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Xoxoday Empuls data across its customer base shows that 68% of all recognitions are monetary (points-based) and 32% are non-monetary, covering core values badges and positive attribute shoutouts with no redemption value attached.
The split between monetary and non-monetary recognition reflects how organisations choose to appreciate employees — some moments call for a tangible reward, others for meaningful public acknowledgement alone. Understanding this balance helps HR teams design recognition programmes that are motivating without becoming purely transactional.

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How monetary recognition works on Xoxoday Empuls

Monetary recognitions are points-based awards tied to milestones, peer nominations, spot bonuses, or manager-driven appreciation moments. Employees accumulate points in their Xoxoday Empuls wallet and redeem them from a global rewards catalog that includes gift cards, experiences, merchandise, and charitable donations. These recognitions appear on the social recognition feed and carry an explicit signal of value — reinforcing that the contribution was genuinely worth rewarding. Across the Xoxoday Empuls customer base, this category accounts for 68% of all recognition activity, making it the dominant form of employee appreciation. It is particularly common for milestone awards such as work anniversaries, performance achievements, and referral bonuses, where attaching a reward underscores the significance of the moment.

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How non-monetary recognition works on Xoxoday Empuls

Non-monetary recognitions take the form of core values shoutouts and positive attribute badges — structured appreciation moments that are visible to the team but carry no points. For example, a manager using Xoxoday Empuls through the Microsoft Teams or Slack integration can send a “Customer First” core value badge to a colleague in seconds, triggering a feed post that peers can react to and comment on. The social visibility amplifies the impact even without a monetary component. This category represents 32% of all recognition activity and tends to be higher-frequency and more spontaneous than points-based awards. It keeps recognition flowing between formal milestone events, which is critical for sustaining day-to-day engagement.

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Why the 68/32 balance matters

A programme that relies exclusively on points can feel transactional over time — employees begin to expect reward rather than experience appreciation. A programme that never attaches reward to recognition can struggle to sustain participation, particularly for competitive or milestone-driven cultures. The 68/32 distribution observed across Xoxoday Empuls customers suggests that organisations with healthy recognition cultures naturally gravitate toward a mix: frequent, lightweight acknowledgement through core values paired with substantive points-based awards for meaningful contributions.

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Configuring both recognition types

HR administrators configure monetary budgets, nomination workflows, approval hierarchies, and the core values library directly from the Xoxoday Empuls admin panel — no engineering involvement required. Organisations running SAP SuccessFactors, Workday, or Darwinbox as their HRMS can sync employee data so recognition eligibility, reporting lines, and org-chart visibility remain accurate at all times. Both monetary and non-monetary recognition events are captured in Xoxoday Empuls analytics dashboards, giving HR teams full visibility into participation rates, recognition frequency by team, and programme health over time. Learn more: Empuls Help Centre — Overview

Recognition Types on Xoxoday Empuls

Understand the full range of recognition types available — peer, manager, milestone, and values-based — and how each is configured in Xoxoday Empuls.

Core Values Recognition

Learn how Xoxoday Empuls lets organisations define and reinforce custom core values through structured, non-monetary shoutouts on the social recognition feed.