Encourage collaboration and teamwork with a recognition program that is effective and enjoyable!
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Boost employee morale with flexible gift card recognition. Assembly’s new program makes appreciation easy and impactful.
In today’s competitive business landscape, organizations are constantly seeking ways to enhance employee morale, engagement, and retention. According to Gallup, only 36% of U.S. employees feel engaged at work, and a lack of recognition is a leading cause of disengagement and turnover. Research from the Society for Human Resource Management shows that companies with effective recognition programs experience 31% lower voluntary turnover. Yet many organizations struggle to deliver appreciation that feels genuine and memorable, especially across diverse and distributed teams.
Gift cards have emerged as a modern, flexible solution for impactful recognition. When thoughtfully integrated into a broader appreciation strategy, they combine flexibility, personalization, and memorability—making employees feel genuinely valued and boosting morale, engagement, and retention.
At the heart of every successful recognition program is an understanding of human motivation. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, esteem—feeling valued and respected—is a fundamental driver of human behavior. When employees receive meaningful appreciation, it triggers a dopamine response in the brain, reinforcing positive behaviors and boosting morale.
Appreciation also fuels intrinsic motivation, encouraging employees to go above and beyond because they feel seen and valued. This leads to higher productivity, better collaboration, and lower turnover.
Gift cards empower employees to choose rewards that are personally meaningful—whether it’s a favorite restaurant, a new gadget, or a relaxing spa day. This flexibility ensures that recognition feels relevant and valued, regardless of individual preferences or backgrounds.
Unlike traditional bonuses or awards that may take weeks to process, gift cards provide instant, tangible acknowledgment. This immediacy reinforces the connection between achievement and reward, making appreciation more impactful.
Gift cards transcend generational, cultural, and demographic boundaries. They’re suitable for diverse teams and can be tailored to fit any occasion, from hitting sales targets to celebrating work anniversaries.
A thoughtfully chosen gift card, paired with a personalized message, creates a lasting positive association with the company. Employees are more likely to remember—and talk about—a reward they actually use and enjoy.
Gift cards are easy to distribute, track, and scale, making them ideal for organizations of any size or budget. Digital delivery options further streamline the process, especially for remote or hybrid teams.
Recognizing the need for a more delightful, flexible, and impactful way to appreciate employees, Assembly will soon launch a new, self-service gift card and e-card program designed for modern workplaces.
With this new gift card program, Assembly makes it easier than ever to create memorable, meaningful moments of recognition that truly resonate with employees.
To maximize the impact of gift cards as a recognition tool, consider these best practices:
While gift cards are powerful tools, they are most effective when embedded in a broader culture of appreciation. Organizations should:
The beauty of modern gift card programs like Assembly’s program is their scalability. Organizations can start with simple, free 1:1 gifting and gradually expand to more comprehensive automated programs. This approach allows companies to:
For larger organizations or those ready for comprehensive automation, Assembly offers enterprise solutions that integrate seamlessly with existing HR systems and provide advanced analytics to measure program effectiveness.
Gift cards are a simple yet powerful way to show appreciation and boost employee morale. With innovative solutions like the soon-to-launch program by Assembly, organizations can deliver flexible, delightful, and memorable recognition experiences that drive engagement, satisfaction, and retention. In a world where employees crave genuine, personalized appreciation, Assembly’s new program offers a practical, scalable solution that benefits both individuals and organizations.
Ready to build a culture of appreciation that drives real results? Schedule a demo with Assembly today to see how you can transform your company culture with effortless, impactful gifting.
In most countries, including the U.S., gift cards given to employees are considered a cash equivalent and are subject to income tax. Employers should report the value of gift cards as taxable wages and consult with a tax professional to ensure compliance with local regulations.
Gift cards are suitable for a variety of occasions, such as birthdays, work anniversaries, project completions, promotions, retirements, and personal milestones. They can also be used for team achievements, holiday celebrations, and as thank-you gestures.
Effectiveness can be measured by tracking employee engagement survey scores, retention rates, participation in recognition programs, and productivity metrics. Feedback from employees and analytics provided by platforms like Assembly can offer valuable insights into program impact.
Common challenges include ensuring fairness and transparency in reward distribution, maintaining relevance across diverse employee groups, and integrating gift cards into a broader recognition strategy. Addressing these challenges requires clear guidelines, a variety of gifting options, and ongoing program evaluation.
Get the foundational knowledge on creating an employee recognition program that boosts employee engagement and helps them feel valued.
Explore Guide
Yes, at Assembly, security is a top priority. Each quarter, we have ongoing security work that is everyone’s responsibility. While we maintain a strong security posture, it was important for us to prove to our customers that we do everything we claim to do. This led us to pursue a SOC 2 Type II report that would provide evidence of our compliance with industry gold-standard security practice.
There is study after study showing that employee recognition leads to increased engagement. This in return creates an environment where employees are happier and more motivated which increase productivity and reduces voluntary turnover significantly. In order to filled critical roles, companies tend to spend nearly twice the value of an annual salary. Assembly is an investment in your employees that supports your bottom line.
Yes, we will offer contracts for companies with longer-term agreements to help larger customers have more certainty around future costs.
The minimum agreement term is a 12-month subscription.
We do and for FREE! Any new customer needing further support to get started with Assembly to ensure you're set up for success can request custom onboarding support. Improving your employee experience is about much more than just using our amazing software; it’s about transforming your business to create a workplace that people love. That’s much easier to do with the personal support and advice from our passionate people experts.
At the time of redemption (when your employees exchange their points for a paid reward) you'll pay face value. If a reward is a $10 Amazon gift card, your cost will be $10. All paid rewards are billed for on a monthly basis.
The good news is that you don't have to pay for rewards upfront because we only charge you when points are redeemed, not when they're earned.
We offer discounts or educational or charitable organizations. In order to secure a discount, you'll first need to book a demo with a customer support specialist.
For all other organizations, we are willing to consider longer-term agreements in exchange for discounts. To set up annual plans or longer, you will need to book a demo with a customer support specialist.
If you're on a month to month plan, you can go here and cancel anytime. If you're having concerns or need help setting up your account for success, you can always book a demo with a customer support specialist.
If you're on a longer-term custom plan, you'll need to reach out to your customer support specialist to cancel your account or email us at support@joinassembly.com.
Great question! You can customize your core values to match your organization's to boost and track alignment. You can change your currency from the 🏆 emoji (our default) to any emoji of your choice. You can swap our logo for your own. You can also set up company culture rewards such as, "Lunch with the CEO," "Buy a book on us," and so much more!
While we recommend a peer to peer set up where anyone in your organization can give or receive recognition, you can set up Assembly however you want. If you need to limit the people who can give or receive recognition, that's perfectly fine and can be done from your Admin, here.
Assembly connects to the tools your employees use every day to offer an easy, seamless experience with minimal change management.
Assembly has integrations with HCM/HRIS systems like ADP, Google, Office 365, and Slack. We also integrate with communication tools like Slack and Teams so you and your employees can access Assembly wherever they work now.
That depends on the company's permissions set up. That said, over 90% of the employees on Assembly's platform are recognized on a monthly basis. That means nearly every employee across all of our customers are receiving regular recognition from their peers, managers, or leadership. We're extremely proud of this.
They are not required. You can use Assembly without having rewards set up. However, we don't recommend it if you intend to have a high adoption and usage rate. You can always keep the costs down by offering internal culture rewards that are fulfilled by you internally.
No, you can remove allowances from anyone or everyone. It's up to you but we do recommend using points whether they're worth a real dollar value or not. Companies that use points have a much higher engagement rate even if those points don't exchange for real dollars.
Please schedule time with an expert and we will help you to get all your questions answered
