We’re excited to announce the release of our Kudos feature! At Hibob, we’re constantly innovating our product for the future of work, and our newest feature is another piece of the puzzle that builds the transparent and positive workplace that companies are creating. 

The HR landscape has now acknowledged that peer-to-peer recognition is a highly regarded engagement tool for employees, used for appreciating great work. Kudos reinforces positive behavior and nurtures informal learning while facilitating upbeat internal communication. Highlighting your people’s accomplishments is a sure-fire way to keep them engaged, make them feel included, and consistently feel good about the work that they do. 

So, why Kudos? Why a feature that centers itself around employee recognition and appreciation? The answer is simple; feeling more appreciated at a job leads to increased productivity in the workplace. It also lowers employee stress levels and leads to better health status, resulting in fewer sick days. Your people matter, and this includes their mental and physical wellbeing. If they notice a drop in their wellbeing, they aren’t likely to remain at your company long term and employer loyalty will quickly reduce.  

A Glassdoor study found that 53% of employees would stay longer at their company if they felt more appreciation from their managers and that 81% of those surveyed felt more motivated to work harder when aforementioned appreciation was shown. It’s not just productivity growth that suddenly soars when you hand out acknowledgment for a job well done. It’s also a way to encourage positivity that can be infectious across the workplace. A positive mindset reaches contagion when appreciation is embedded in culture and performance best practices, which definitely includes more than just a balloon on a work anniversary. 

97% of employees want to be recognized for a wider range of contributions. Opportunities for promotion, alongside fair and competitive pay, are 2019’s top priorities for employees as coinciding rewards. Economist Dan Ariely has proven through a series of experiments that performance increases through continuous acknowledgment and appreciation; “Cash had less impact because we think and act on longer time scales, and one-day motivations are less important than more enduring ones, such as finding meaning in work and feeling valued by your employer.” 

Ariely also asserts, “Ignoring the performance of people is almost as bad as shredding their effort before their eyes.” Whether it be at a team level, a public appraisal, or expressed through a private channel, there are several ways that people leaders can show their employees appreciation:

  • Social media expression: Express gratitude on social media for employees who give it their all, and go the extra mile by announcing work anniversaries, birthdays, and other non-work milestones that show who they are outside of their role.
  • Introduce team rewards: Gift cards are cool, but you know what’s even better? A gift card reward for each team member so they can spend that well-deserved dough together. Team rewards are a great form of public recognition that can be shared, in both appreciation and excitement. 
  • Get gamified: Techies love to game so why not create a point system that aligns with their to-do list? If your department or company has a challenging project to complete, spice things up and recognize their progress along the way with a gamified approach that offers a nice reward at the end. 
  • Host company events: Company events are just more than just custom-crafted cocktails at happy hour. They’re a way to promote team-building and bonding, while celebrating a milestone or achievement, no matter how big or small.    
  • And of course, Kudos: Find what you like best or appreciate most about your people’s contributions and “shoutout” from the rooftops! The Kudos feature is here to facilitate acknowledgment at all levels and whichever hour you choose. 

In addition, we’ve updated bob’s Shoutout composer, strengthened the email subject line, and created tabs for each Shoutout type: standard Shoutout, Poll, and now, Kudos. bob’s new feature is built to make people feel good and as always, is here to help you grow your company and culture in doing so. 

Stephanie Stevens

From Stephanie Stevens

Stephanie is Content Marketer at Hibob. She has a background in Clinical Psychology and Crisis Management, and enjoys abstract painting and watching horror films in her spare time. She believes that people can connect with themselves, their peers, and the world around them through creative writing, helping them foster a deeper sense of self and their life goals in the process.