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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
Business team working together analyzing graphs and data on wooden desk
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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Citizens Business Bank
We've tied rewards to wellness in the sense that every year, we encourage our associates to go get their annual physical. If they show proof, they get points. It's another way to tie healthy lifestyles to what's important to us in the bank, making an impact with our associates.
Jenny Ketchepaw
VP, Talent Engagement
Paramount
There are so many [reward] options, and everyone is already used to Amazon and knows what they can get. In the past, we had a catalog of items, and it didn't feel like it would fit with our new demographic.
Shaye McCoy
Manager, Global Total Rewards Experience
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Children's Nebraska
[Awardco] was something that was easy to use. I knew that healthcare provider's first priority is their patient, so how do we make it so easy that they can participate and still make sure that they're still taking care of the patient.
Madeline Quinn
Employee Experience Manager
The Nest Schools
Just managing our custom rewards felt like a full-time job with our previous vendor—it took all day every Friday. With Awardco, I don't have to do any of the manual fulfillment work anymore. I'm saving 6-8 hours a week, just managing orders.
Sara Beer
Director of Core Values
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America First Credit Union
Previously, every manager hand-wrote a message to their employees every six months thanking them for their hard work, and it was all tied in with the bonus distribution. It was very high-touch, very labor intensive, and we had the process down to a science. We liked the connections that formed between managers and employees as a result of this program, but after COVID-19 most of our workforce went remote. Our semi-annual tradition wasn't possible any longer, nor was it feasible.
Kent Streuling
SVP of HR
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Greenfield Global
Recognition can mean different things to different people, but for everyone, you want to feel seen and valued for the work you do. We were able to launch our first global recognition program, STAR, with the help of Awardco.
Ashley Cato
Vice President People and Culture
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NIBCO
We’ve always had some sort of recognition program, but never anything all-inclusive where all associates at every location were engaged in the same program—until Awardco.
Dawn Bloch
Chief People Officer
Necco
I think Awardco is a great platform for recognition. Being able to give a little extra money here and there goes a long way. I try to recognize my office as much as possible when they go above and beyond.
Logan Harrelson
Recruiter
 
 

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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