What can employers do to engage and recognize employees in a remote or hybrid workplace? For many organizations, the answer is a mix of the right digital tools and flexible rewards. From automated employee rewards to digital peer-to-peer recognition, here’s how professionals successfully update their reward programs from traditional to digital.

Read on to see the types of digital employee rewards and recognition programs employers should implement in 2024. 

Automated employee anniversary gifts

Recognizing employee work anniversaries has traditionally been a manual process. If you’re an HR professional, chances are you’re familiar with several HR, payroll, benefits, and talent management platforms. 

On Namely’s platform, employee anniversary gifts are sent digitally. Namely’s integration with Tango allows users to automate digital gift cards to be sent to employees on their work anniversaries — based on their record in Namely. Many employee experience teams use this tool and are pleased with the amount of time and money they save, while making their employees feel valued.

Personalized employee recognition gifts 

Companies often overlook employees who have different values and preferences when it comes to being motivated and appreciated at work. Instead of recognizing this, many companies use generic reward systems that treat everyone the same. This can impact employee morale and performance because it doesn't consider the individual needs and wants of individual team members.

With the innovation of digital employee reward and recognition systems, personalization is now a reality. While it may be challenging to manually manage the preferences of every employee in a company, software allows workers to choose rewards that motivate them the most. This increases engagement and boosts productivity by acknowledging and catering to individual preferences.

Digital peer-to-peer recognition

Peer-to-peer recognition is more important than you may think — and it’s also more challenging than ever given the increase of remote work. Employers looking for ways to drive engagement on their remote and hybrid teams can benefit from digital recognition tools that integrate with the messaging tools they already use.

Using a platform that integrates with tools like Slack, your employees can create a steady feed of recognition, thank-yous, and general positivity in real time. You can set all parameters, including the value of each reward and the requirements for sending a reward, within your reward platform. With a public feed, your employees can view and celebrate peer-to-peer recognition through a #kudos Slack channel throughout the day.

Virtual employee appreciation day

Activities that made sense for Employee Appreciation Day in the past, like catered lunches or company-wide events, are less prevalent today as companies have shifted to remote or hybrid workplaces.

Here are some employee recognition gifts that can make the day still feel special virtually.

• Hire an instructor to teach virtual yoga or lead a guided meditation class.
• Coordinate a virtual raffle, giving employees a chance to win several big-ticket items. Include items that employees wouldn’t necessarily purchase for themselves—like a kayak or high-end kitchen appliance.
• Offer a service that makes their lives at home easier, like an oil change for their car, a meal delivery subscription box, or a landscaping service.
• Send a company-wide survey a few weeks before Employee Appreciation Day that asks employees to submit a wish list of work-related tools. Pick several tools to make available and announce them on Employee Appreciation Day.
• Hire a mixologist to lead a cocktail demonstration for happy hour.
• Ship employees a festive gift box filled with gourmet snacks, coffee, and treats that they can open.
• Provide lunch or dinner by emailing a choice of food-delivery e-gift cards with Reward Link.

Digital employee reward programs are successful in fostering positive workplace culture and motivating employees. Leveraging technology streamlines the reward process, offering personalized incentives that enhance overall employee satisfaction. 

These programs recognize individual and team achievements and contribute to increased productivity and retention. Want to learn more about how you can easily improve your employee rewards and recognition programs this year? Book a demo with our team today.