5 Ways to Maximise Your Reward Budget in 2025.

As the year rolls on, there are plenty of key calendar dates upcoming, from the Summer Holidays to Black Friday and (dare we say it!) into the festive season, that naturally offer moments for recognition and reward. These events are ideal to reinvigorate employee engagement, and they create built-in opportunities to communicate offers and distribute perks. Hand-picking particular dates that align closely with your business values and workforce demographics gives managers and leaders a great opportunity to introduce team-, department- or even company-wide rewards – whether it’s putti

Strategic reward leaders understand that recognition means more when it feels timely and relevant. Hand-picking particular cultural or seasonal dates that align closely with your business values and workforce demographics increases perceived value and makes reward feel personal, not transactional. Encourage your managers to plan ‘theme-led’ recognition moments ahead of these dates to encourage timely and meaningful reward redemption – otherwise, reward budget risks going unused and unappreciated.

With Rippl: Tap into key calendar dates with timely nudges and internal comms campaigns. We support your team leaders with platform reminders and push notifications to build excitement around our seasonal retailer discounts, so colleagues use and enjoy their reward points.

Incentivising engagement doesn’t always have to come from top-down recognition. Designing and delivering some creative competitions drives excitement, engagement and motivation, whilst making spending a remaining reward pot a lot more fun.

Reward gamification can substantially increase engagement, and whilst often only adopted for sales teams, this can be applied at a business-wide level. When done right, competitions can be set up to align with business priorities while boosting visibility and excitement around your total reward offering. Experiment with different entry levels and prize tiers to boost reward distribution and redemption.

With Rippl: Built-in competition tools such as Rippl’s Spin to Win feature alongside deck-based challenges help you host customised, configurable competitions throughout the year that make reward distribution smooth and simple. From daily engagement boosters to themed summer competitions, maximise your reward budget whilst keeping things light and fun.

When you really want to go big, few tactics are more impactful than a structured award campaign. These moments of high recognition give shape to the wider recognition culture and let your people know that exceptional effort truly stands out.

Employee awards make the invisible visible. They shine a light on great work, reinforce your organisational values and give your wider workforce examples of success to emulate. More importantly, they reframe annual or mid-year recognition as something proactive, rather than passive. Plus, with an elevated reward tactic comes elevated reward opportunities to celebrate great work with large and small prizes.

With Rippl: We make award schemes easy to launch and manage, from creating personalised categories to showcasing nominations on your social timeline, and celebrating winners in your very own Hall of Fame. Align your campaign to your company values, mid-year reviews or standout summer successes.