App encourages co-workers to ‘like’ each other’s hard work

Japanese startup helps companies create a culture of appreciation by encouraging peer-to-peer recognition

Spotted: Japanese startup Unipos has created a simple way to recognise and reward exemplary employee behaviour, through a peer-to-peer bonus system. Here is how it works: An employee thinks something a colleague has done is outstanding (and could go unnoticed) and recognises it publicly using an app to send a peer “bonus.” The service works sort of like Facebook in that good behaviour gets “likes”, or in Unipos terminology, a “peer bonus”, i.e. positive feedback.

When employees receive a bonus, they get a notification on the Unipos app or via other communication programs like Slack, Workplace, or Microsoft Teams. The idea is to provide real-time positive feedback for jobs well done. The service includes a company-wide timeline that displays all messages team members have received. They can then “clap” for their co-worker’s messages. Hashtags can be added to messages as well so that more people see them — and help the company reinforce particular values and goals.

What the bonus is worth is up to each company. Unipos collects the points. They are then transferred to employees as perks such as Amazon gift cards or added as a monetary bonus to paychecks, the company told Springwise.

The big idea is to help companies raise morale and encourage timely recognition in the workplace.

Unipos is a subscription-based service. Companies pay for the service and the money allocated to employees through the points. Unipos’ peer recognition system already has more than 220 active customers worldwide including Mercari, Toyota, and HelloFresh.