March 3rd, 2026 Tip Tuesday – Make Your Company Values Visible in Awardco

nathangray

Want your culture to feel real—not just listed on a slide deck? This week’s tip shows you how to turn your company values into platform hashtags, integrate them into your programs, and spotlight them on your homepage so every recognition reinforces what matters most.

Why connect Awardco to your values?

When company values are tied directly to recognition, employees see how their daily work connects to what your organization stands for, and leaders gain real data on which values are actually being lived.

This Tip Tuesday focuses on three quick wins:

1. Add platform hashtags for your company values
2. Wire those values into your Recognition and Earn programs
3. Feature your values on the homepage widget area

Step 1 – Turn your values into platform hashtags

Use platform hashtags to create a clean, reportable list of values that admins control centrally and can reuse across programs.

How to create value hashtags

1. Go to Admin → Platform Settings → Hashtags. You’ll see the global list of active tags for your org.
2. Click Add Hashtag.
3. Enter:
   • Hashtag name – usually the value name (e.g., Integrity, One Team). This label is what shows in reporting and on recognitions.
   • Description (optional) – brief guidance like “Use when someone models our ‘Customer First’ value.”
   • Image (optional) – upload a square icon; Awardco rounds it to a 256×256 circle on the feed.
4. Click Save.
   

Best practice

• Use one consistent set of value tags across your major Recognition and Earn programs so your reporting on value usage stays clean and comparable.
• Keep names short and meaningful; avoid one‑off tags that you’ll never use again.

Remember: creating a hashtag here does not automatically show it to employees—it has to be attached to programs (next step).

Step 2 – Attach values to your Recognition and Earn programs

Once your value hashtags exist, attach them anywhere you want employees to pick a value when they submit recognition or claims.

How to add values to a Recognition or Earn program

1. Go to Admin → Platform → Recognition Programs (or Earn Programs).
2. Find your program (for example, your P2P or manager program), click the three dots (…) → Edit.
3. Open the Display tab and scroll to the Tags section.
4. Configure tags:
   • Requirement:
     • Optional – values are encouraged but not required.
     • Required (1) – user must pick exactly one value.
     • Required 1+ – user can (or must) pick more than one value.
   • Tag Label – rename to something clear like “Company Values” or “Core Values & Behaviors.”
   • Tag selection – check the value hashtags you want available in this program.
   • Display Tag Icon / Display Tag Text – toggle On so icons and value labels appear on the feed and card.
5. Click Save Changes.

What this does for you

• Employees now see a “Company Values” option on the Give Recognition / Earn form for that program.
• Selected values can show on the recognition card and feed, giving you a visible “values in action” icon on every recognition that uses them.

Step 3 – Highlight your values on the homepage

Use the Homepage Editor to put your values front and center on the homepage, right where employees and leaders start their recognition and rewards journey.

How to feature values on the homepage

1. Go to Admin → Platform Settings → Homepage Editor.
2. In the editor:
   • You’ll see fixed widgets at the top (Banner, User widget, Recognize widget).
3. Under the Recognize area, click Add Content on the side you prefer and choose the Text/Image (or Text/Media) widget.
4. Build a simple “Our Values” block:
   • Header: e.g., “Live Our Values in Every Recognition.”
   • Body text (example structure):
     • Brief one‑liner on why values matter.
     • Bulleted list of your values, each with a short description.
     • A note like: “When you recognize someone, choose the value they demonstrated so we can see our culture in action.”
5. (Optional) Add the same icons you used on your value hashtags for visual continuity.
6. (Optional) Do this as an image instead of text.
7. Click Publish to push the updated homepage live.

Advanced option: show different value blocks to different groups

If you support multiple regions, brands, or business units, you can use widget variants:

• In the Text/Image widget, click Add Variant, choose a metadata field (e.g., #Country, #Brand), then pick the values (US, CA, specific business unit) and customize the text for each variant.

Bonus – Measure which values are actually being used

Once values are wired into hashtags and programs, you can report on them:

• Run the Recognition Details report and include the Hashtags column to see which values are used most, by whom, and in which programs.
• Use hashtag filters and dashboard widgets to compare value usage across departments or over time.

This turns your company values from “wall art” into a measurable culture lever.

Join the Conversation

How are you currently using company values in your Awardco programs?

• Have you already created value hashtags, or is that your first step?
• Are values required in your main P2P or manager programs, or optional?
• What’s one idea you have for showcasing values on your homepage widget area?

Share your approach, questions, or examples in the comments so other admins can learn from your setup—and borrow your best ideas for making values visible every day.