Public Sector Recognition

Elevating public service through recognition

Public service is purpose-driven—but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Reduce burnout and reinforce the value of public sector work.

Why Awardco?

Public sector features

that check every box

Awardco helps government agencies, municipalities, and public institutions implement recognition programs that are cost-effective, compliant, and impactful.

 
Service Awards
 
Affordable & Compliant
 
Peer-to-Peer Recognition
 
Nomination Programs
 
Leadership Support
 
Department Recognition

offline recognition

Empower teams, no matter where they work

Appreciate anyone, anywhere with AwardCodes™, including your diverse, dispersed workforce. Employees redeem physical cards for points, unlocking millions of reward options, no computer or desk required.

ROI of Recognition

Recognition that drives performance and retention

Public sector employees thrive when they feel valued, engaged, and connected.

Engagement
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4
X
more engagement
4
X
more engagement

Better engagement means better performance.

Employees who feel valued are 4X more likely to be engaged, which leads to greater productivity, retention, satisfaction, and more.

Engagement
Satisfaction
Business team meeting in modern office with large windows
25
%
increase in happiness
25
%
increase in happiness

Happy employees are healthier, more resilient, and more productive.

Showing and receiving gratitude increases happiness by 25%—and happiness is the leading cause for employees staying or leaving their jobs.

Satisfaction
Retention
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31
%
decrease in turnover
31
%
decrease in turnover

Retain top public sector talent.

A strong culture of recognition lowers voluntary turnover by 31% because appreciation makes people want to stay.

Retention

only from awardco

A-Pay™ cards

Reward a diverse workforce with ultimate reward flexibility. A-Pay cards—where employees choose when and where to redeem, almost anywhere in the world.

success stories

Supporting the public sector

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Southern Oregon Head Start
If we retain a teacher, that’s 20 students we get to serve. Going from 45% turnover to 8% means we’ve kept 85–90 more staff. That’s an incredible impact on both our children and our budget.
Amber Lease
Human Resource Director
4Refuel
Seventy-five percent of our employees are out in the field, so how do we get them excited and engaged? The safety programs really got them energized. They had the opportunity to earn a lot of points, but they also received meaningful recognition. I was really impressed by how much our login engagement increased over time.
Marna Lagerquist
Manager, Talent Acquisition and Development
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Greenfield Global
Employees can choose the language they feel most comfortable with, which helps us meet both English and French communication needs.
Paula Useche
People & Culture Manager
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Lockton
Awardco is not just a recognition tool—it’s a risk mitigation solution. Our tax and payroll teams love that we can now accurately track and report gifting, with proper IRS compliance.
Selia Wood
AVP, Talent & Engagement
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Kodiak
Awardco makes it really easy to select colleagues that you want to recognize, whether it's one, whether it's multiple. Recognition helps build trust with teammates and leaders.
Brett Miller
VP of Creative
Utah Valley University
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
PMG
The myKudos [Awardco] platform is easy to use and highly beneficial. I truly appreciate the ability to both give and receive kudos, and the rewards offered are incredibly generous. It’s a well-rounded, thoughtful initiative by PMG that really prioritizes employee appreciation.
Melodie Cottingham
Convergent Video/Audio Director
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Crumbl
The beauty of Awardco is that it empowers everybody to make sure good work doesn’t go unnoticed. When people see recognitions coming through, it’s meaningful for the person receiving it, but it also shows everyone else how important recognition is. That’s what Awardco allows us to do—make appreciation visible across the company.
Josh Olofson
Vice President of Employee Experience
 
 

Integrations & Security

Seamless connections, uncompromising security

Integrations

Awardco works well with all the tools you already use, so you can naturally incorporate recognition into your day-to-day.

Security

Built with enterprise-grade security measures, including GDPR and SOC 2 Type II compliance, to keep your data safe and your peace of mind intact.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How can public-sector organizations reach field, hourly, and deskless employees?
 

Where supported, employees may access recognition through a mobile experience, text or email notifications, QR codes, award codes, printed cards, collaboration tools, or another configured channel. This can help include employees who work in the field, on a campus, in a public facility, on a route, or away from a desktop computer.

Organizations can design access around the realities of their workforce, including employees who do not have a work email, use shared devices, work different shifts, or have limited access to single sign-on or multifactor authentication.

The available channels, identity verification, personal contact information, device requirements, language options, and employee experience vary by program. Organizations should validate accessibility, privacy, security, and account-recovery requirements before launch.

Can programs include approval workflows and audit-ready tracking?
 

Where supported, recognition or reward submissions can be routed through an approval workflow before they are published or issued. Organizations can assign reviewers, define thresholds, set manager budgets, and require additional review for selected programs or reward values.

Program and budget controls can help administrators track who gave recognition, who received it, which program or budget was used, how many points were issued or redeemed, and other activity associated with the award.

The available reports, retention, permissions, exports, approval behavior, and audit fields depend on the program and agreement. Public-sector organizations should confirm how records can be accessed, retained, exported, and provided to authorized reviewers.

Can Awardco support procurement and public-sector contracting requirements?
 

Public-sector organizations may need to follow procurement thresholds, competitive-bidding rules, cooperative purchasing requirements, contract review, data-security review, accessibility standards, public-records obligations, or other local procedures before purchasing a recognition platform.

Awardco can participate in the customer’s procurement and contracting process according to the applicable scope, but the required path depends on the jurisdiction, agency type, contract value, funding source, and purchasing rules. A public-sector organization should not assume that a particular agreement method, exemption, cooperative contract, or procurement threshold applies without confirmation from its procurement office.

Organizations should identify required stakeholders and documents early, including security and privacy materials, accessibility information, insurance or vendor forms, data-processing terms, service levels, pricing, implementation scope, and renewal provisions.

Can public-sector organizations control how recognition funds are spent?
 

Organizations can design programs with defined budgets, eligible employee populations, reward values, catalogs, permissions, approval rules, and spending limits where supported.

Administrators may create separate budgets or programs for departments, locations, managers, employee groups, or recognition purposes. They can also determine who may give recognition, which reward categories are available, and whether a submission requires review before it is published or awarded.

These controls can support responsible administration, but they do not replace the organization’s appropriations, purchasing, ethics, gift, compensation, or financial-control policies. Public-sector customers should have their appropriate finance, procurement, legal, and HR teams approve the program design.

What can public-sector organizations use Awardco for?
 

Public-sector organizations can configure programs for service anniversaries, onboarding, peer recognition, manager recognition, nominations, spot awards, employee milestones, safety or quality behaviors, wellness initiatives, training, and other approved recognition goals.

A city or county might recognize employees who reach a service milestone, a school district might support staff appreciation, a transit agency might recognize field employees, or a public utility might provide structured recognition for safety, service, or improvement ideas.

Programs can be monetary, nonmonetary, automated, peer-led, manager-led, or combined. The available program types and eligibility rules depend on the selected products, employee data, organization policy, and configuration.

Recognition for the public sector

Public sector employees deserve to be recognized for their contributions. Make it easy to celebrate milestones, improve retention, and foster a culture of appreciation for those that need it most.

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