10 Best Employee Perks Programs to Automate Rewards in 2023

Reward Gateway is an employee engagement platform with a focus on five core engagement areas: employee recognition and rewards, employee communications, employee surveys, employee well-being, and employee discounts. When used in tandem, these features can help organizations engage, motivate and retain their top talent, by tapping into employee feedback and rewarding top performance. 

Why I picked Reward Gateway: I included Reward Gateway in this list because of the depth of their employee engagement features and the ability to customize their rewards programs. Customers using Reward Gateway can brand their reward portals to match the look and feel of their company and create custom rewards and ecards that are specific to their organization. In addition, Reward Gateway allows you to segment your reward options for different departments or teams as needed, making your offerings more relevant to your workforce. 

Employees at all levels can recognize and celebrate their colleagues through multi-directional, public feedback that boost connections and help your staff feel valued. Reward Gateway also includes manager-led awards that empower managers to reward great work on the spot. Managers can give their top performers digital rewards such as instant gift cards or award them points to purchase an item of their choice through Amazon Business with no added markups.

Other reward options include custom awards (e.g., extra paid-time off or lunch with the CEO), charitable giving, or prepaid MasterCards. At any time, participating employees can also take advantage of their employee discount program that offers discounts at popular vendors like Best Buy, Expedia, Gap, Home Depot, Macy’s, Staples, Starbucks, and more. 

Reward Gateway Standout Features and Integrations

Features include public recognition, employee-led and manager-led rewards, custom rewards, a wealth of employee engagement tools, engagement benchmark data, communication tools, surveys, customized blogs and content pages, white labeling, and an employer-branded mobile app. 

Integrations are available with numerous HR management systems, productivity tools, and authentication services. Key software systems include Amazon, Google Suite, LinkedIn, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Teams, Okta, OneLogin, Ping Identity, Slack, and Yapster. They also have an Open API to support additional custom integrations as well.

PerkUp is an employee perk platform that helps organizations stay competitive by offering a well-rounded package of employee benefits. Their perks program includes a wide variety of benefits you can customize, including milestone gifts, branded swag, team lunch options for distributed teams, and a variety of wellness programs. 

Why I picked PerkUp: While PerkUp does include the classic employee milestone gift automations like other platforms in this list, three other interesting features are what landed them a spot on this list: their branded swag distribution abilities, their team lunch feature for distributed teams, and the depth of their wellness programs. 

PerkUp helps organizations deal with their branded company swag efficiently. You can host one or more swag stores within their platform, or make unique stores for specific company events like hackathons or retreats. PerkUp will manage your inventory for you and minimize shipping and fulfillment costs through their network of vetted global suppliers across 130+ countries. They offer fulfillment for swag orders of any size too, from 1-unit minimum orders, all the way to bulk orders of several thousand.  

Another unique feature is their lunch perk for distributed teams. PerkUp allows you to set a per person budget for your team lunch, select the recipients (perhaps a new hire, or your entire team), and choose a date that the lunch stipend will automatically be sent on. Recipients can then use their lunch perk through food delivery apps (e.g., Uber Eats, Doordash, GrubHub or Skip), popular multinational chain restaurants, or with other participating local restaurants or cafes. In cases where a recipient doesn’t use their full stipend, any unused funds will automatically be returned to your company too.

PerkUp also provides a framework for distributing other types of flexible stipends your employees will appreciate. Popular choices within their wellness program perks include lifestyle allowances (streaming services, event tickets, etc.), home office stipends (computer equipment or ergonomic office furniture, etc.), fitness perks (gym memberships, fitness classes, etc.), and mental health support (meditation apps, 1:1 coaching, etc.). 

PerkUp Standout Features and Integrations

Features include a global gifts and rewards catalog, milestone celebration automations, spot rewards, custom swag distribution, budgeting tools, global shipping (with free shipping within the US), and flexible stipend programs.

Integrations are available with many HR management systems, including ADP, BambooHR, Bob, Gusto, Insperity, Justworks, Namely, Paychex, Paycom, Paycor, Paylocity, Rippling, TriNet, UKG Pro, Workday, and Zenefits. 

SnackNation is a well-known and loved snack delivery service used by many notable companies across the USA, including Amazon, Cisco, Chevron, Google, Levi’s, Nike, Peloton, and Visa. You can use their perks program to send creatively curated, healthy snack boxes to your remote employees or your in-office teams easily with their month-to-month subscription service.

Why I picked SnackNation: I decided to include SnackNation in this list because, in my experience, anything food-related is always an easy win when it comes to employee engagement. SnackNation has also adapted well to modern work scenarios by providing individual single-serve portions (full-size, not sample size) to reduce any health concerns your office staff may have around communal snacks. You can also use their service to deliver celebratory snack boxes right to your employee’s homes as well. 

With over 5,000 participating snack vendors, you’re guaranteed to receive an interesting roster of snacks that will excite your team with each delivery. Common box themes you can choose from include bars, chips, jerky, granola & trail mix, classics and sweets. On top of that, SnackNation also partners with Feeding America to donate 1 meal for every Remote Employee Box purchased, or 10 meals for every In-Office Snack Box purchased. Through this partnership, they’ve donated over 17 million meals to date!

SnackNation Standout Features and Integrations

Features include quick and easy set up, an expertly-curated catalog of premium snacks, budget-control tools, personalized notes included in each box, and flexible in-office or home delivery in all 50 US states.

Integrations for SnackNation are focused on their B2B snack vendor portal, but their subscription interface is so easy-to-use, there’s no need for additional consumer integrations anyway. 

Snappy is a gifting platform that helps organizations create automated gift campaigns for any sort of initiative, including employee perks and customer appreciation gifts. You can use their platform to recognize important employee milestones such as birthdays or work anniversary celebrations, and automate the delivery so no key dates are missed. 

Why I picked Snappy: I included Snappy in this list because I like the flexibility and simplicity of their digital gift giving experience. Recipients receive an email with a digital card that they’re invited to scratch to open. Their gift is revealed with a fun little animation, followed by an opportunity to accept their suggested gift, or choose something else from their curated catalog of over 1 million options. Once confirmed, their item of choice is shipped immediately, cutting down on unwanted gifts and unnecessary shipping or returns. 

I also included Snappy because of their commitment to partner with minority-owned businesses and offer sustainable products in their gift catalog. To help organizations connect gifts to their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) campaigns, Snappy also supports cultural gift campaigns specifically for Pride Month, Black History Month, and Women’s History Month too. 

Snappy Standout Features and Integrations

Features include easy set up, automation, customizable campaigns, bulk gifting, employee metrics, a curated gift catalog of top-trending gifts (including physical, digital and experience gifts or donations), and global shipping to any location. They also have a dynamic gift API that works in real-time to ensure gifts featured in their catalog are currently in stock. 

Integrations are available with 25+ HR software solutions, including ADP Workforce Now, AlexisHR, BambooHR, Breathe, Ceridian Dayforce, Freshteam, Hibob, Lano, Lucca, Namely, Paychex, Paylocity, Personio, Rippling, SAP SuccessFactors, TriNet, UKG Pro, Workday and Zenefits. You can also connect Snappy to a paid Zapier account to create additional custom integrations too. 

Caroo is a well-rounded corporate gifting platform that simplifies employee gift giving at scale, while still retaining a personalized feel. You can use their platform to automate employee milestone gifts for birthdays or work anniversaries, help your new hires feel welcome with a thoughtful onboarding gift, or reward your remote or in-office employees with top quality snack deliveries. 

Why I picked Caroo: Several unique features landed Caroo a place on this list. Their Recipient Choice feature helps you automate the gift giving process, while allowing your employees to choose a gift they actually want. This simple feature helps you avoid gifting something that will go unappreciated in the long run, making it a more meaningful experience on the receiving end. 

Along with your gift, you can include a personalized card, or take advantage of their unique CareCards feature. A perfect solution for distributed teams, CareCards is a type of group eCard that combines word clouds, photos, messages and emojis into a memorable digital experience.

Gift giving through Caroo also gives back to charities, with money donated to Feeding America for every gift purchased. To date, this give-back program has funded over 20 million meals and counting! They also offset the carbon emissions associated with their gift deliveries through a special partnership with Pachama.

Caroo offers worldwide delivery with tracking, making them an excellent choice for international organizations. They also have a handy address verification feature that simplifies the delivery process. All you need to do is provide an email address for your gift recipient, and the system will take care of the next steps for you.

Caroo Standout Features and Integrations

Features include budget control tools, digital gift cards, collaborative group eCards (CareCards), automatic milestone gifting, bulk gifting, office snack deliveries, invoice tracking, recipient address verification workflows, and CSV data importing. Their gift catalog also includes a wide range of thoughtfully curated items for special occasions, across a wide range of categories like apparel, beauty & wellness, food & beverages, gift cards, lifestyle, and office & productivity.

Integrations are not specified on Caroo’s website.

Vantage Perks is an employee perks program that’s available as an add-on to Vantage Circle’s rewards and recognition platform (available in their Transform or Enterprise level packages). Their employee benefits and discount platform can help your staff improve their financial well-being by saving money on services or common expenses like groceries, electronics, restaurants, or even travel and holiday packages.

Why I picked Vantage Perks: I included Vantage Perks in this list due to several unique features within their perks program. Vantage Perks helps your employees save money on common purchases, while also giving them the opportunity to earn cash back, as Vantage Points. These points can then be used for more online purchases, or transferred into gift cards from popular vendors. 

Another unique feature in their perks platform is their Classified page, which allows your employees to buy and sell items within your organization. By hosting this platform privately, this  ensures a safe and secure marketplace and transaction experience for employees who are buying or selling. This system also helps organizations encourage employees to re-use, repurpose, and reduce waste, rather than contributing more unwanted items to the landfill each year.

Vantage Perks Standout Features and Integrations

Features include exclusive employee discounts with popular vendors, a points-based cash back system, bulk gifting solutions, an exclusive weekly offers newsletter, a classified ads system, and a mobile app for iOS and Android devices.

Features within their larger Vantage Circle platform include a long list of employee recognition functions (e.g., a social recognition feed, a wall of fame, a gamified leaderboard, team awards, service awards, employee nudges, and monetary and non-monetary awards), company-wide announcements, HR and manager dashboards, employee and team adoption analytics, and budget management tools.  

Integrations are available with several HRIS/HRMS programs, including BambooHR, Darwinbox, Oracle HCM, PeopleStrong, SAP SuccessFactors, Workday, and Zoho People, as well as with popular social and collaboration systems like Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Teams, monday.com, Slack, Yellow.ai, WhatsApp Business, and Zoho Connect. It’s worth noting that some integrations are only available in their Transform or higher packages, while others can be included as an add-on.

Kudos is an employee recognition and rewards platform that’s full of modern features to help you build a strong company culture. You can use their platform to gamify the peer recognition process, with employees earning reward points for praising each other publicly. 

Why I picked Kudos: I included Kudos in this list because of the depth of their culture-building tools. While they do offer a points-based reward system like most platforms in this list, they also take it one step further with their advanced people analytics, sentiment surveys, and their Kudos Culture Accelerator. When used in tandem, these features can have a huge positive impact on your company culture. 

Kudos’ Culture Accelerator helps you create repeatable campaigns that honour and appreciate your staff, mesh with your corporate values and company branding, and reward employees with perks of their choosing. Once launched, their analytics dashboard monitors the success of your campaigns to show you how much your culture is growing and improving. 

Using Kudos, you can create custom awards that reflect your business objectives and company values, and empower your employees to submit their own nominations. You can also set up automated recognition campaigns for key dates, and give employees the opportunity to redeem their reward points for prizes.

Kudos Standout Features and Integrations

Features include performance recognition, peer-to-peer recognition, a public Kudos Wall, gamified badges, milestone celebrations, automation so no milestones are missed, a points-based reward system with no transaction fees, culture-building tools, anonymous employee sentiment surveys, and people analytics with easy-to-understand visuals. 

Integrations include ADP, BambooHR, Google Workspace, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Teams, Okta, Oracle, Paylocity, Ping Identity, SAP SuccessFactors, Slack, and Workday. In addition, their Kudos API can help you create custom software integrations with any other systems you’re using too. 

WorkTango (formerly Kazoo) is an employee experience platform that helps companies reward employee behaviors that align with their organizational goals. Using WorkTango, employees can recognize each other publicly at the peer-to-peer level, and amplify shoutouts from other colleagues through high five, emojis, GIFs, or additional comments. 

Why I picked WorkTango: I included WorkTango in this list because of their platform's strong focus on incentivizing employee behaviors through rewards and perks. To increase motivation, employees can pre-select rewards they want to achieve, then track their progress toward their goal on a team-wide leaderboard. In addition, employees can earn more reward points for volunteering for extra tasks, such as becoming an Onboarding Buddy for a new hire. Rewarding this type of behavior serves to strengthen company culture, while also fostering stronger team connections between colleagues. 

WorkTango’s platform also integrates employee rewards with goals, feedback, surveys and insights. Feedback can flow in any direction — peer-to-peer, top-down, or bottom-up — and key dates big or small are celebrated publicly thanks to workflow automations. Reward points are redeemable for millions of products through their rewards catalog, including merchandise, gift cards, experience gifts, or charitable donations.  

WorkTango Standout Features and Integrations

Features include a social activity feed, public and private recognition tools, points-based rewards, custom token rewards, customizable peer-nominated awards, automated milestone celebrations, and a comprehensive catalog of global rewards. WorkTango also includes pulse surveys, goals and OKR tracking, and continuous feedback tools. 

Integrations include ADP Workforce Now, BambooHR, Google Suite, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Teams, Okta, Slack and Workday. They also have an API to support additional custom integrations as well.  

Compass, by Xoxoday, is an automatic incentive platform that helps accelerate sales through competition-based challenges and other gamification features. It’s well-suited for sales-oriented businesses, though it can also be used to motivate employees across other industries that have pre-set targets they’re aiming to achieve. 

Why I picked Compass: I included Compass in this list because financial incentives like performance-based bonuses are an important type of employee perk, especially for sales-oriented businesses. Compass simplifies the entire incentive process through their automated Incentive Programs that combine pre-set key performance indicators (KPIs) with engaging game templates, rules and conditional logic. 

Participating employees can track their progress towards their targets through Live Scorecards that all team members can access. Once any target is achieved, the system automatically rewards the participant with system points they can use to purchase merchandise, gift cards, or travel opportunities. Alternatively, recipients can choose to redeem their rewards as one-click cash payments deposited directly into their bank account as well. 

Compass Standout Features and Integrations

Features include a selection of well-defined incentive programs (target based, competition based, cascading, or special structures), live scorecards, a public score leaderboard, gamification templates, a public achievement feed, highlights and opportunities, payment tools, an earning tracker, one-click payments, company-wide announcements, communication tools, a document repository, automation and action triggers, nudges and reminders, business simulations, predictive analytics, and data insights. 

Integrations are available with many CRM systems, including Freshdesk, Freshsales, Google Sheets, HubSpot, Leadsquared, Pipedrive, Salesforce, WhatsApp and Zoho CRM.

Empuls is an all-in-one employee engagement and recognition solution that’s tapping into a new style of employee benefits that are starting to gain traction: exclusive consumer discounts and instant credit. 

Why I picked Empuls: I included Empuls in this list because they’re offering two new styles of employee perks that have been gaining popularity in recent years. Empuls enables organizations to help their workers save money on common expenses all year round through their employee discount program. Their corporate discount catalog is extensive, with over 20,000 popular brands to choose from across 25 categories.

The second perk Empuls users can take advantage of is accessing instant credit when needed. The need for this increased exponentially during the pandemic, especially among millennials. With this perk, you can grant your employees instant credit up to 4 times their monthly salary, if they need it. This type of temporary loan gives your employees access to funds immediately, with flexible repayment terms ranging from 3 to 36 months. 

These are both new features for Empuls, which are only available as an add-on to their core employee engagement platform. The main focus of their platform remains employee communication and engagement, employee recognition, and a points-based rewards system to incentivize participation in culture-building initiatives.  

Empuls Standout Features and Integrations

Features include employee recognition tools, a public activity feed, participation nudges to increase engagement, cultural alignment tools, automated workflows, a points-based employee rewards system, employee engagement survey tools, and people analytics.  

Integrations include Azure, BambooHR, Freshteam, Google Workspace, Gusto, Keka, Microsoft Teams, Namely, Okta, Onelogin, Ping Identity, SAP, Slack, UKG Pro, Zoho People, and others.