Spot Recognition Programs

Instant recognition, lasting impact

Express appreciation for great work to anyone, anywhere, anytime.

How It Works

What is spot recognition?

Show appreciation for employees right in the moment, exactly when it matters most.

Administrative Flexibility

Experience effortless appreciation

Total Budgetary Control

Enjoy total control over rewards budgets by providing customized points for teams, managers, or peers to distribute.

Non-Monetary Programs

The impact of recognition is the same, with or without points. Build culture and power engagement on a minimal budget.

Only from awardco

More ways to recognize

AwardCodes™
 

Create custom, physical reward codes that are easy to distribute, simple to redeem, and pain-free to manage. Make in-person recognition effortless, memorable, and personal.

External Recognition
 

Outside-in appreciation made easy. Give customers, patients, clients, and partners an impactful and simple way to recognize your employees, no login required.

Customer stories

The power of recognition

Paramount
52
days saved

Paramount used Awardco to spread recognition to their 20,000+ global employees, all while saving 52 day’s worth of time over the year.

 
960
%
increase in recognition

Pilot implemented recognition to their retail, corporate, and transportation teams, leading to more company-wide appreciation than ever.

 
200
%
increase in value-driven award nominations

Citizens Business Bank achieved a 200% increase in value-driven award nominations, boosting meaningful recognition and reinforcing company values across the organization.

 
209
%
increase in annual recognitions

Texas Roadhouse saw a substantial increase in annual recognitions, thanks to Awardco’s user-friendly platform, customizable location-based experiences, and standout customer support that ensured a smooth rollout across all teams.

 
10
hours saved each month

By crafting a tailored recognition program for their specific goals, ClickUp achieved a 94% recognition rate and gave an incredible amount of time back to busy HR admins.

 

integrations

Send shoutouts without switching apps

Easily integrate with your daily tools so recognition happens where work happens.

Testimonials

What ourcustomers say

After implementing Awardco we saw a huge influx [of recognitions]… we were riding a tidal wave. Now it’s at a sustainable level, but still significantly higher than before.
Maddie Bagley
Appreciation Specialist, People & Culture
Utah Valley University
Lockton was already great—but we were terrible at marketing how amazing it truly was. Awardco helps us amplify that greatness, especially as we grow.
Smiling woman with long blonde hair wearing a black top and a pendant necklace against a black background.
Melissa York
SVP, Head of People & Culture
Lockton
Our people use their points for vacations, holidays, gifts… it’s meaningful to them.
Headshot of a man with dark hair wearing a gray suit jacket and light blue shirt, smiling against a cloudy gray background.
Roshan Varghese
Sr. Director, Environment, Health & Safety
4Refuel
The recognition showed me that even the small, extra efforts I put in are valued. That inspires me to keep contributing beyond my regular responsibilities.
Lav Kumar
Senior Manager, Project Management, Dubai Airports
Dubai Airports
When we set up a demo, the customer service representative made us feel like a client already. He made us feel valued, and he was patient with us through the process. The service we received from the Awardco team far and away exceeded our expectations and really sold us on your company.
Portrait of a smiling young man with short brown hair wearing a checkered shirt against a blue gradient background.
Ryan Zellner
Marketing & Corporate Communications Manager
Ampirical
Employees look forward to seeing their monthly Safety All-Star points. Those conversations happen in lunchrooms, dressing rooms—it becomes part of our culture.
Headshot of a man with short black hair wearing a gray suit jacket and light blue shirt against a gray cloudy background.
Roshan Varghese
Sr. Director, Environment, Health & Safety
4Refuel
I’ve been able to see how much recognition has changed since we started using Awardco. From an admin perspective, it’s become so much more manageable and has saved me countless hours. Birthdays, anniversaries, and new-hire milestones are all automated through Workday, new hires get points at 30 and 60 days, and employees are recognized automatically for birthdays and anniversaries.
Shannon Martell
Employee Experience Specialist
Crumbl
Before Awardco, our nominations programs were scattered and siloed... a survey here, a form there. It wasn't a very cohesive experience, and there wasn't really one consistent way to do things. Now, it's become a one-stop shop. If I want to recognize a milestone, give a shoutout, or nominate someone for an award, staff and facility know exactly where to go.
Maddie Bagley
Appreciation Specialist, People & Culture
Utah Valley University

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What reporting and controls are available for spot recognition?
 

Awardco reporting can help administrators understand who is giving and receiving spot recognition, which programs and teams are participating, how budgets are being used, and how recognition activity changes over time.

Organizations can use available roles, permissions, filters, and exports to support program administration, budget review, and reconciliation. Reporting fields and visibility depend on the organization’s employee data, configuration, and access controls.

‍

How are spot recognition budgets allocated and controlled?
 

Organizations can establish budgets for spot recognition and assign them to managers, departments, business units, programs, or other groups. Budget controls can help define who may award points, how much they may award, and which populations they may recognize.

Depending on the configuration, budgets may be replenished on a recurring schedule, transferred, limited by program, or subject to approval. Rules for unused balances—including whether they reset, expire, or carry forward—are organization-specific and should be defined during program setup.

‍

How do approvals and governance work for spot recognition?
 

Organizations can configure approval requirements and routing based on their recognition policies. An award may be sent directly, or it may require review by a manager, program owner, HR administrator, budget owner, or another designated approver.

Approval rules can help organizations apply additional review to higher-value awards or specific programs while keeping lower-value recognition simple. The appropriate workflow depends on the organization’s governance model and configuration.

‍

Can spot recognition be monetary, non-monetary, or both?
 

Yes. Organizations can use spot recognition for simple, non-monetary appreciation, points-based awards, or other configured reward options. The available approach depends on the program design and the organization’s policies.

A spot recognition message can explain what the recipient did and connect the recognition to a company value, behavior, or business outcome. Where a monetary award is enabled, the organization can define the available award values and redemption options.

What is spot recognition and how is it different from other recognition programs?
 

Spot recognition is timely, discretionary recognition for meaningful contributions, behaviors, or accomplishments. It helps managers and other authorized senders recognize employees close to the moment the contribution occurs.

Organizations can use spot recognition alongside automated programs such as birthdays and work anniversaries, as well as nomination-based programs that require a formal review. Spot recognition is typically used for flexible, in-the-moment appreciation rather than a scheduled milestone or a formal nomination process.

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Build culture, incentivize performance, and power modern engagement strategies—all in one place.