The Future of Employee Recognition is Here

Built on Your Feedback. Designed for Impact.

Kudos is proud to introduce the next generation of our award-winning recognition and rewards platform. Redesigned and rebuilt from the ground up, this upgraded version of Kudos brings together automation, flexibility, and real-time insights to help organizations build high-performing cultures rooted in appreciation.

Because regardless of how we work today, whether remote, in-office, frontline or hybrid, recognizing people in meaningful ways isn’t just a nice-to-have – it’s business critical.

We Listened to the Market. We Listened to Our Clients.

Over the past year, HR leaders from around the world and across a multitude of industries have shared stories with us – some frustrating, some surprising, all insightful.

One leader shared that their CEO had spent weeks preparing a heartfelt message to celebrate a company milestone. It was posted on their recognition platform, only to be buried under a stream of other posts. Few people saw it. The moment passed, and the message didn’t land the way it was meant to.

Another HR leader admitted, half-jokingly, “I run my nomination programs out of spreadsheets – not exactly what I’d call inspiring.”

And a manager confessed that while she wanted to reward her team for completing tough training, she had no way to do it without hoops to jump through and piles of manual work for HR.

These aren’t one-off frustrations. They’re stories we’ve heard again and again.

They were a call to action.

New Survey Finds Recognition is Now Business-Critical

We then launched a formal research initiative to validate what we were hearing from HR leaders. The result? A deep dive into what recognition needs to look like to deliver real business value.

The survey, conducted in partnership with the HR experts at The Starr Conspiracy, provided a clear message:

Recognition has shifted from a nice-to-have to a strategic necessity.

• 84% of organizations reported stronger employee engagement after implementing recognition platforms.

• 67% saw measurable productivity gains.

• Nearly half saw improvements in profitability.

• 90% now track outcomes from their programs.

• 40% are actively running ROI analyses to measure the business value of culture investments.

Yet, budget remains a challenge. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of HR leaders say they can’t recognize employees as often as they’d like due to constraints.  

The takeaway? Organizations don’t need to spend more – they need tools that deliver more impact.

To receive the full report first, make sure to join our Culture Compass mailing list here.

Kudos Next Gen: Reimagined for Today’s Workforce

That’s why we built the next generation of Kudos – the most powerful version of Kudos to date, rebuilt to deliver meaningful recognition at scale.

It’s not just a redesign – it’s a new foundation. Kudos empowers teams with automation, intelligence, and flexibility to reduce admin lift while increasing impact.

Here’s what makes it different:
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⚡ Automated Workflows to Maximize Speed & Efficiency

• Schedule recognition or incentives in advance.

• Auto-approve rewards with smart rules.

• Celebrate milestones automatically with meaningful eCards.

• Reduce manual effort and get time back.

69% of organizations already use automation for recognition. Kudos takes it further.

🌟 Segmentation to Maximize Reach

• Target messages by team, department, location, and more.

• Ensure critical updates don’t get lost in clutter.

• Personalize campaigns without overwhelming admin.

Great cultures aren’t built with one-size-fits-all. Kudos ensures recognition is relevant.

💰 Budgeting Tools for Smarter Spending

• Empower managers with point banks and permissions.

• Manage global budgets from a central hub.

• Track real-time usage and measure impact with built-in analytics.

With limited budgets, impact matters more than ever.

🔍 Enhanced Insights & AI-Powered Assistance

• Write messages faster with built-in AI tools.

• Get smart recognition recommendations so no one if left out.

• See what's working with real-time dashboards.

67% of leaders already use AI in their recognition strategy. Kudos makes it seamless.  

Purpose-Built Tools that Flex with You

Kudos brings all recognition touch points together:

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⭐ Recognition That Drives Culture

Picture a manager who wants to celebrate her team hitting a stretch goal. Instead of being restricted by rigid rules, she can adjust point values, tie the achievement to company values, write a message with AI-assistance, and schedule delivery for the perfect time. Her recognition feels authentic, timely, and aligned – not transactional.

‍📣 Announcements That Get Seen

No more important updates disappearing into the noise. Imagine launching a company-wide sustainability initiative and knowing – not guessing – that every employee saw it. With Kudos, messages are targeted, trackable, and actionable.

🏆 Awards That Scale with You

Department heads no longer have to rely on HR to send rewards on their behalf. A sales leader can run her own award campaign with a dedicated point bank, recognizing top performers instantly – while HR maintains visibility and oversight from a central budget management hub.

🎯 Incentives That Motivate Action

Think of an HR team that needs employees to complete compliance training. Instead of chasing people down, they set up an automated incentive campaign. Employees upload proof of completion, rewards are auto-approved, and participation soars – all without extra admin work.

🎉 Celebrations That Strengthen Connection

From the new hire on day one to the veteran celebrating their 10-year anniversary, every milestone gets recognized. In distributed teams, where birthdays and anniversaries are easy to miss, the Celebration Hub ensures no moment slips through the cracks, and everyone gets a card.

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Let’s Build the Culture You Want to Lead

The next generation of Kudos reflects everything we’ve learned about what makes recognition programs thrive – and what holds them back.

If you’re ready to stop checking boxes and start building culture, we’re here to help you lead the way.

Because recognition isn’t just something we do. It’s everything we do.

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