An overview of modern employee rewards, recognition, and engagement programs.

www.tangocard.com | www.rewardsgenius.com | sales@tangocard.com

The Tango Card Employee Rewards Handbook

Why do companies reward employees? Reasons run the gamut from employee recognition

and appreciation to referrals and wellness. No matter the reason, the underlying motive is to

keep employees happy, healthy, productive, and engaged because that’s what it takes to keep

a company moving forward.

This Employee Rewards Handbook covers the why, when, what, and how of successful

employee rewards—and how you can ensure yours is one of them.

Why Employee Reward Programs WorkTo understand why employee reward programs work, it’s important to recognize the

core concept of any successful employee reward program: employee engagement.

It might seem like increased productivity is the true goal of any rewards program, but

by focusing on overall engagement through safety, wellness, and recognition programs,

you’ll be on track to improve employee safety and turnover as well as productivity.

That’s why a rewards program that focuses on overall employee engagement does

more than simply boost productivity.

You’ll also experience the real-world feeling of having happy, healthy, engaged people

around you at work—which makes for a more enjoyable work day for everyone.

Program Examples

RecognitionRecognize employees going above and beyond their role and

surpassing goals.

Health & WellnessMotivate behavior by rewarding employees for completing

wellness tasks and making healthier choices.

Employee ReferralsIncentivize employees to refer qualified candidates for available

job openings.

SafetyReward associates who identify a problem with a current process

and o�er a solution.

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Vacation TimePaid time o� is a great reward option for today’s overstimulated employees

who are often working from the moment they wake up to the minute they fall

asleep. Technology makes it hard for people to disconnect and power down,

which makes vacation time a great way to treat employees and incentivize them

to hit the snooze button.

SwagItems such as t-shirts, mugs, and sunglasses can be easily custom branded with

your company logo and handed out to employees. Swag is a great way to build

company morale while also increasing brand awareness.

Some great brands we’ve worked with include:

CustomInk—CustomInk has provided us with basic branded t-shirts,

sweatshirts, and other apparel. They do a great job, have great apparel options,

and o�er some of the best prices.

RainCity Promotions—RainCity is local to Seattle and has an extensive product

catalog from which to choose.

4Imprint—This company has been in the swag and promotional product game

for a long time. We love working with them.

Team Lunch and Happy HourTeam and cross-departmental collaboration is important no matter what

function an employee plays. Show appreciation for a job well done with a

company-sponsored lunch or happy hour at a local spot where employees can

mingle and decompress with each other.

Digital Gift CardsDigital gift cards are our favorite employee reward. By giving employees the

option to pick their own reward, you’re giving them the chance to treat

themselves or their loved ones to a special experience, coveted gift, or

not-for-profit donation they’ll remember. Check out our catalog of e-gift

cards—we guarantee there’s something in it for everyone.

Reward Types

Three Steps To Implement An Employee Reward Program

1. Decide why and when rewards are given Giving a reward is a great way to reinforce positive or helpful behaviors, and doing so at the right time

maximizes the impact of those rewards. Here are some common situations in which people give rewards:

• Spot awards—These are generally small rewards between $5 and $25 that applaud people for doing a good job.

Most people respond well to the recognition alone, but adding a tangible reward reinforces the recognition.

• Challenge completion—Whether it is for safety, wellness, sales, or completing a project, a reward is a great way

to say thanks for an employee’s hard work and diligence.

• Event participation—Team events come in many shapes. Leveraging a time when everyone is together to

announce a reward for a stand-out individual or for a team accomplishment is a great way create a

motivating moment.

• Incentivize participation—Do you need your employees’ or colleagues’ help to complete a project? O�er them a

small incentive to eliminate the need for that third follow-up email.

2. Determine who does the rewarding and who gets rewarded How do you want to structure your program? Figuring out whether you want to allow manager-to-peer,

peer-to-peer, or open-ended rewards is key to determining how to set up budgets and choose available

rewards. You can always use a mix of these three—whatever best suits your company and program’s needs!

3. Pick the right employee reward options Choosing rewards that are meaningful and deliver real value to your employees is paramount to e�ectively

motivating employees and making them feel good. When choosing what works best for your company, keep in

mind the feasibility and cost of sourcing and delivering rewards for an ongoing program.

We’ve outlined several reward types in the section above because we believe incorporating company-specific or

employee-requested rewards should always happen when appropriate. However, our go-to is always the e-gift

card—specifically the Reward Link—because it allows employees to choose their own reward! Plus, they’re cost

e�ective, customizable, and quick to send.

There’s no question rewarding employees is a great way to drive results. But how

can you make sure you’re o�ering the right rewards when they aren’t one size fits

all? Employ engagement strategies focused on personal instead of universal

motivations.

Increased FlexibilityDid you know gift cards have been the #1 wished-for holiday gift 14 years in a

row? E-gift cards help take the question mark out of your engagement strategy

by providing the flexibility of choice. More options equal a better reward

experience because what motivates one employee may not resonate with

another.

Let employees select their own reward through either the Reward Link—a choice

card with over 100 gift card options—or direct brands ranging from spa and travel

experiences to their favorite online retailer or restaurant. Regardless of the

option, an e-gift card ensures the choice is theirs.

Instant RewardsEmployees must obtain their rewards quickly enough for them to remember how

they were earned in the first place; this makes timing an important piece of any

employee-engagement program. Luckily, e-gift cards can be delivered

immediately to an employee’s email address, which in turn results in instant

gratification and satisfaction. Whatever the employee did to receive the reward

will trigger a shot of dopamine in the brain, which bonds a happy memory to the

behavior that resulted in the reward.

E-gift cards keep timing in mind with instant email delivery to an employee’s

inbox. With a few easy clicks, employees can redeem the reward of their choice

and start shopping—instantly.

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Expert TestimonialsDr. Bob Nelson is known as one of the world’s leading experts on employee

motivation, performance, engagement, recognition, and rewards. In his book,

Recognizing & Engaging Employees for Dummies, Dr. Bob outlines the

importance of employee engagement and recognition in the workplace: By

being proactive, positive, focused, and forward looking, managers can engage

and inspire employees—and employees can inspire and engage themselves

and their coworkers—in practical ways that yield real results and allow their

companies to become stronger, more profitable, and more competitive in even

the most di�cult marketplace.

Dr. Bob makes a clear connection between the benefits of employee engagement for employees and companies.

Adding rewards to your engagement program helps drive important business initiatives, changes behavior, and

creates a positive work culture.

You can learn more about Dr. Bob and his knowledge of employee engagement and motivation here.

Employee Rewards, Recognition, And Engagement PlatformsCurious where to start when it comes to platforms? You can use Rewards Genius, our free, self-serve web portal, to

manage rewards or work with one of our partners below. These providers o�er a variety of options that can help

streamline your internal communication e�orts and boost employee engagement, all while o�ering e-gift card rewards

from Tango Card.

Employee Rewards FAQs

Q: I’m already playing my employees, what’s the benefit of rewarding them further?

A: We’ve found that employees respond well to rewards for a variety of reasons. From recognition for hitting a certain

milestone to saying “thank you” for going above and beyond on a certain project, it’s important to take the time to

reward them for something positive. You can read more about why rewarding employees is beneficial here.

Q: Can you provide some examples of when and why to reward employees?

A: One of our customers rewards employees for making healthy choices, which then keeps health costs down. Speaking

of, did you know 2.2 trillion dollars are spent annually on unhealthy workers in the United States? Another customer

uses employee rewards to incentivize safety awareness in a predominantly factory-based workplace where accidents

happen but can be avoided with new procedures. Check out our Use Case page for more examples.

Q: How much should I reward? What kinds of rewards do people usually choose?

A: The answer to this one is easy—it’s up to you! If you choose to reward employees with gift cards, we suggest

attaching a higher value to bigger tasks—a $50 reward for creating and implementing a new operation procedure, for

example—and a lower value for smaller tasks—such as $5 for staying late to meet a deadline.

Digital gift cards range from brand name retailers to groceries, gas, restaurants, spa treatments, hotels, airlines, and

more. We also o�er not-for-profit donation options if you prefer a more philanthropy-focused approach to your reward

program. If you’re not sure what kind of rewards to send, we’re here to help.

Q: What if the reward is accidentally deleted or the employee has issues redeeming it?

A: With Rewards Genius, you’re able to resend rewards if something happens. Simply log into your account to resend

the gift card to the employee. We also have a customer-support team that can be reached Monday–Friday from

7:30am–5:00pm PST via email at cs@tangocard.com or by telephone (877)558-2646.

Q: How do I start sending e-gift cards as part of my engagement program?

A: We’re glad you asked! You can either sign up for free here to get started quickly or email us at sales@tangocard.com

to have someone on our team get in touch with you.

Tango Card caters to thousands of customers' reward, incentive, and payout needs

with a global catalog of e-gift cards, digital prepaid cards, not-for-profit donations,

and more.

Tango Card o�ers Rewards Genius, a free web portal for managing rewards and

incentives programs. Use the Rewards Genius dashboard for self-serve ordering and

management of the Rewards as a Service API and integrate e-gift cards to fit your

app, platform, or program experience. In this self-serve portal, you can:

• Order Reward Link—our most popular reward solution—in bulk or one at a

time, which are immediately delivered to recipients

• Create custom email templates

• Create and fund accounts, check balances, and view funding history

• Manager user access and permission levels

• Review order history and download reports

• Resend rewards with the click of a button

www.tangocard.com | www.rewardsgenius.com | sales@tangocard.com