If you’re like most people, then it probably made you feel fantastic. Someone —someone who isn’t your boss or your mom—noticed your work. And they were so impressed they felt the need to let you know that you’re a czar of conditional formatting, a brilliant orator, or a genius travel planner.
One of our favorite employee recognition quotes describes the feelings perfectly:
“When a manager recognizes an employee’s behavior, personally and sincerely, both feel proud, gratified, and happy. There’s a human connection that transcends the immediate culture to create a shared bond. The power of this bond is stronger than you might think; indeed, it’s the power that holds together great organizational cultures.” – Erik Mosley and Derek Irvine
And it gets better. The bliss of recognition runs much deeper than a merely human love for being complimented; it might also fulfill a deeper need for meaning.
Want to improve your employee appreciation program this year?
What Is Peer-To-Peer Recognition?
Peer-to-peer recognition is a demonstration of appreciation or praise between equals—team members who don’t manage or report to one another.
This kind of recognition happens organically in collaborative environments, but by leveraging employee engagement tools like the ones below, companies can facilitate it, making it visible beyond the parties involved and creating lasting cultural moments that motivate employees. Authentic recognition teamed up with incentives and perks can help create a dedicated, supportive, and resilient team.
Leverage the tools and ideas below to launch or strengthen your peer recognition program while also finding creative ways to reward your employees.
What Are The Benefits Of Peer-To-Peer Recognition?
A peer-centric employee recognition program empowers your employees to champion your workplace culture and company values as they applaud each other’s great work. Peer programs offer benefits similar to those of other employee recognition ideas and initiatives, but because employees drive these programs, they also carry added enhancements for teamwork and camaraderie.
Peer recognition can…
- Boost retention (and reduce the turnover rates that wreck your bottom line) by filling a gap that causes many employees to leave jobs.
- Improve job satisfaction
- Increase customer satisfaction
- Enhance overall morale, and grow feelings of teamwork.
- Build trust between employees.
Peer-To-Peer Recognition Solutions & Examples
1. Assembly
“Help employees wear their recognition with pride.”
One of our favorite company culture software offerings, Assembly provides an engaging real-time peer-to-peer recognition feed that doesn’t just enable recognition for good work, but also creates a lasting culture of recognition with features such as badges and integrations that create long-term habits.
Best for: Companies of any size
Notable companies using this peer-to-peer recognition tool:
- Amazon
- Coca Cola
- Quest Nutrition
Testimonial from G2:
“I love that it’s easily accessible through Slack. Giving a public thank you or shout of appreciation takes less than 3-5 minutes (depending on if you’re looking for the right GIF) but you’ll get pinged if someone sends you pickles (ours are pickles) and everyone can scroll through to see what’s going on.”
2. Nectar
“Recognition without borders.”
Nectar makes it easy to design, implement, and manage peer-to-peer recognition programs that can thrive equally in both in-person and fully distributed workforces. It features a recognition feed, similar to a social media news feed, that allows employees to see what’s happening at any time and in any place, and more importantly, get inspired to join the recognition bliss.
Best for: Mid-sized / large companies
Notable companies using this peer-to-peer recognition tool:
- Oracle
- 1 800 Contacts
- Canopy
Testimonial from G2:
“I really like the ability to give my coworkers a shoutout that actually means something. The points earned can be traded for awesome swag and gives lots of reason to be vocal about a job well done.”
Get started: Book a demo with Nectar
3. Carol
“Send a token of appreciation that speaks louder than words.”
Carol offers a dazzling selection of themed care packages that provide recognition and pampering in one. Send someone an Unplugged Box to show how much you appreciate their extra help on a difficult project or maybe choose a delicious box of snacks to tell someone they inspire you.
Best for: Companies of any size
Notable companies using this peer-to-peer recognition tool:
- FabFitFun
- Hulu
- GoodRx
Testimonial:
“They curated speciality work-from-home wellness boxes, that we were able to send to our team members as a surprise. The boxes were not only filled with a variety of some really great snacks, but each box purchase also gave back to the Feeding America organization.”
4. Bonusly
“Infuse peer recognition into everyone’s day-to-day mindset.”
This standout employee recognition software enables companies to give users a monthly allowance dedicated to peer recognition. This creates a “use it or lose it” mindset that keeps doling out constant peer recognition top of mind.
Best for Mid-sized companies
Notable companies using this peer-to-peer recognition tool:
- ZipRecruiter
- Chobani
- Assent
Testimonial from G2:
“In Bonusly, I love the familiarity of the communication options and I love how easy it is to use. I love how I can shout out anyone anytime. First time using the system, but I highly recommend it.”
Get started: Request a demo with Bonusly
5. Empuls
“Put recognition at the heart of your company culture.”
Empuls is one of the best employee reward and recognition platforms that makes peer-to-peer recognition frictionless, candid, social, and fun. Additionally, it provides updates in a feed that helps in building a culture of recognition in the organization. Empuls empowers employees to make appreciation frequent, meaningful, and visible by reinforcing good behavior and connecting recognition with core company values.
Best for: Small to Mid-sized companies (50 – 2000 employees)
Notable companies using this peer-to-peer recognition tool:
- Brenntag
- Near
- HMD
Testimonial from G2:
“The best thing about this platform where they recognize the employee with the amazing title and achievements like “Powerplayer, Gamechanger” once I am rewarded, we get the notification in real-time. this is such a nice feature in this platform.”
Get started: Book a demo with Empuls
6. Blueboard
“Experiences that send good vibes rippling through your entire organization.”
Blueboard provides recognition experiences. Reward coworkers with an unforgettable experience, say for their virtual birthday party, and then share the experience right on the platform so everyone can feel inspired to share the love.
Best for: Mid-sized / large companies
Notable companies using this peer-to-peer recognition tool:
- Keller Williams
- Guidewire
Testimonial from G2:
“I really like that you can choose your own adventure and the employees at Blueboard set up the rest!”
Get started: Explore rewards with Blueboard
7. Fond
“Social features make recognition a cultural mainstay.”
Beloved by HR professionals for its ease of use, Fond puts the keys to an impactful peer-to-peer recognition program at your fingertips. It boasts a suite of social features for views, likes, and comments that can engage employees of all ages, from Millennials to Boomers.
Best for: Large companies
Notable companies using this peer-to-peer recognition tool:
- Lyft
- Salesforce
- Exter Finance
Testimonial from G2:
“I like the ability to give credit and recognition to fellow team members for the good work they put in. Whenever someone on my team does something praise-worthy, I use Fond to send them either a recognition, or some Fond Points so they can redeem for points. This gives the team member credit for a job well done, and incentivizes the rest of the team to emulate the good behavior.”
Get started: Request a demo with Fond
Peer-To-Peer Recognition Ideas & Awards
8. Coworker Appreciation Day
“Give yourselves a round of applause.”
This idea is similar to an employee appreciation day, but it’s planned for coworkers, my coworkers. Give employees budgets to plan happy hours, office birthday parties, and even DIY awards ceremonies for the people who make coming to work every day an absolute joy.
Best for Small companies
9. LinkedIn Endorsements
“Recognize peers by backing up their skills.”
Create a work environment that benefits from all the goodness of mutual respect and admiration. Vouching for a peer’s skills will give them an immediate rush of satisfaction and also potentially bolster their long-term feelings of career fulfillment.
Best for: Companies of any size
10. Woodward
“Informal and effective peer-to-peer recognition.”
This tool is based on the “woo,” that little universal exclamation of excitement. Social sharing and gamification features get your entire team deeply involved in celebrating one another’s accomplishments.
Best for Mid-sized companies
Testimonial from G2:
“This was a great way to connect with other people in the same company across the nation. It was great to see recognition tools and communication from the corporate team.”
11. Hi5
“Digitize the benefits of a classic high-five.”
This recognition app allows peers to help each other meet key goals. Simply assign goals and have everyone rate their coworkers’ progress. This focus ensures everyone gets not only feel-good recognition but constructive recognition that helps them meet long-term objectives.
Best for Small / mid-sized companies
Testimonial from G2:
“It is an excellent application for the interaction and communication of the employees of a company, allows to know their abilities, skills, hobbies and customs. Something that does not happen very often, with this application it is possible to know and recognize each other and can openly express what they like or dislike about each of their co-workers…”
12. Coworker of the Month
“Coworkers celebrating coworkers.”
This is like a classic employee of the month program, except all awards and superlatives are designed and bestowed from coworkers to coworkers. Your team’s coworker of the month could be the person who comes up with the best small-talk topics or never fails to send the best Slack GIFs.
Best for: Companies of any size
13. Coworker Roast
“Kudos with a little zing on the side.”
This idea turns the old employee appreciation speech on its head. Simply pick a coworker to honor and then spend some time giving them authentic compliments, but mostly making a little good-natured fun of them. (Is laughter the language of peer-to-peer recognition? Maybe.)
Best for Small / mid-sized companies
14. Nack
“Buy anyone a cup of coffee.”
Perfect for casual recognition, Nack allows peers to send each other a cup of coffee when they can’t meet at the local cafe. If you want to thank someone or tell them you appreciate their positive attitude, simply use this simple tool to send them codes for complimentary coffee.
Best for: Companies of any size
15. Wish Genie
“Peers making peer wishes come true.”
This platform operates on a beautifully simple premise: People input what they want and other people come along to give it to them. Set your entire team up so you can be sure they get exactly what they want when a recognition moment rolls along.
Best for Small companies
16. Punchbowl
“Ecards for absolutely anything.”
Punchbowl offers a massive library of free e-cards remote employees can use to recognize and celebrate one another for absolutely any occasion. Send a funny card just to say “hello” or distribute a spiffy invitation for a virtual party.
Best for: Companies of any size
17. DIY Gratitude Graphics with Canva
“Designer recognition to make a lasting impression.”
Use Canva’s friendly design platform to create graphics and banners featuring employee recognition words, phrases, or quotes. The personalized design adds an extra touch. Peers may even want to display their designer recognition in their cubicles and on their fridges.
Best for Small companies
18. Word Cloud Superlatives
“One-word recognition that goes a long way.”Select a person to recognize and ask your team to send at least one word they would choose to describe them. Turn all those words into a little word cloud. Pop the honoree’s photo at the top and send it along to see all the smiles.
Best for Small / mid-sized companies
19. Coworkaversary
“Celebrate how it all started.”
Peers pick a memorable bonding event—one that had a positive impact on their relationship—to commemorate and celebrate. Like a work anniversary, they’ll celebrate it every year and even inspire other bonded coworkers to follow their tradition.
Best for Small companies
20. Chummy
“Get and give help.”
Teams can join Chummy to post and respond to requests for help. For example, someone could recognize a coworker for helping them with a project by volunteering to watch their dog for a weekend. This kind of recognition helps forge lasting bonds while giving people much-needed support.
Best for: Companies of any size
Testimonial from Chummy:
“Chummy is for open-minded Millennials who are focused on doing good deeds, random act of kindness and “paying it forward.” It encourages good citizens to help each other.”
How To Set Up A Peer-To-Peer Recognition Program At Your Company
1) Identify what you want to accomplish with your program in measurable terms. (For example, I want to increase by 15 points the percentage of surveyed employees who report feeling adequately recognized.)
2) Select tools, software, and ideas to facilitate a recognition program targeted to your desired outcome.
3) Outline the costs and benefits associated with the tools and receive leadership buy-in for budgets.
4) Develop a plan. A well-thought-out recognition program should cover all aspects of implementation, promotion, and communication.
5) Roll out the program, answering user questions and troubleshooting issues as they arrive.
6) Track performance against the metrics you selected in step 1.
7) Use analytics to come up with ways to make your program more effective, if necessary.
8) Constantly monitor program success and implementation. (For example, if overall program adoption remains low, you may need to enlist a team of recognition advocates to create buzz and sign up new users.)
