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For many UKG customers, recognition and rewards programs are weighed down by high markups, manual admin work, and disconnected systems. Industry markups can reach 25%, driving costs up without adding value.
As a Most Valued Partner (MVP) with UKG, Xoxoday Empuls eliminates these inefficiencies. It delivers:
- Zero-markup rewards — saving UKG customers up to £500,000 annually.
- Deep UKG Ready integration for automatic data sync.
- AI-powered recognition to make appreciation timely, inclusive, and measurable.
With over 10M reward options in 175+ countries, Empuls combines cost savings with global choice, helping UKG customers build a culture of recognition without the financial waste.
The cost-saving advantage: No markups, no hidden fees
Most R&R platforms quietly add up to 25% markup on rewards, inflating costs without improving employee experience. Empuls takes a different approach — zero markup on all reward options.
For UKG customers, this translates to direct, measurable savings. Based on current volumes, organizations can save up to £500,000 annually while still offering employees the same, or better, reward choices.
Savings are amplified with pay-on-redemption billing. Instead of pre-purchasing rewards or points that may go unused, UKG customers only pay when employees redeem — reducing unused budget and increasing ROI.
Key cost-saving benefits for UKG customers:
- Zero markups vs the industry standard of up to 25%.
- Pay-on-redemption billing to avoid unused points or rewards.
- No hidden fees for currency conversion or cross-border rewards.
- Global supplier contracts that keep prices competitive.
- Direct vendor relationships ensure transparent pricing.
Deep UKG integration: Recognition in the flow of work
Empuls is built to work seamlessly with UKG Ready, ensuring that recognition is always relevant and up to date. An automatic 24-hour data sync keeps employee information current — adding new hires, removing leavers, and updating records without manual input.
Integration extends beyond UKG:
- Slack & Microsoft Teams — recognize, reward, and engage without leaving your collaboration tools.
- Single Sign-On (SSO) — employees access Empuls with the same credentials they use for other corporate apps.
- Mobile app (iOS & Android) — recognition, redemption, and engagement on the go.
This integration means recognition happens in the flow of work, reducing friction for employees and freeing HR from repetitive admin tasks.
Building a culture of recognition with Empuls
Empuls enables UKG customers to deliver meaningful, structured recognition that reaches every corner of the organization — from welcoming a new hire on day one to celebrating a 20-year career milestone.
Diverse award formats for every occasion:
- Multiple award types — monetary and non-monetary awards, peer-to-peer, nomination-based, jury awards, team and individual awards, plus milestone and service awards.
- Memory Book — a personalized yearbook for service anniversaries that chronicles an employee’s journey, highlights key contributions, and preserves messages from peers.
- Nomination workflows — pre-built templates for setting up nominators, approvers, and selection criteria, making awards consistent and transparent.
- Peer-to-peer recognition — empowering employees to appreciate each other instantly, without formal approval barriers.
- Service Awards — honoring loyalty for 3, 5, 10, 15, 20 years and beyond, with both tangible and experiential rewards.
Built-in celebration tools:
- Wishboards to collect congratulatory messages, GIFs, and videos for milestones.
- Wall of Fame to spotlight achievers across departments in real time.
AI-powered fairness in recognition:
- Automatic insights on who’s being recognized most and least, enabling managers to close recognition gaps.
- Data-driven prompts to ensure appreciation is evenly spread across teams, locations, and roles.
By blending human moments with automation and AI, Empuls makes recognition not only easier to manage but also more inclusive — ensuring that appreciation becomes a daily habit, not just a quarterly ritual.
AI-powered insights that drive inclusive recognition
Empuls goes beyond recording recognition — it actively analyzes it to ensure no one is left behind. For UKG customers, this means recognition becomes data-driven, equitable, and continuous.
Core AI capabilities:
- Intelligent Insights for Managers — pinpoints frequently and infrequently recognized employees so managers can balance their recognition efforts.
- Skill Mapping — identifies employee skills from recognition messages in real time, eliminating the need for formal skill assessments.
- Personal Recognition Assistant — nudges employees to log weekly achievements and prompts managers to acknowledge them instantly.
- Quid Pro Quo Reports — detects patterns of favoritism or exchange-based recognition, protecting program integrity.
How this impacts UKG customers:
- Recognition equity tracking ensures appreciation is well-distributed across teams, locations, and demographics.
- Inclusive recognition culture prevents certain roles or individuals from being overlooked.
- Manager enablement through actionable insights instead of static reports.
By making recognition proactive and bias-aware, Empuls helps UKG organizations create a workplace where appreciation is fair, frequent, and reflective of everyone’s contributions.
A truly global rewards experience
With Empuls, UKG customers can offer rewards that match the scale and diversity of their workforce — without the complexity of managing multiple vendors or geographies.
Global reach & accessibility:
- 175+ countries covered.
- 55+ currencies with real-time exchange rates.
- 30+ languages for a localized, user-friendly experience.
- Fully compliant with GDPR, SOC2, and ISO 27001.
World’s largest redemption marketplace:
- eGift cards — 5,000+ brands in categories like dining, electronics, travel, and fashion.
- Experiences — 10,000+ options from luxury getaways to adventure sports.
- Merchandise — 300,000+ products from leading brands.
- Travel — 1M+ hotels, flights, car rentals, and lounge access.
- Amazon products — millions of options via direct Amazon integration.
- Subscriptions & top-ups — magazines, mobile recharges, and more.
- Charity & donations — 1,000+ causes worldwide.
- Branded swag — 500+ customizable items for milestones.
Why this matters for UKG customers:
- Single global platform for all reward categories and geographies.
- Consistent experience for employees, regardless of location.
- Equitable value thanks to multi-currency pricing and cost-of-living adjustments.
This global catalog ensures every recognition moment can be paired with a reward that’s personally meaningful and geographically relevant — whether the recipient is in Boston, Bangalore, or Berlin.
Conclusion: The competitive edge for UKG customers
For UKG customers, Empuls offers more than a recognition platform — it’s a complete, AI-powered engagement engine. With zero markups, deep UKG Ready integration, AI-driven insights, and the world’s largest global rewards marketplace, Empuls helps organizations cut costs while building an inclusive, measurable recognition culture.
From automating award workflows to offering employees 10M+ reward choices in 175+ countries, Empuls ensures every recognition moment is timely, fair, and impactful. For HR leaders, it means less admin work and more time to focus on strategy. For employees, it means feeling truly seen, valued, and rewarded.
It’s recognition done right — for everyone, everywhere.
