The Top 7 Kudos Alternatives For Employee Recognition

Employee recognition is a vital part of any business culture. It fosters a positive work environment, boosts employee morale, and encourages team spirit. Therefore, it is essential for companies to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of their employees, as it leads to increased productivity and overall success. 

One popular platform that many businesses use for employee recognition is Kudos.

Kudos stands out for its simple and user-friendly interface, allowing employees to give recognition seamlessly. However, you may be looking for other alternatives that offer different features or cater to specific needs. 

In this article, we will explore the top seven Kudos alternatives for employee recognition.

An Overview Of Kudos

Kudos is a comprehensive employee recognition platform designed to foster an appreciative culture within the workplace. It adopts a unique, peer-to-peer recognition approach. Employees can acknowledge and celebrate their colleagues' achievements, promoting a positive and collaborative work environment.

The platform offers a wide array of features for employees to express their gratitude. These include being able to send personalized thank-you messages and award points. You can even share achievements on a public recognition wall. This feature is particularly impactful as it amplifies the effect of recognition by making it visible to the entire organization.

This platform goes beyond the mere recognition function. It also includes comprehensive analytics and reporting tools. These provide managers with insights into team performance, engagement trends, and recognition patterns. This data can be instrumental in making informed decisions that aim to improve morale, drive productivity, and reduce employee turnover.

Kudos is a web-based solution, accessible from any device with an internet connection. It makes it easy for remote teams to stay connected and maintain a culture of appreciation, regardless of their location. With its user-friendly interface, Kudos ensures a seamless, engaging experience for all users, fostering a supportive and inclusive workplace culture.

The Importance Of Employee Recognition

54% of companies are planning to increase their budget for corporate gifting in the next two years. This just goes to show that employee recognition is becoming increasingly important in the workplace. It comes with an array of benefits including:

Increased Morale

When employees feel valued and appreciated, it leads to a boost in morale. This translates to higher job satisfaction, increased motivation, and a more positive attitude towards work.

Improved Productivity

Recognition serves as an excellent motivator for employees to perform their best. When they know that their efforts will be acknowledged and celebrated, it encourages them to go the extra mile and strive for excellence.

Reduced Turnover

According to a survey by SHRM, 47% of employees cited a lack of recognition and appreciation as the reason for leaving their job. By implementing an effective employee recognition program, companies can reduce turnover rates and retain top talent.

Positive Workplace Culture

Employee recognition plays a crucial role in shaping the overall workplace culture. It creates a sense of belonging, fosters teamwork, and encourages a supportive and inclusive environment.

7 Of The Top Kudos Alternatives For Employee Recognition

Kudos is undoubtedly a popular choice for many organizations when it comes to employee recognition. However, there are other great alternatives that offer similar features and benefits. Here are the top seven Kudos alternatives for employee recognition:

1. PerkUp

PerkUp is an innovative platform designed to optimize employee engagement by offering a range of tools and features that promote recognition and incentives. 

The platform allows companies to create a customized rewards program, offering such perks as gift cards, local discounts, wellness offerings, and more, which can be earned through accomplishing specific tasks or reaching certain performance benchmarks. 

Recognizing employees' achievements is straightforward with the platform's intuitive interface, enabling managers to give kudos for a job well done.

Main Features

• Easy Recognition: The platform's intuitive interface makes it easy for managers to acknowledge and appreciate an employee's hard work and dedication.

• Variety of Gifts: PerkUp has over 1,000 gift options and integrations with Amazon so you can shop for Amazon products directly on the platform. With so many products as well as gift cards and cash rewards loaded onto a virtual Visa card, it’s easy to find gifts for any occasion. 

• Spot Rewards: The platform's spot rewards system allows managers to instantly recognize and reward exceptional performance. This feature fosters a culture of instant gratification and real-time recognition, helping to keep employees motivated and engaged.

• Custom Swag: With PerkUp, companies can distribute company-branded merchandise, or "swag", to their employees. This could include anything from T-shirts to coffee mugs, all featuring the company logo. This not only serves as a form of reward but also helps to build company spirit and foster a sense of belonging among employees.

• Integrations: PerkUp seamlessly integrates with a wide range of other software platforms, making it easier for companies to incorporate it into their existing workflows. Some integrations include Okta, Slack, Bamboo HR, Paylocity, Namely, and QuickBooks. 

• Security and Compliance: PerkUp places a high priority on maintaining the security and privacy of user data, adhering to industry best practices and regulations.

To find out what other companies are saying about their experience with PerkUp, check out our reviews page. 

2. Bonusly

Bonusly is an employee recognition and rewards platform that aims to foster a positive workplace culture by encouraging and tracking peer-to-peer recognition. Its philosophy is rooted in the belief that recognition should be transparent, frequent, and tied to the core values of an organization.

Bonusly operates on a points-based system to promote peer-to-peer recognition. Employees receive points that they can then award to their colleagues to applaud their efforts or acknowledge their accomplishments. The points given and received are visible to the entire team, fostering a transparent culture of appreciation.

Once an employee accumulates enough points, they can redeem them for a variety of rewards. The rewards catalog in Bonusly is vast and diverse, ranging from gift cards to charitable donations. This ensures it caters to different employee preferences.

Main Features

• Peer-to-Peer Recognition: Bonusly places an emphasis on peer recognition, allowing colleagues to publicly acknowledge each other's efforts and contributions in real time.

• Customizable Rewards Catalog: It provides a diverse catalog of reward options, including charitable donations, gift cards from popular brands, and even experiences. Companies can easily tailor their recognition program to their team's preferences.

• Automated Celebrations: Bonusly automates recognition for work anniversaries, birthdays, and company milestones. This way, you can ensure no significant events are overlooked.

• Insights and Reporting: The platform offers robust employee analytics and reporting tools. It enables organizations to track engagement and monitor recognition trends and frequency.

• Seamless Integrations: Bonusly integrates smoothly with common communication and productivity tools including HRIS systems. This makes it easier to incorporate the platform into daily workflows. Some integrations include Workday, Namely, Zenefits, Gusto, and Sage. 

• Incentive Program: Bonusly offers an incentive program where employees can earn points for their recognition activity. Points can be redeemed for rewards or donated to charity.

If you’d like to learn more about the platform, see our full Bonusly review. We explore its main features, who it’s best for, and more. 

3. Vantage Circle

Vantage Circle is an all-in-one employee engagement platform that streamlines benefits, rewards, and recognition processes within organizations. The platform fosters a culture of appreciation where employees' efforts and achievements are acknowledged and celebrated. 

Vantage Circle allows you to set up customized rewards and recognition programs that align with your unique corporate culture and goals. It works by tracking employee performance and achievements. 

Employees who meet or exceed set benchmarks can be rewarded with items from an extensive online catalog. The platform also offers a range of wellness programs and corporate discounts, further enhancing the employee experience. 

The ease of use, combined with the platform's analytic capabilities, makes Vantage Circle a powerful tool for boosting employee morale, productivity, and overall engagement.

Main Features

• Employee Rewards and Recognition (R&R): Vantage Circle provides a platform where peers can recognize each other's contributions and managers can assign rewards to their team members. This is intended to boost morale and foster a positive work culture.

• Gifting Features: You can reward employees with a vast array of merchandise and a host of other options, including gift cards, experiences, and vacations. 

• Employee Benefits: It offers a range of perks to help you expand your employee benefits, including corporate discounts on various brands.

• Wellness Program: Vantage Circle encourages employee health and wellness with its comprehensive wellness program – Vantage Fit. This feature includes a step-tracking tool, wellness challenges, and health risk assessments.

• Employee Engagement Surveys: The platform provides tools for creating and distributing engagement surveys to collect feedback and insights from employees. This helps organizations understand their team's needs and areas for improvement.

• Integrations: Vantage Circle ensures seamless integration with multiple platforms to facilitate an easy and efficient recognition process in your organization. It offers integration with major HRIS systems such as SAP SuccessFactors, Workday, and PeopleSoft, enabling easy data import and export. For a more social experience, Vantage Circle enables integrations with popular collaboration tools like Slack, MS Teams, and Yammer, fostering open recognition at the workplace.

Keen to find out more about Vantage Circle? Then take a look at our complete Vantage Circle review where we dive into its features, pros, cons, and more. 

4. Awardco

Awardco is an innovative platform designed to address employee engagement and recognition needs within organizations. It teams up with Amazon Business to enable companies to create robust rewards programs. Employees can choose from millions of items, ensuring everyone finds something that resonates with their preferences. 

The platform is committed to creating a positive workplace culture. It offers meaningful recognition and rewards, which, in turn, drive engagement and boost morale.

Awardco works by integrating seamlessly with your organization's existing platforms. This allows management to easily recognize employees' efforts and milestones. 

Recognition can be public or private and can be tied to specific achievements or simply for embodying company values. Once an employee is recognized, they receive points that they can redeem for millions of items through Amazon Business, travel bookings, event tickets, and more. 

Main Features

• Offline Recognition: The offline recognition feature allows you to recognize your employees ‘whether they are connected to their computers or not.

• Reporting and Analytics: Awardco provides detailed analytics and reporting features, enabling organizations to track engagement levels, recognition activity, and reward distribution.

• Event-Based Awards: The platform supports event-based awards for work anniversaries, birthdays, or other significant milestones. This encourages a culture of continuous recognition throughout the organization.

• Integrations: Awardco offers integrations with multiple HRIS and performance management systems such as BambooHR, Workday, ADP, and Namely. This ensures a smooth integration process, making it easy for organizations to start using the platform quickly.

• Lifestyle Spending: With Awardco, employees can use their rewards to purchase lifestyle items and services like travel, dining, and entertainment, providing a more personalized experience.

If you think Awardco might be the right choice for your company, be sure to check out our Awardco review before making your decision. We discuss its core features, who it’s best for, and more. 

5. Workhuman

Workhuman, previously known as Globoforce, is a pioneering platform in the world of employee recognition and engagement. It focuses on cultivating a work culture that values human connections and interactions. 

Workhuman's cloud-based software empowers companies to celebrate their employees' accomplishments in a meaningful way. It fosters a sense of belonging within the team and enhances job satisfaction.

Its suite of applications, including 'Recognize', 'Conversations', 'Life Events', and 'Moodtracker', offers an array of tools for recognition, performance management, continuous development conversations, and celebration of life events. This aims at keeping the workforce engaged, motivated, and productive.

Main Features

• Global Rewards: Workhuman's Global Rewards feature ensures employees around the world have access to an extensive range of rewards, acknowledging their efforts and accomplishments irrespective of their location.

• Insights & Analytics: The platform provides robust insights and analytics, allowing companies to measure and track employee engagement, recognition activity, and the overall impact of their recognition program.

• Inclusion Advisor: Workhuman's unique Inclusion Advisor acts as a tool for ensuring equity in recognition and reward distribution, promoting diversity and inclusivity within the workplace.

• Integrations: Offering seamless integrations with popular tools and platforms, Workhuman simplifies the process of incorporating recognition into the company's existing workflows.

• Team Awards: The Team Awards feature promotes a culture of shared success, allowing organizations to acknowledge and reward the collective efforts and achievements of a team.

Want to learn more? Read our full Workhuman review to find out more about the platform’s main features and its pros and cons. 

6. Snappy

Snappy is a dynamic employee recognition and rewards platform that aims to make workplace appreciation both simple and effective. It combines the power of personalization with the element of surprise, delivering an enjoyable and memorable experience for the employees. This platform is designed to encourage employee engagement, boost morale, and foster a stronger company culture.

Snappy operates on a unique premise. Rather than giving employees a predetermined reward, it gives them the power to choose their own gifts from a curated collection of global brands, experiences, and items. 

Employers allocate a certain budget for each reward and create gift collections. Employees then receive an interactive, fun email allowing them to 'unwrap' their gift and choose what they want from the pre-selected collection. Alternatively, they can swap their gift for something else. This approach ensures that every employee gets a gift they genuinely want.

Main Features

• Personalized Gifts: Snappy offers a vast catalog of personalized gifts, enabling companies to choose gifts that align with their employees' preferences and interests. This feature enhances the value and impact of the recognition.

• Team Recognition: The platform promotes team-based achievements and celebrations, acknowledging and appreciating collective efforts that contribute to the success of the organization.

• Automated Rewards: Snappy provides an automated rewards system for occasions like work anniversaries, birthdays or reaching certain milestones, ensuring no significant event goes unrecognized.

• Integrations: Snappy seamlessly integrates with various HRIS and communication platforms, ensuring a smooth and streamlined recognition process. It’s possible to integrate it with ADP, BambooHR, Hibob, Paylocity, Sage HR, and more. 

To find out more about this platform, check out our complete Snappy Gifts review covering its main features, pros and cons, and more. 

7. Redii

Redii is an innovative employee recognition software designed to enhance engagement, boost morale, and cultivate a healthy company culture. The platform is built on the belief that recognizing employees for their work creates a more positive and productive environment.

With Redii, companies can easily establish and manage an effective recognition program that resonates with their employees. This drives improved performance, increased retention, and overall business success.

Main Features

• Peer-to-peer Recognition: Redii fosters a culture of appreciation by encouraging employees to recognize and acknowledge each other's efforts. This feature promotes a sense of camaraderie and mutual respect within the organization.

• Workplace Analytics: Redii's analytics tool provides detailed insights into the company’s recognition patterns. It aids in understanding the impact of recognition on employee engagement, productivity, and retention.

• Integrations: To ensure a smooth workflow, Redii integrates seamlessly with a variety of HR and communication platforms. This allows for an easy and efficient recognition process.

• Rewards Catalog: Redii’s rewards catalog offers a range of gift cards, ensuring there’s something suitable for every employee.

Final Thoughts

Whether you're looking for comprehensive employee recognition software or a simple and user-friendly platform, there is no shortage of options in the market. Each of these alternatives offers unique features and benefits, catering to different needs and preferences.

Before making a decision, it's crucial to assess your company's goals, culture, and budget to determine which software will be the best fit. No matter which option you choose, investing in an employee recognition program is a valuable decision that will benefit both your employees and your business.

However, if you're searching for the best employee rewards and recognition platform, look no further than PerkUp. 

PerkUp makes sending employee gifts and rewards easy! You can choose from over 1,000 awesome gift options, gift cards, and company swag, making it easy to find gifts for everyone no matter the occasion. 

You can also send out cash rewards loaded on a virtual Visa card that can be used anywhere Visa is accepted. This way, your employees can send their hard-earned rewards on things that they truly want or need. 

Find out more about how PerkUp can level up your employee rewards by booking a demo today!