From 2 Week Sprints to Tacos: How Liven’s Recognition Rituals  Drive  Engagement in a Global, Remote Workforce

Liven, an Australian tech company, has built a global team of 220 employees and a game-changing platform for restaurant management. According to Lucien Hopkins, VP of GoToMarket, Liven’s internal strategy is the secret sauce behind their success—focusing on intentional team building, growth, and self-actualization rather than just perks.

In their fast-paced startup environment, fostering teamwork and connection is essential. That’s where HeyTaco stepped in, seamlessly integrating into Slack to make peer-to-peer recognition easy and impactful. This approach helps Liven’s team thrive, driving both internal satisfaction and external success.

Challenge: Making Recognition a Priority in a Busy, Remote Workforce

Liven’s leadership team quickly realized a key challenge: recognition, while essential for motivation and connection, often gets lost in the shuffle of a busy startup environment. Relying solely on managers to acknowledge accomplishments doesn’t scale, leaving some team members feeling unseen. The issue becomes even more pronounced in a remote setup, where those casual, in-person shoutouts just don’t happen. Liven needed a solution that empowers everyone to celebrate each other’s efforts, building a culture of teamwork and mutual appreciation.

Solution: Peer-to-Peer Recognition with HeyTaco

When Liven’s team stumbled upon HeyTaco in Slack’s Marketplace, they were immediately hooked. The platform’s simplicity and seamless integration made it a no-brainer. With HeyTaco built right into Slack, team members could easily recognize each other through a fun, interactive system—no extra training or tools needed.

“HeyTaco was a great platform market fit for us—it allowed us to decentralize recognition and integrate it where we work without adding complexity.” - Lucien Hopkins, Liven’s VP of GoToMarket

The idea of using “tacos” as tokens of gratitude was a perfect match for Liven, a food-focused company. It wasn’t just functional; it fit their brand and brought their team closer together.

Creating Rituals Around Recognition

At Liven, introducing HeyTaco was just the beginning. They took it a step further, turning recognition into a regular habit. Every two weeks, the team wraps up their sprint with a “Taco Love” session. After presenting their completed projects, the vibe shifts—music goes on, and everyone jumps into a Slack channel for 5–10 minutes to dish out tacos to colleagues who made an impact during the sprint.

This ritual doesn’t just spread gratitude; it builds what Lucien calls “muscle memory” for acknowledgment, making recognition second nature.

Each sprint ends with a leaderboard celebration, highlighting the top taco recipients. But it doesn’t stop there—Liven keeps the recognition rhythm going with quarterly shoutouts during offsite meetings. By embedding these rituals into their workflow, Liven ensures that employees feel valued not just during special moments, but in the everyday pulse of their work.

Results: Improved Teamwork, Engagement, and a Culture of Recognition

Since rolling out HeyTaco, Liven has seen some serious wins. Their internal pulse tracking shows a big boost in teamwork, engagement, and how recognized employees feel.

“HeyTaco has become a critical part of our operation. It’s easy to dismiss recognition as a non-revenue driving activity, but engaged employees and strong teamwork make everything else fall into place.”

For this global, tech-driven team, HeyTaco transformed recognition from something only managers handled into a shared, everyday practice. Now, everyone’s involved, creating a culture where every team member feels connected and valued. The result? A happier, more engaged team that’s driving sustained growth and performance.

Takeaways

Liven’s journey shows that HeyTaco isn’t just a recognition tool—it’s a culture builder. With the right leadership, taco love, and simple rituals, it becomes a core part of a company’s DNA, fostering connection, engagement, and motivation. Even in a fast-paced, remote, and global environment, HeyTaco helps bridge gaps, bringing teams closer and creating a supportive dynamic that drives success.

Want to see the magic for yourself? Try HeyTaco free today and start building a more connected, engaged team. 🌮