Encourage collaboration and teamwork with a recognition program that is effective and enjoyable!
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Recognition programs have become more than just a nice thing to do; they are now a core part of a healthy work culture.
In today’s evolving workplace, hybrid and remote work is the norm, burnout is real, and “thank you” messages are sometimes just emojis. This is why recognition programs have become more than just a nice thing to do; they are now a core part of a healthy work culture.
But not all recognition programs are equally effective. Understanding how to recognize well can make all the difference. This article outlines the Five Pillars of Recognition, a framework for creating appreciation that’s not just heard, but felt.
Recognition should feel satisfying—like a moment that matters, not just a box being checked.
Fulfilling recognition acknowledges not just the task, but the impact someone made. When done right, recognition reinforces purpose, builds confidence, and boosts motivation. It should provide a sense of connection and meaning for both the giver and receiver.
Instead of saying:
“Thanks for your help.”
Try:
“You really showed leadership during that client handoff—your calm, clear approach made the transition seamless. Thank you for stepping up.”
People know when a compliment is insincere, so any acknowledgement you give should reflect your honest appreciation for a co-worker’s contribution to a specific incident.
Okay:
“Great work!”
Better:
“I noticed how thoughtful your insights were during the strategy session. It helped us rethink our approach in a really valuable way.”
Recognition should be fair and inclusive—not just reserved for the loudest voices or the most visible wins.
When recognition is equitable, it lifts your whole team. It highlights the quiet contributions and behind-the-scenes efforts that often go unnoticed.
Make it a point to ask yourself:
Appreciation should not be reserved for just the annual review or during a company-wide awards ceremony. Great recognition should be part of the company culture—baked into daily rhythms, team rituals, and leadership behavior. It should show up in Slack, in meetings, and in hallway conversations.
Try this:
People experience appreciation differently. Some thrive on public praise; others value a quiet word of thanks. Some love handwritten notes, while others light up when given more autonomy or opportunity.
Take the time to learn how someone likes to be recognized to ensure your encouragement makes the biggest impact.
Example:
When recognition hits these five marks—fulfilling, authentic, equitable, embedded, and personalized—it becomes more than a feel-good gesture. It becomes a strategic, cultural advantage.
The best part is it doesn’t take much to offer employees quality recognition; it can be as simple as a few well-chosen words and a quick moment to acknowledge the hard work and effort you see from your colleagues.
Get the foundational knowledge on creating an employee recognition program that boosts employee engagement and helps them feel valued.
Explore Guide
Yes, at Assembly, security is a top priority. Each quarter, we have ongoing security work that is everyone’s responsibility. While we maintain a strong security posture, it was important for us to prove to our customers that we do everything we claim to do. This led us to pursue a SOC 2 Type II report that would provide evidence of our compliance with industry gold-standard security practice.
There is study after study showing that employee recognition leads to increased engagement. This in return creates an environment where employees are happier and more motivated which increase productivity and reduces voluntary turnover significantly. In order to filled critical roles, companies tend to spend nearly twice the value of an annual salary. Assembly is an investment in your employees that supports your bottom line.
Yes, we will offer contracts for companies with longer-term agreements to help larger customers have more certainty around future costs.
The minimum agreement term is a 12-month subscription.
We do and for FREE! Any new customer needing further support to get started with Assembly to ensure you're set up for success can request custom onboarding support. Improving your employee experience is about much more than just using our amazing software; it’s about transforming your business to create a workplace that people love. That’s much easier to do with the personal support and advice from our passionate people experts.
At the time of redemption (when your employees exchange their points for a paid reward) you'll pay face value. If a reward is a $10 Amazon gift card, your cost will be $10. All paid rewards are billed for on a monthly basis.
The good news is that you don't have to pay for rewards upfront because we only charge you when points are redeemed, not when they're earned.
We offer discounts or educational or charitable organizations. In order to secure a discount, you'll first need to book a demo with a customer support specialist.
For all other organizations, we are willing to consider longer-term agreements in exchange for discounts. To set up annual plans or longer, you will need to book a demo with a customer support specialist.
If you're on a month to month plan, you can go here and cancel anytime. If you're having concerns or need help setting up your account for success, you can always book a demo with a customer support specialist.
If you're on a longer-term custom plan, you'll need to reach out to your customer support specialist to cancel your account or email us at support@joinassembly.com.
Great question! You can customize your core values to match your organization's to boost and track alignment. You can change your currency from the 🏆 emoji (our default) to any emoji of your choice. You can swap our logo for your own. You can also set up company culture rewards such as, "Lunch with the CEO," "Buy a book on us," and so much more!
While we recommend a peer to peer set up where anyone in your organization can give or receive recognition, you can set up Assembly however you want. If you need to limit the people who can give or receive recognition, that's perfectly fine and can be done from your Admin, here.
Assembly connects to the tools your employees use every day to offer an easy, seamless experience with minimal change management.
Assembly has integrations with HCM/HRIS systems like ADP, Google, Office 365, and Slack. We also integrate with communication tools like Slack and Teams so you and your employees can access Assembly wherever they work now.
That depends on the company's permissions set up. That said, over 90% of the employees on Assembly's platform are recognized on a monthly basis. That means nearly every employee across all of our customers are receiving regular recognition from their peers, managers, or leadership. We're extremely proud of this.
They are not required. You can use Assembly without having rewards set up. However, we don't recommend it if you intend to have a high adoption and usage rate. You can always keep the costs down by offering internal culture rewards that are fulfilled by you internally.
No, you can remove allowances from anyone or everyone. It's up to you but we do recommend using points whether they're worth a real dollar value or not. Companies that use points have a much higher engagement rate even if those points don't exchange for real dollars.
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