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Empuls supports fully customizable awards — both direct and nomination-based — with configurable nomination windows, review panels, approval workflows, and automated winner announcements managed from a single admin interface.
Empuls gives HR and People teams full control over how recognition is structured across the organization. Whether rewarding an individual directly or running a formal nomination campaign, Empuls supports both models through a unified admin experience — no external tools or manual coordination required.

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Direct Awards

Direct awards in Empuls allow managers and administrators to recognize employees immediately, without a multi-step approval process. These awards can be tied to specific values, behaviors, or milestones and are backed by reward points that employees can redeem from the Empuls catalog. Setting one up is straightforward: define the award name, description, eligible givers, and point value, and the award is live.

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Nomination-Based Awards

Nomination-based awards are where Empuls delivers a more structured recognition experience. Each award carries its own configurable workflow that governs exactly how the process unfolds — from opening nominations to publishing the final result. Admins define the nomination window (start and end dates), specify who can nominate (peers, managers, or cross-functional teams), and restrict who can be nominated (individual contributors, specific departments, or the entire organization). A review panel is then assigned to evaluate submissions, apply approval actions, and surface finalists before a winner is selected. Once a winner is confirmed, Empuls automatically issues reward points, generates a digital certificate, and triggers a winner announcement. These announcements can be published directly to Slack or Microsoft Teams, making recognition visible company-wide without any manual effort from HR.

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Example: Employee of the Quarter Award

Consider an “Employee of the Quarter” award run on a quarterly cadence. HR sets a two-week nomination window where any employee can nominate a peer from their business unit. A panel of three senior managers reviews nominations and scores candidates against defined criteria. Empuls then notifies the winner, delivers the reward points, generates the award certificate, and posts the announcement to the company Slack channel — all within the configured workflow, automatically.

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Automating Award Cycles

Empuls reward cycles extend this further by scheduling the entire award cadence in advance. Rather than launching each cycle manually, HR admins can configure recurring cycles that open nomination windows, advance through approvals, and publish results at consistent intervals. This keeps recognition predictable throughout the year and significantly reduces the administrative overhead of running multiple award programs simultaneously. For organizations using HRMS platforms like Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, or Darwinbox, Empuls integrations ensure that employee data stays in sync, so eligibility criteria and org-chart-based nomination rules always reflect current team structures. Learn more: Empuls Help Centre — Recognition

How peer-to-peer recognition works in Empuls

Learn how employees can recognize colleagues directly with points, badges, and social appreciation posts.

Setting up reward cycles for automated recognition

Discover how reward cycles automate recurring award programs, approval workflows, and winner announcements.