Much like taco trucks, no two online employee recognition programs are selling exactly the same experience. What you get depends on who you choose to do business with.
In both cases, a major complaint is a lack of authenticity and the inability to personalize the product. While we have inspired many real, live taco lunches, we can’t help you pick the best birria. But here’s why HeyTaco succeeds where other employee recognition platforms do not.
1. Improving the traditional point system.
Today’s HeyTaco users have also worked at companies using programs with a traditional point system. The main issue they raise with that is the formality; they feel like they have to wait for a real occasion to give that point.
You can address this by making recognition criteria clearer to teams. However, reminding people when to surrender that point isn’t helping us in the authenticity arena. Tiny virtual tacos 🌮 are more accessible, informal, and fun. It’s no big deal to drop one in chat any time we note something positive.
When recognition is light and easy, it becomes a habit. Keep going, and it solidifies into a ritual–the hallmark of a strong culture.
2. Peer-driven appreciation.
Employees need recognition from their managers. It’s memorable, motivational, and improves performance. But what really feeds retention and engagement is continuous, real-time, believable feedback. Often, that’s recognition we can only count on from our peers.
Online employee recognition programs should be supplied by employers and driven by employees. As they adopt it, its usage is refined to fit the team’s culture. It’s inclusive and team-building, but also lets companies know what tasks and behaviors matter most to their people.
Is someone consistently getting tacos for taking on a specific challenge everyone else dreads? Is the person who always swoops in with a meme seeing maximum levels of recognition? Employees engage more when they feel known and understood. How they use virtual tacos with each other can tell their leaders what makes them feel that way, helping to personalize recognition and build rituals.
3. Rewards that don’t stop at gift cards.
Automation is a beautiful thing. If you use it correctly, it eliminates the mundane, unlocks performance, and enables individual skill development. Many online employee recognition programs make gift card redemption effortless. The convenience eventually becomes transactional, robbing us of the full benefits of such a program.
There’s nothing wrong with a gift card, per se. But if you’re picking a platform that includes rewards, you must make them meaningful. HeyTaco helps teams create a blend of rewards that align with the culture and encourage collaboration, as well as the usual gift cards.
Meaningful rewards also decenter money and tangible goods. Perks like flexible work arrangements, coffee with a leader, or a team gaming tournament are experiences that stick with employees. This speaks to them personally in a way that $25 off their next DoorDash order does not.
4. An emphasis on giving, not just receiving.
Receiving recognition is what improves engagement and retention–or so the surveys say. What many platforms don’t emphasize is the power of giving recognition.
Recognizing our peers is necessary to create a positive feedback loop, but it also increases organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs). OCBs are where employees extend performance beyond role requirements to benefit the team, simply because it feels right to them.
Giving even small gestures of gratitude (🌮) regularly is associated with greater well-being and satisfaction. This is why HeyTaco offers teams the option to make the giving leaderboard visible. In fact, if you want to make any leaderboard visible, we suggest this one.
5. A platform for company values.
A strong, positive workplace culture springs from real company values. Recognition programs that highlight and celebrate these values help deeply embed them in everyday operations.
HeyTaco facilitates this with Taco Tags. This feature makes your organization’s founding principles–excellence, selflessness, whatever it may be–a cause for daily recognition. One SHRM survey found that 88% of companies tying recognition to company values saw a rise in employees demonstrating said values.
So if you want employees to flex more autonomy, creativity, or helpfulness, make it a quality everyone can identify and celebrate. Choose rewards that match those values, and as always, keep it light and easy. These aren’t ideals that all online employee recognition programs support, but they’re the norm at HeyTaco.
Online employee recognition programs FAQ
How do I set up a rewards program for my employees?
Begin by defining goals and objectives for the program, such as improving retention. From there, determine what deserves recognition and devise which methods or tools should be used to recognize employees.
It’s also important to secure leadership buy-in and ensure managers are aware and on board with recognition. Accepting suggestions from employees is also key, especially when it comes to rewards.
What are the best employee recognition programs?
The best employee recognition programs emphasize peer appreciation and non-monetary, meaningful rewards. Tailoring it to your organization and its teams is a must, too. This quick guide will help you design a program using HeyTaco that can be deployed ASAP.
How does HeyTaco work?
HeyTaco integrates seamlessly into Slack, Teams, and Google Chat. Users get five virtual tacos daily to recognize team members. Tacos can be redeemed in the Taco Shop for a custom range of rewards.
What is a taco economy?
A taco economy is a gratitude marketplace you build at work using HeyTaco. It emphasizes an honest, low-pressure culture of giving. You can read all about it by hopping over to Taco Economy 101.
What are the best HeyTaco alternatives for employee recognition?
Popular alternatives to HeyTaco include Bonusly, Nectar, Kudos, and CultureBot. However, thousands of global teams stick with HeyTaco for many of the reasons we discussed today. Meaningful rewards and fun little tacos that are easier to give become more habitual at these companies. Check out some HeyTaco alternative comparisons to learn more.
What are some tools to strengthen workplace culture?
A range of task management, team chat, feedback, and recognition tools can help keep teams connected. Think Slack, HeyTaco, and Asana. Have a look at our list of 10 tools for a better workplace culture.
