Choosing the Best Employee Appreciation Software for Your Organization 

With the rise of hybrid and remote work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations are struggling to find ways to keep their employees engaged and connected in the virtual workplace. Despite these challenges, employee appreciation software has emerged as a game changing technology, elevating the employee experience and fostering cultures of appreciation. Organizations with employee appreciation and recognition programs have the ability to transform their workplaces and increase employee engagement, productivity, and performance by as much as 14%, proving that the time is now to invest in employee appreciation software to cultivate a more connected and engaged workforce.

Table of Contents

What is Employee Appreciation Software?

Bucketlist Rewards and Recognition

Nectar

WorkTango

Assembly

Bonusly

Motivosity

Awardco

Kudos

Achievers

Work Human

Employee appreciation software has emerged as a valuable tool to streamline and enhance the process of recognizing and rewarding employees' contributions and has been adopted by 80% of organizations. In this blog post, we will delve into the world of employee appreciation software and explore the top competitors in the industry. 

What is Employee Appreciation Software?

Employee appreciation software, also known as an employee appreciation platform or employee recognition system, is designed to simplify and automate the recognition and rewards process within organizations. It provides a centralized platform where employers can acknowledge and reward employees for their outstanding achievements, milestones, and contributions. 

The benefits are plentiful including that a strong employee appreciation program can help reduce turnover at an organization by as much as 31% as a result of increased feelings of belonging and overall happiness which can increase productivity among employees by 12%. These software solutions offer a range of features, including customizable recognition programs, peer-to-peer recognition, performance metrics, analytics, and personalized rewards catalogs.

Now, let's dive into a comparative analysis of the top employee appreciation software solutions in the market:

1. Bucketlist Rewards and Recognition

Bucketlist Rewards is a game-changing employee rewards & recognition platform that transforms organizations. Bucketlist helps organizations retain talent and inspire employees to bring their best every day; eliminate the busywork that comes with running a recognition program in-house; and provides organizations with a partner that helps them avoid common mistakes to ensure the launch and scale of successful rewards & recognition strategies.

Employees love Bucketlists fun shoutouts, personalized rewards, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. HR leaders love Bucketlists automations and industry-leading service. CFOs love the ROI. Bucketlist is not just a rewards and recognition platform – they are true partners in building recognition programs. In fact, they’re rated #1 on G2 as the best platform to do business with. They share expert advice and best-practices to make sure organizations succeed.

By partnering with Bucketlist, organizations can create a vibrant culture of recognition to engage their teams and unlock the potential of their workforce. Because recognition inspires results.

Key Features: 

1. Engage your team with a huge selection of personalized rewards, once-in-a-lifetime experiences, gift cards, branded swag and more
2. Rated the #1 easiest to use platform on G2, Bucketlist engages employees with their easy-to-use app and messaging integrations that meet employees where they already work. 
3. You can launch a highly successful recognition program that your employees will love with expert advice from your dedicated onboarding manager 

Companies Using Bucketlist:

• Danone
• RBC Ventures
• Chick-fil-a

Notable Comments Made by Users: 

One Bucketlist user commented that: 

• “I love that peers can highlight and acknowledge one another. I also like that it encourages people to share successes within the organization. It helps create a solid working bond with other departments and heighten morale overall in the workplace. It's simple to use, has fun features, and is equally as fun being the recipient of awards. Cashing in your points is so simple. This will have a very positive effect with your team and I highly recommend”

Want to have a discussion with a professional on what rewards and recognition can do for your organization?

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2.  Nectar

Nectar is a company that specializes in providing human resources (HR) software solutions. Their platform offers a set of tools and features to streamline HR processes and improve organizational efficiency. The platform is designed to meet the needs of small to medium-sized businesses, offering scalable solutions that adapt to HR requirements.  

Key Features:

• Nectar HR provides a wide range of tools for streamlined HR processes, including onboarding, time tracking, payroll management, benefits administration, and more.
• Nectar’s software is designed to scale with businesses and offers customization options, ensuring flexibility as organizations grow.
• Nectar automates manual HR tasks such as data management, time tracking, and report generation

Companies Using Nectar:

• Redfin
• Heineken
• Society for Human Resource Management 

Notable Comments Made by Users

One Nectar user commented:

“There are a lot of great gift card options. The options to get points without having them given to you are fairly simple. I dislike how if multiple people are tagged in the post then the total number of points is divided vs everyone getting that amount. For example, if a post with 3 people says 20 points, then the 20 points are divided and everyone gets 6.3 points.”

3.  WorkTango 

WorkTango’s platform provides organizations with tools to collect and analyze employee feedback, measure employee engagement, and drive positive workplace experiences. WorkTango's software allows for the creation and distribution of surveys and polls to gather insights from employees on various aspects such as job satisfaction, performance, culture, and leadership. 

Key Features:

• WorkTango's software enables organizations to create and distribute surveys and polls to collect feedback from employees 
• The platform allows organizations to measure and track employee engagement levels through pulse surveys 
• WorkTango's software facilitates action planning based on employee feedback, enabling organizations to set goals, track progress, and take steps to enhance employee engagement

Companies Using WorkTango:

• Allianz
• Homebridge
• Logic Monitor

Notable Comments Made by Users:

One WorkTango user commented:

• “User interface is great, once you log in you will see the news feed with all of the recent social recognitions from your peers. Similarly, you can recognize someone fairly easily. But, when I'm on the iOS app, it doesn't allow me to view the gift catalog and force opens a browser window. From a user experience perspective, I think it should be seamless.”

4.  Assembly

Assembly's software enables companies to streamline their employee appreciation efforts by providing a centralized platform for recognizing and rewarding employees' contributions. Organizations are able to facilitate peer-to-peer recognition and offer personalized rewards through Assembly to create a more engaged and positive work culture. 

Key Features:

• Assembly includes survey and feedback features that enable organizations to gather insights from employees.
• Assembly incorporates gamification elements, such as leaderboards and badges, to create a sense of friendly competition and motivate employees. 
• Integrates tools to improve productivity such as a daily agenda template, idea management template, meeting notes template and product feedback template

Companies Using Assembly: 

• Nesco Resource
• Perforce
• StubHub

Notable Comments Made by Users: 

One Assembly user commented that: 

• “Our employees love having a platform to give recognition and rewards.The platform also offers a good amount of analytics. Their support team is especially responsive when we have an issue and are quick to resolve it. I do wish Assembly provided more analytics and had the capability to create more detailed user statistics.”

Want to have a discussion on what a rewards and recognition program could look like for you?

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5. Bonusly 

Bonusly's software enables employees to give recognition and rewards to their peers, fostering a sense of teamwork and camaraderie. The platform allows for real-time recognition, where employees can give immediate feedback and also offers a wide range of rewards that employees can choose from, allowing them to select rewards that align with their interests and preferences. 

Key Features:

• Enables real-time feedback and notifications, allowing employees to provide immediate recognition and feedback.
• Bonusly is accessible across multiple channels, including web, mobile, and integration with popular communication tools like Slack. 
• Provides analytics to help you understand which employees are receiving the most recognition 

Companies Using Bonusly:

• Cardata
• Paloalto
• Solugenix

Notable Comments Made by Users: 

One Bonusly user commented: 

• “I like how easy Bonusly is to use and integrate. It's incredibly convenient that HR doesn't have to manually manage each new hire, but can rely on the system to add them automatically. Plus, you can customize it according to your company's values by tweaking the maximum distribution points, available rewards, or custom hashtags - all of which are great features! It would be beneficial if the system had automated email capabilities to recognize outstanding performance or to send point redemption notifications to users who have not yet done so. As it stands, such actions require manual input via CSV files - a tedious task when done in bulk.”

6.  Motivosity 

Motivosity offers a user-friendly software platform that encourages employees to recognize and reward their colleagues for their contributions and achievements. The platform incorporates features such as employee profiles, social recognition feeds, and customizable recognition programs. Motivosity also provides tools for managers to track employee recognition and engagement metrics, allowing them to gain insights into team dynamics and identify areas for improvement. 

Key Features:

• Motivosity provides a reporting and recognition history feature to allow administrators to track recognition activity. 
• The platform is accessible via mobile devices, enabling employees to give and receive recognition on the go. 
• Motivosity includes a feature for employees to give each other monetary or non-monetary bonuses and rewards.

Companies Using Motivosity:

• Dentsu
• Great Clips
• Bosch

Notable Comments Made by Users: 

One Motivosity user commented: 

• “Previously we were a very siloed organization, and it was more difficult to hear about what other people were working on on a daily basis. Now it's much easier to see what others are doing. It's also nice that people's birthdays and milestones are automatically recognized. I wish Motivosity was a little easier to navigate. The "feed" is awesome but some other stuff is harder to find. It would be nice if there was a tab on the main page.” 

7.  Awardco

Awardco is a company that specializes in employee recognition and rewards solutions. Their platform provides organizations with tools and features to create and manage comprehensive employee recognition programs.

Key Features:

• Awardco offers a customizable recognition program, allowing organizations to tailor the platform to align with their unique company culture, values, and objectives.
• Awardco emphasizes peer-to-peer recognition, encouraging employees to appreciate and acknowledge each other's contributions. 
• Awardco includes a manager recognition feature, allowing supervisors to recognize and reward their team members' achievements. 

Companies Using Awardco:

• Pacific Life
• ARUP Laboratories
• Hunt Brothers Pizza

Notable Comments Made by Users:

One Awardo user commented:

• “I love how my colleagues can recommend me or I can praise them through Awardco. I also like how we can give e visa gift cards and it's really easy to use with security. I don't like that the award options are limited when I'm using Awardco. There are many other options that i have wanted to give to high performance employees in my company.”

8. Kudos

Kudos offers an employee engagement, culture, and analytics platform that works to reinforce peer-to-peer recognition. Kudos is recognized for its ability to track employee morale, automate important employee celebrations, and build awards programs that help to recognize high achievers. 

Key Features:

• Enables organizations to create customized recognition programs tailored to their unique needs and values
• Allows organizations to align recognition programs with their core values 
• Has customizable employee badges to help provide a more personalized feel for recognition of accomplishments and milestones

Companies Using Kudos: 

• Wilson HCG 
• Make-a-Wish Foundation
• Werner Electric Supply

Notable Comments Made by Users:  

One Kudos user commented that: 

• “Sending a thank you email sometimes feels like a big step and an inconvenience to the recipient, but sending a Kudos feels more like a shout-out to our peers and allows others to pile on and really make someone feel appreciated. I was a doubter before we signed up, but I really do think it has been great for our organization. Adding attachments like images is harder than it needs to be, and animated gifs are currently not supported, which is a huge missed opportunity in my opinion.” 

Interested in meeting with a professional to discuss how a rewards and recognition program could help you? 

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9.  Achievers

Achievers offers a set of tools and features to drive employee recognition, align employees with company values, and enhance overall employee engagement. Achievers' software enables organizations to create and manage customized employee recognition programs that promote a culture of appreciation and motivation. 

Key Features:

• Achievers offers a unique continuous listening feature that allows organizations to gather real-time feedback and insights from employees. 
• Achievers provides a social recognition feed where employees can publicly appreciate and celebrate their peers' accomplishments. 
• Achievers leverages advanced analytics and reporting capabilities to provide data-driven insights on employee recognition and engagement. 

Companies Using Achievers:

• Coborns Marketplace
• Christus Health
• Power Design

Notable Comments Made by Users:

One Achievers user commented:

• “I really enjoy having a way to recognize someone's hard work in a way that they can feel rewarded and appreciated. This platform allows employees to show each other their appreciation for small and large things their teammates do daily. The Achievers app could use some improvement. For our deskless employees, they find the app hard to use.”

10. Work Human

Workhuman is a company that specializes in human-centric employee recognition and workplace culture solutions. Their platform provides organizations with tools and features to create a culture of appreciation, foster employee connections, and celebrate achievements. 

Key Features:

• Workhuman offers a unique social recognition wall where employees can publicly recognize and appreciate their peers.
• Workhuman's platform includes a continuous performance management feature that enables ongoing feedback and coaching. 
• Provides a cloud-based platform that consolidates recognition, rewards, and performance management functionalities. 

Companies Using Workhuman:

• Cardinal Health
• Qlik
• Morgan Truck Body

Notable Comments Made by Users:

One Workhuman user commented:

• “Interactive social awards feed allowing civility and likes and congrats. Routed approvals. Workday integration. High transaction fees, inexperienced customer success managers after launch.”

Implementing the right employee appreciation software is essential for fostering a culture of recognition and engagement within your organization. As you explore the options available, remember to consider your organization's specific needs and priorities to ensure the software you choose aligns with your culture and supports your employee appreciation goals. Invest in employee appreciation software that celebrates and recognizes your most valuable asset—your employees.