries are turning to advanced, feature-packed employee recognition software to run their rewards programs. Check out our list of the top 10 options to help you celebrate your employees’ achievements and find the perfect fit for your company’s needs.
Assembly is a platform designed to elevate employee recognition and engagement, going beyond mere acknowledgment to foster collaboration and inspiration in the workplace. Trusted by over 4,000 organizations, it empowers businesses to cultivate a workplace culture where employees feel valued, appreciated, and engaged. With a focus on personalized rewards, community building, and actionable insights, Assembly helps craft environments where employees thrive and contributions are celebrated.
Assembly’s Key Employee Appreciation Features:
- Recognition Designed for Engagement: Assembly’s Employee Nomination template allows teams to celebrate achievements publicly, engage in the nomination process, and reward deserving employees with points redeemable for tangible gifts.
- Customizable Rewards for Valued Employees - You can customize rewards to excite your team from a vast selection of gift cards, charities, and personalized culture rewards to help make recognition resonate with your company's core values.
- Actionable Insights and Seamless Integration - Access relevant data effortlessly with Dora AI, enabling informed decisions about employee engagement and satisfaction. Integrate Assembly with existing tools like SharePoint, Workday, Slack, and more, ensuring recognition is embedded where work happens.
Pros
- Easy to use and intuitive interface. Many reviews mentioned Assembly is simple, easy to navigate, and user-friendly.
- Good customer support. Reviews mentioned Assembly's support team is responsive in resolving issues.
- Rewards redemption process is smooth. Users liked the gift card and other reward options that can be redeemed with points.
- Integrates well with Slack and Microsoft Teams. The integration makes giving recognition quick and seamless.
- Good for employee recognition and engagement. Reviews highlighted Assembly's peer-to-peer recognition features that help boost employee morale.
Cons
- Limitations in analytics and reporting features. Some reviews wanted more detailed analytics and user statistics.
- Creating flows and automations can be tricky. Reviews noted workflows and automations are sometimes hard to setup.
- Limited customization options for recognitions. Users wanted more ways to customize recognitions with images/GIFs.
- Lack of mobile apps earlier on. Reviews mentioned lack of mobile apps made it hard to use when not by a computer.
- Confusion due to branding changes. Reviews noted frequent name changes of the reward units was confusing initially.
Bonusly
Bonusly is designed to support companies and organizations aiming to build a high-performance culture at work. It lets team members communicate through an integrated intranet module and gives each other points as a way of saying thanks. Managers and team leaders can also use Bonusly’s automated features to simplify HR tasks and run the rewards program.
Bonusly’s Key Employee Appreciation Features:
- Customizable rewards - Organizations can use Bonusly to ensure their rewards and recognition align with their core values. You can tailor the entire rewards catalog and implement custom employee appreciation ideas, ensuring your collaborators receive meaningful benefits while advancing your organizational goals.
- Built-in feedback tools - Leaders in your organization can use Bonusly’s analytics engine to track the success of recognition campaigns as they happen. For example, it can provide insights into your team’s employee engagement levels, offering tangible data to help you fine-tune the rewards program.
- Seamless integrations - If your organization uses communication platforms like Slack, Bonusly can integrate smoothly with them. This integration enables employees to award points to one another using apps they’re already comfortable with, enhancing its user-friendliness.
Pros
- Easy-to-use interface and seamless integrations (e.g. with Slack) make it simple for employees to recognize each other.
- Hundreds of international reward options make it useful for international teams.
- Wide variety of gift cards and reward options to redeem points.
- Analytics provide insights into employee engagement levels.
- Ability to customize rewards and tie them to company values.
Cons
- Can be costly, especially for larger organizations.
- Some users have reported that Bonusly can be slow to load
- Users express dissatisfaction with the inability to keep transactions private between themselves and the recipient.
- Some users feel constrained by the number of points they can award to colleagues
- Reliant on user adoption - engagement declines if employees don't actively participate.
Awardco
Awardco brings together everything an organization needs to start, manage, and personalize employee appreciation programs, big or small or across any industry. It covers all kinds of employee recognition, from a simple thank you to awards for years of service and hitting key work milestones.
In addition to its employee recognition features, Awardco allows you to set up automated rewards for completing daily tasks, finishing training sessions, or reaching goals. These features make it easier to recognize employee achievements in real time.
Awardco’s Key Employee Appreciation Features:
- Complete recognition engine -The main advantage of running your rewards campaign with Awardco is its versatility. It allows for public and private acknowledgments, fully customizable conditions, and incentive programs.
- Amazon Business integration - Finding a meaningful gift is easy and convenient with Awardco. The platform’s partnership with Amazon Business makes the eCommerce giant’s entire product catalog available as potential rewards.
- Cost-effective convenience - Awardco assists organizations in cutting costs when setting up an employee appreciation program. The process is more economical by removing markups on Amazon products and lowering the overhead expenses associated with running a rewards program, like administrative fees and hidden service charges.
Pros
- Easy to use and user friendly interface. Many reviews mention how simple and intuitive the platform is.
- Wide variety of redemption options, including gift cards, donations, and products through Amazon. Provides employees choice in how they want to be rewarded.
- Ability to recognize coworkers both publicly and privately. Allows for flexibility in giving praise.
- Integration with Amazon for product redemptions. Gives access to a huge catalog of items.
- Features like the recognition feed increase engagement and positivity among employees. Helps boost morale.
Cons
- Limited selection of products compared to full Amazon catalog. Not all options on Amazon are available.
- Inability to pay difference when order total exceeds points balance. Must have exact points amount.
- Reporting capabilities could be more robust for admins. Some want more data analysis options.
- Navigation issues like having to reload item list when going back to browsing. Causes inconvenience.
- Lack of ability to track shipments of ordered items. Status not always clear after ordering.
Nectar
Nectar provides an easy-to-use yet feature-rich platform for employee recognition that has shown great results in the organizations that have adopted it. Employees and team members can show appreciation in various ways, from simple messages and social media shoutouts to point-based rewards.
Nectar’s Key Employee Appreciation Features:
- Simple interface - Expressing appreciation for a coworker involves a straightforward three-step procedure: mention their username in a message, include a reward, optionally reinforce a key company value, and dispatch the message. Employees can spend their points on Nectar’s reward catalog at their convenience, receiving items like gift cards or company-branded gear.
- Encouraging team member improvements - Nectar features a rewarding challenge component as well. This enables your organization to motivate team members toward improved health, enhanced skills, or stronger alignment with your company’s core values. Employees can accumulate extra points by completing these challenges, redeemable for various rewards.
- Numerous software integrations - Nectar is designed to integrate with a wide range of commonly used tools. These include HR software like BambooHR and ADP, Single Sign-On (SSO) tools like Azure or OneLogin, and corporate communication applications like Slack and MS Teams.
Pros
- Makes it easy to recognize and reward employees (praise, points, gifts)
- Boosts employee morale and positivity in the workplace
- Allows recognition across departments and remote teams
- Simple and intuitive interface, easy to use
- Provides analytics and insights into employee recognition
Cons
- Limited options for rewards in some regions/countries
- Can feel like a popularity contest with the leaderboards
- Monthly points expire if not used quickly enough
- Not integrated with common workplace tools like Slack or Teams
- Mobile app is not as robust as desktop site
WorkTango gives organizations an easy-to-use, three-level system for enhancing employee experiences: a platform for recognition and rewards, a module for surveys and insights, and an engine for setting company goals and gathering internal feedback.
WorkTango’s Key Employee Appreciation Features:
- Simplicity of use - The platform features a straightforward and intuitive interface that team members and company decision-makers can use to create, adjust, and oversee campaigns effortlessly.
- Intuitive point-based system - Employees can earn points from team leaders or colleagues for various accomplishments, ranging from daily expressions of gratitude to completing big projects. This system introduces an element of gamification, adding a fun and engaging dimension to maintain team motivation.
- Large rewards catalog - WorkTango offers many reward choices, including gift cards, donations to charity, branded merchandise, one-of-a-kind experiences, vacations, and personal and professional development opportunities.
Pros
- Easy to use and user-friendly interface. Many reviews mentioned how simple and intuitive the platform is.
- Ability to easily recognize and reward coworkers. Giving points and recognition is seamless.
- Fun way to boost employee morale. The gamification and rewards help motivate employees.
- Provides insight into employee engagement. The data and analytics provide valuable insights.
- Good variety of rewards to choose from. Many gift cards and merchandise options in the catalog.
Cons
- Point system not ideal. Reviews mentioned points being hard to earn or expiring too quickly.
- Rewards catalog limitations. Some wanted more options, lower point costs, or better rewards.
- Reporting and analytics could be better. Some found the data analysis functionality lacking.
- Issues with notifications. Reviews cited missing or too frequent notifications as problems.
- Navigation issues. Some found the site navigation confusing or unintuitive at times.
Kudos
Kudos is a versatile and impactful platform for employee appreciation that balances the recognition of employee performance with meeting your organization’s fundamental goals. It emphasizes peer-to-peer recognition, fostering a culture of appreciation that transcends departments and levels of hierarchy.
Kudos’s Key Employee Appreciation Features:
- Fully customizable rewards - Kudos allows you to tailor the rewards in your employee appreciation program. You can customize the rewards catalog accessible to your employees, including a wide range of options such as gift cards, branded merchandise, event tickets, charity donations, training courses, and personalized rewards.
- Advanced analytics dashboard - Every action within Kudos is captured by an integrated analytics feature called People Analytics. This tool allows you to assess the impact of your rewards program, gauge how effectively your employees embody company values, and understand the dynamics of your team.
- Coworker-to-coworker rewards - Besides traditional top-down rewards, Kudos supports peer-to-peer rewards. This feature enables team members to acknowledge and celebrate each other’s successes by giving rewards, helping to boost morale and maintain high levels of engagement.
Pros
- Easy to use and user-friendly interface. Many reviews mention Kudos is simple, easy to navigate, and intuitive.
- Peer recognition and rewards system. Reviews highlight the ability to reward and recognize coworkers as a major benefit.
- Boosts morale and relationships. Reviews say Kudos improves work culture, connections, teamwork, and morale.
- Provides incentives and motivation. The points system and ability to redeem rewards drives participation and extra effort.
- Customizable for companies. Reviews mention the ability to customize rewards, set point values, and integrate with company values.
Cons
- Limitations on points to give. Many reviews cite not having enough points each month as an issue.
- Confusing redemption process. Multiple reviews mention problems understanding how to redeem points and rewards.
- Feature and interface issues. Reviews cite problems with notifications, searching, layout, and aesthetics.
- Lack of integration with other tools. Reviews mention limitations integrating with existing company systems and processes.
- Concerns over fairness and manipulation. Some reviews express concerns about popularity contests or point trading schemes.
Motivosity enhances the employee experience through recognition and awards and touching on every part of an employee’s journey. It’s packed with tools that help team members communicate better, support managers and leaders in their growth, and make it easy for everyone to share their feedback.
Motivosity’s Key Employee Appreciation Features:
- Comprehensive recognition tools - Recognition of team members through Motivosity works in all directions, including manager-to-employee (top-down) and employee-to-employee (peer-to-peer). This approach promotes regular recognition and rewards throughout your company’s entire structure.
- Ideal for remote and hybrid work environments - Motivosity is a cloud-based application accessible from any location and compatible device. Your desk-based office teams, work-from-home employees, and remote field teams can communicate and recognize one another seamlessly.
- Fostering visibility in the organization- Motivosity’s interface, reminiscent of social media, is user-friendly and easy to navigate, allowing every company member to witness acts of recognition easily. It enables any team member to see when someone else in the company, even from a different department, has been acknowledged for their contributions.
Pros
- Makes it easy and fun to recognize and reward peers and employees. Many reviews mentioned how Motivosity makes it simple to give thanks and praise to coworkers.
- Improves employee morale, culture, and engagement. Multiple reviews highlighted how Motivosity has enhanced company culture, boosted team morale, and improved employee engagement.
- Fosters connections between remote/hybrid teams. Reviews noted how Motivosity helps remote and dispersed teams stay connected.
- Provides visibility into what's happening across the company. Reviews liked being able to see praise and recognition across the organization.
- User-friendly interface. Many reviews complimented Motivosity's clean and easy-to-use interface.
Cons
- Leaderboards can cause unwanted competition. Some reviews felt the leaderboards promoted competition instead of true recognition.
- Money rewards aren't always motivating. A few reviewers felt the money wasn't the real motivator - the recognition was more meaningful.
- Reporting and analytics could be better. Some reviews wanted more robust reporting capabilities.
- Mobile app lacks functionality. The mobile app was called out for missing key desktop features.
- Technical glitches. A couple reviews cited occasional technical issues with the software.
Guusto
Guusto is a solution for employee recognition and rewards, created to foster workplace culture and social awareness. Though Guusto is versatile enough for any business to implement its employee recognition functionalities, it is ideal for companies with frontline employees, especially those who may not have access to internet-connected devices.
Guusto’s Key Employee Appreciation Features:
- Offline rewards system - Guusto’s recognition and rewards system offers options that don’t depend on internet-connected devices. The platform facilitates printed commendations, reward cards featuring QR codes, and physical gift cards, all of which can be redeemed at various stores or retail locations.
- Zero-waste rewards - All rewards on the platform are valued in actual dollars, offering the flexibility to combine, split, or transfer rewards as desired by the recipient. This approach ensures team members get the rewards they prefer exactly when they want them, removing the potential for uncertainty or misunderstanding.
- Socially conscious recognition - For every gift sent through Guusto, the platform will donate the equivalent of one day of clean water through the One Drop Foundation. Using Guusto means more than just recognizing your employees; it also means helping worldwide communities.
Pros
- Wide variety of gift card options to choose from
- Easy and simple to use
- Good customer service
- Ability to split gift card amounts between multiple merchants
- Option for recipients to select gift card of their choice
Cons
- Some issues with less tech-savvy users having trouble redeeming
- Can be confusing to navigate initially
- Reporting capabilities could be improved
- Limited customization options
- Fees associated with credit card payments
Recognize, also operating under Recognizeapp.com, is a platform for employee appreciation and rewards that emphasizes adaptability and scalability. It is designed to cater to small and large businesses and adjust its capabilities to match your organization's evolving size and requirements.
Recognize’s Key Employee Appreciation Features:
- Versatile recognition methods - Recognize enables team members and managers to acknowledge each other’s accomplishments using various tools. These include options from simple thank-you posts and casual shoutouts to digital badges, as well as more structured nominations and tailor-made rewards.
- Recognition on mobile - The Recognize mobile app has the same features as its desktop-based web counterpart. Employees on the move or working from the frontlines with a connected device can access Recognize’s full suite of features, making it usable from any location.
- Integrations with common enterprise tools - Recognize is designed to function with your existing tools. Examples include communication software like Slack and MS Teams, office suites like MS 365, project managers like Asana, and email tools like Outlook and Gmail.
Pros
- Easy to use interface and platform. Many reviews mentioned Recognize is simple, intuitive, and easy to navigate.
- Allows employees to recognize peers. Recognize provides a good way for employees to show appreciation and recognize co-workers.
- Boosts employee morale and engagement. Several reviews said Recognize helps motivate employees and create a positive work environment.
- Fosters stronger company culture. Some reviews noted Recognize promotes shared values and camaraderie amongst employees.
- Reward/points system is a great motivator. Customers liked the ability to earn and redeem points for rewards.
Cons
- Limitations on number of recognitions. Some reviews wanted the ability to recognize more people or teams.
- Not enough customization options. Customers wanted more ways to customize badges and recognitions.
- Delay in notifications. A delay between posting and notifications was mentioned as an issue.
- Point system can cause unhealthy competition. One review warned the points could create negative competitiveness.
- Rewards can be hard to redeem. A few mentioned difficulties actually using points for rewards due to account issues.
Empuls
Empuls markets itself as a dynamic platform that integrates multiple features and tools to boost employee engagement. It provides a company intranet with the look and feel of social media, includes interactive quizzes, polls, and surveys, and maintains a calendar to track events and milestones.
Empuls also offers a sophisticated employee recognition system. This system includes earning points that team members can redeem for gifts at any time through an integrated rewards store.
Empuls’s Key Employee Appreciation Features:
- Straightforward point system - Empuls uses a points-based system and an integrated marketplace for redemption. One Empuls point equals one USD, ensuring clarity in the value of each reward.
- Rewards as social moments - Every act of recognition is visible on Empuls’s social media-style feed. Posts highlighting rewards display recognized employees, detail their rewards, and include a gratitude message from the sender. Team members can engage with these posts through reactions and comments, fostering stronger team bonds and encouraging everyone to perform at their best.
- AI-powered encouragement - Empuls includes an AI-powered assistant designed to support your team by retrieving information and offering motivation and encouragement. This assistant can automatically issue rewards for achieving certain milestones and provide tailored suggestions for recognizing employees, taking into account their latest achievements.
Pros
- Easy to use interface
- Good platform for employee recognition and rewards
- Provides effective employee engagement
- Lots of gift/voucher redemption options
- Good communication and collaboration features
Cons
- Issues with notifications not working properly
- Delay in receiving gift vouchers
- Needs more customizable features
- Scope for improving user interface
- Lacks advanced analytics and reporting
Conclusion
Celebrating your team’s hard work and achievements isn’t just nice; it’s essential for hitting peak performance. Holding onto and valuing your talent is key to growing your business. Making sure you have the right tools in place to show your team how much they mean to you isn’t just part of the strategy—it’s at its heart. Doing so not only ramps up employee engagement, satisfaction, and overall spirit but also steers your company toward its targets more smoothly.