Giving great recognition can help make Bonusly even more fun and effective. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when writing bonuses to make sure that they contribute to a positive and healthy culture.
Make sure you're giving bonuses for the right work
Look at what, not necessarily who, your peers are recognizing. By looking for achievements to highlight (rather than people), you make sure that all high-quality contributions are being recognized, and you help to build a culture that emphasizes achievement and hard work.
Make your bonuses timely
Make sure to write your bonuses as soon as possible after your teammate earned one! By doing so, you help keep your team up-to-date on all the awesome things they're doing for one another, and you can help associate performance with the recognition it deserves.
Show off high-quality effort directly
Sometimes great work can stand on its own. Did someone handle a support ticket really well? Link to it! Did someone design a great mock layout? Attach it as an image! Did someone give a great speech or talk? Include a memorable quote!
By directly showing off work worthy of a bonus, you can keep the team up-to-date with everything that's going on, as well as giving real-world examples of the high-quality output everyone should be striving for.
Make your bonuses as specific as you can
Like above, highlighting specific achievements or accomplishments is the best way to build a culture geared towards high-quality performance and collaboration. Even if you can't directly show off someone's great work, you should still be as specific as possible. (And be sure to talk about the results!)
For instance, if someone did a great job of attracting clients and leads at a conference, include details about the total revenue gained or the number of contacts made. This way people can know about someone's hard work and the exact impact of that hard work.
Use the right hashtag
Whether you have to use a company value hashtag or one you've created, make sure to use the right one! This makes it easier to track trending hashtags, search through bonuses, and recognize high-performers in a particular area.
Have some fun with it!
Adding a GIF or an emoji can help your bonus stand out and get people looking. Did your teammate write a great blog article? What about including a GIF of Kermit the Frog at a typewriter? Similarly, emojis and fun lines can help promote a positive culture and keep people on-track. By keeping your bonuses fun and positive, you create a culture where everyone feels comfortable giving it their all. Struggling to find the right GIF? Try using one of our many work-relevant GIFs made by Bonusly! You can learn more about our fun bonus features in the pro-tips for giving a bonus article.
Bonus tip: Take advantage of add-on bonuses
Did someone else recognize something that you think is especially worthy of praise? No need to write a new one -- just give an add-on bonus! Add-on bonuses are a great way to show your support without cluttering the feed.
To give an add-on bonus, begin your comment with "+[number]" to give that many points to each recipient of the bonus. (For example, commenting "+20 great work!" would give 20 points each to the people who received the original bonus with the note "great work!")
Questions? Send us a note to [email protected]; we'd be happy to help!
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