Custom Icons, Gifs, and Hashtags in Recognition Messages

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Custom Award Icons and Visual Badges

Empuls gives administrators complete control over the visual identity of each award in an R&R program. When configuring awards, admins can upload custom icons or images that represent specific recognition types — aligning visuals with company values, cultural pillars, or ongoing campaigns. Employees see these visuals at the moment of recognition, reinforcing what each award stands for. Beyond admin-configured icons, individual users can also upload their own images when composing a recognition message. A manager recognizing a teammate’s effort on a critical product launch can attach a tailored visual that speaks directly to that achievement, rather than selecting from a generic library.

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GIFs, Hashtags, and Templated Messages

Empuls enriches the recognition experience with interactive elements built directly into the message composer. Employees can browse and insert GIFs to make praise more expressive and engaging. Hashtags can be added to tie recognition back to specific behaviors or values — tagging a message with #CustomerFirst or #OwnershipMindset connects individual shoutouts to the company’s broader culture framework. Pre-designed message templates reduce friction for managers and peers who want to recognize frequently but don’t always have time to craft a message from scratch. Templates can be mapped to specific award types, so selecting an “Innovation Award” auto-populates a message structure that HR teams have already reviewed and approved — ensuring consistency across the organization.

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Recognition Delivered Where Employees Work

Because Empuls integrates with Slack and Microsoft Teams, recognition messages — complete with custom icons, GIFs, and hashtags — are delivered directly in the channels where employees already work. A peer recognition sent through Empuls appears in the recipient’s Slack feed with all visual elements intact, driving real-time visibility and social reinforcement across the team. For organizations running HRIS platforms like Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, or Darwinbox, award configurations and recognition data sync through Empuls integrations, keeping the visual experience consistent whether employees engage from their HR system or directly within Empuls.

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Centralized Control for Brand and Compliance Consistency

HR and People teams can standardize the icon sets and message templates available to employees, ensuring all recognition stays on-brand and values-aligned. This is especially valuable for global organizations running simultaneous recognition campaigns across regions — each team accesses localized templates and icons while the program’s governance structure and data security posture, backed by ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certifications, remains centrally managed. Visual elements configured by admins are displayed not only in the recognition feed but also in notifications and recipient profiles, giving awarded employees a persistent, visible record of recognition that reflects both the message and its associated visual identity.

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Learn more: Empuls Help Centre — R&R program