Digital pats on the back are distributed every day

Bonusly is a platform that any company can subscribe to. It's quite simple: each employee receives a fixed number of points each month to hand out to colleagues. Points expire at the end of the month. Employees can use the points received to buy a variety of things. The system is very popular at Nucleus.

“I discovered the system after a short internet search,” says Mattias Geniar, Support Manager at Nucleus. “It soon became clear that it was a fantastic alternative. Nucleus provides Uptime-asa-Service, which means that we guarantee that our customers' platforms remain online. That is why we are a service-oriented organization, and that is precisely in the small details. Things that management sometimes cannot see.”

Ultimate transparency

“Bonusly is seamlessly integrated into our chat system,” says Mitch Van Loo, System Engineer . “That way everyone can see who gets points. That creates a bit of social control, because you can't cheat that way. But above all it is a way of making the small and large efforts of everyone visible. That makes it very interesting.”

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"Everyone also has access to all statistics," said Mattias. "You can see who has accumulated the most points over a period of time, or what kind of efforts were most recognized."

Compliment day every day

Each employee receives a wallet of 150 points to hand out every month. At Nucleus there are no guidelines that determine what the points may be awarded for. “For example, points are also awarded to people who load and unload the dishwasher,” says Stefanie Dijckmans, who is responsible for the administration at Nucleus. “I notice that colleagues are now doing such things faster. Not necessarily because they can collect more points, but mainly because they see that those little things are really appreciated. It's also nice to know that other people see your efforts through the chat system. ”

“It is also there for everyone. With a different arrangement, perhaps mainly the cock-front-runner would receive recognition, but now the quiet people also earn karma points, ”says Mitch. “Those are the silent workers who do their job very well. With Bonusly we have a system that makes no one forgets recognition how to become a computer engineer.

“Of course we did our own thing with it”, says Mattias. “For example, we have called our points karma points, and we work with hashtags. #feeder, for example, is a very popular one, for people who bring food. We also often use #oneteam, when teams achieve great results together. Since all points awarded are on our chat, it also has some sort of news value. In this way, everyone is kept informed of the positive things that are being realized with us. ”

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Own webshop

“Those points are of course not there for nothing”, says Mattias. “At Nucleus we have integrated our own webshop into Bonusly. With your saved points you can buy a lot of things, from a Spotify subscription to gift cards and even an extra day of vacation or dinner with management in a star restaurant. But of course we remain serious geeks, which is why there are also things like a Star Trek pizza cutter and a Star Wars bathrobe available. ” (laughs)

“Yet we see that most of them remain very social in the use of their points,” says Stefanie. “A lot of croquemonsieurs are distributed in the afternoon. People also often use their points for a good cause, or use the points they have received to hand out back to colleagues. ”

Focus on the positive

“Bonusly forces us every day to find the positive with our colleagues, as those 150 karma points expire monthly. And for me that is the best aspect of the system ”, Stefanie says. “Every day, pats on the back are handed out to everyone. As a person you are more focused on the positive, and that really is a serious boost for the atmosphere here. ”

“We even hand out karma points for the funny fails,” says Mitch. “For example, if someone is framed to call the Antwerp Zoo and ask for Mister De Leeuw. Or when someone is stuck in traffic for hours just to get here. We really use the points to maintain the good atmosphere. ”

“It's also nice that everyone decides who earns the most karma,” says Mattias. “It doesn't just come from management. Our Managing Directors only have 150 points each to award. That might make the system a bit fairer, and it ensures that everyone is involved. ”