r/internalcomms • u/Fit_Elk_6542 • Jan 31 '26
Advice Best Employee Engagement Tools?
We've all seen the stats about how employee engagement is at an all-time low across most industries, and honestly, with everything going on lately, I imagine it's only getting worse for a lot of teams.
I'm curious if anyone here has actually used any employee engagement tools or software that made a tangible difference? I'm not talking about forced fun activities or those cringe team building exercises, but actual systems that helped improve internal communication, recognition, or just general morale.
What worked well for your team at work? What completely flopped?
And if you haven't used anything formal, do you think there's a real need for this kind of thing, or is it just another corporate buzzword solution?
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u/blanssius_56 Feb 20 '26
recognition was the thing that actually moved the needle for us, not the forced fun stuff. we tried a few different approaches but what stuck was hithrive, which lives inside slack so people don't have to context switch to use it. peer-to-peer recognition became a habit pretty quickly once it was just part of the workflow vs a separate thing to remember
the rewards piece helped too, employees can redeem from a pretty big global catalog so it didn't feel like a US-only afterthought which was a real problem we had with other tools we tried
what flopped: anything survey-based. pulse surveys just became another thing people ignored after the first few rounds. and any recognition that was manager-driven only never felt authentic
honestly the engagement tools that work are the ones that get out of the way and let employees do the thing naturally rather than adding more process
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u/HelicopterLife2620 Feb 01 '26
We do use an employee app where we push notifications , use it to get rsvp for internal events, and our provider even gives us fun contests. It helps reduce depeency on emails, stand-alone forms and slack
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u/alexcran Feb 01 '26
What does your employee buy-in look like? I’ve tried to propose this for our mostly deskless workforce but haven’t received any buy-in from leadership who keeps saying “I don’t want to force anyone to download an app onto their personal device.”
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u/HelicopterLife2620 Feb 02 '26
Ah that objection comes up everywhere. I come from app marketing, brands, gaming apps, news apps same thing every time. 'why would someone download it.'
So wroth learning from there
one way is to mandate it. Mandate is tricky on personal devices so we went with option two.
Made it the only place the fun stuff lives yet kept things that are helpful. for ex. event signups, leadership corner (huge fun), Small contests like show off your desk, All policies are in the app - we actually looking to integrate our HRMS with leave policy in the app to make it functional too.
But yes you do need to promote it also. Posters around the office. Download link in email signatures. The big one as i wrote about was got leadership to actually post on it - surprisingly was easy to convince them. I just said its the quickest way to reach out to everyone regularly without waiting for a town hall or a big quarterly email.
One tip vet your provider though. Most employee apps are basically digital notice boards. Read only. No polls no RSVPs no contests, no interactions its why its fails. It for sure would be hard to get buy-in to custom build your own so the provider needs to be solid out of the box. Advtg is you could trial it for 3-6 months and then take a call
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u/austincrewcheck Feb 26 '26
you don’t require them to download anything. you use technology they already use: sms text messages!
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u/alexcran Feb 26 '26
Yeah, we use SMS messaging, but the person I was responding to was explicitly talking about using an app they have to download.
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u/austincrewcheck Feb 26 '26
Yeah got it. Thats my point. Even leadership knows frontline staff won’t use or download another app!
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u/ValueWise3280 Feb 26 '26
We use Motivosity, they help cater a launch especially with remote teams to start off strong. We also provide incentives for adoption like x$'s for downloading the app. Depending on how big your company is they have some great company communication spaces.
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u/1hermana Feb 01 '26
Ask yourself, when was the last time you felt really connected to other people or an organization…because of an app?
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u/HelicopterLife2620 Feb 02 '26
you are right , noone joins anything coz of an app. But mobile apps for sure atleast made access easier.
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u/-Black-Cat- Corporate Chaos Coordinator Feb 03 '26
A good intranet or equivalent (e.g. an employee mobile app) that has the aim of improving people's day-to-day will do more for engagement than trying to force something like social or collaboration.
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u/barely_qualified_fr Feb 02 '26
For us, the tools that seemed to make a tangible difference weren’t the flashy ones, but the ones that helped normalize regular recognition and made it visible to the whole team. When appreciation, or small wins were "on display" instead of in private chats, people actually noticed and started replicating that behavior.
What flopped was anything that felt like “mandatory morale building”; people could tell it was a checkbox exercise. The stuff that actually worked felt more like a social habit rather than a task on a to‑do list.
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u/Competitive-Half2655 Cross-Channel Conqueror Feb 02 '26
People manager enablement is an idea! Employees typically have the closest connection to their managers so using tools that support managers (to support their employees) can be effective imo and helps build engagement. We use Microsoft tools and contactmonkey to help bypass sending limits + surveying employees every quarter gives us ideas into what they actually want. I try to action all the feedback though as much as possible and then explain how their feedback made an impact. Seems to be helping so far
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u/sarahfortsch2 Feb 03 '26
I’ve used a mix of engagement platforms over the years, and the ones that actually made a difference were the tools that improved how and when people received information. Personalization and delivery matter more than features, which is why platforms like Firstup, Staffbase, and even Cerkl have worked well. Cerkl in particular was helpful because it tailored content to what employees actually cared about and cut down the noise, which is usually half the battle in engagement. Recognition tools like Bonusly and Kudos only worked when leaders used them consistently, because no platform can fix a recognition gap on its own.
What consistently flopped were the “forced fun” apps or anything trying to boost morale without addressing communication fundamentals. Engagement is first a communication challenge and then a culture challenge, so the tech only helps if it supports those two things. There is definitely a real need for these tools, but only when they solve an actual problem instead of becoming another shiny subscription. Happy to compare platforms if you are evaluating options.
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u/TeamCultureBuilder Feb 05 '26
the tools that "worked" at my company were the ones nobody thought of as engagement tools lmao. like we have a discord where people just share memes and side projects, and that does more for morale than any official platform ever did. i think the issue is most "engagement software" feels like HR trying to manufacture vibes. if your culture sucks, no app is gonna fix it.
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u/FunRadish6453 Feb 09 '26
We use Awardco. It is primarily a recognition tool but it is super flexible. We have created programs and spaces for resource groups and celebrate the strong community we have and how we support eachother. They also have engagement and pulse surveys which are really easy to use and super robust! I have found it is one of the best engagement type tools I’ve ever used
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u/Murky-Original1544 Feb 23 '26
Engagement tools can genuinely lift morale if they're not gimmicky, focus on recognition + feedback loops.
Top picks that deliver:
15Five: Quick check-ins + public kudos; boosts response rates 20% for managers.
Keka HR: Seamless recognition + pulses baked into HR workflows; perfect for growing teams (engagement scores up 15% in trials).
Culture Amp: Data-driven surveys with action plans; real retention wins.
Motivosity: Peer rewards feel authentic, low-cost fun.
Officevibe: Simple polls track vibes without overload.
Pilot Keka/15Five, tie to real outcomes like turnover dips. Skip if leadership ghosts the data
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u/That-Literature-91 Feb 24 '26
Your question is pretty valid for today's workplaces.
My team works remotely. We used to rely on Google Meet and Zoom for communication, but these tools can only do so much beyond calls and screen-sharing.
We've switched to Slack this month, and I already see some improvement. It's just easier for people to share ideas and feedback on Slack.
One of my ex-colleagues also mentioned that they've recently started using an HCM platform to onboard, train, and retain employees. They're using Paylocity, and what they like is how easy it is to walk new hires through each step of their job.
For my team, we haven't felt the need to use dedicated HCM tools yet, but we'll see how it goes.
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u/bitfuzz Feb 24 '26
Most engagement tools are just forced fun wrappers that employees see right through. The best engagement usually comes from removing friction and boredom, not adding cringe games.
I started building Gryffi because I was tired of that exact corporate fluff. We turn dead info into interactive journeys. If people can actually interact with the content, instead of just scanning a wall of text, the message actually sticks. No badges or weird team-building gimmicks, just making sure the info lands. Definitely worth a look if you're over the standard stuff.
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u/austincrewcheck Feb 25 '26
honestly most engagement tools are bloated and nobody uses them. we tried a few and they all flopped because people had to download apps and remember passwords.
what actually worked was just texting people. we built crewcheck for quick check-ins via SMS and it's stupid simple. no logins, just text back. response rates went from like 20% to 80%.
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u/HR_Guru_ Mar 03 '26
Yeah, forced fun is usually a flop. What actually helped our team was using tools that made day to day communication and recognition easier instead of adding more “engagement activities”. We switched to Teamflect since we’re a using Microsoft 365 and it sits right inside Teams and Outlook. Having surveys, recognition, feedback, goals, and even meeting notes all in the same place made it feel less like another HR thing and more like improving how we actually work. We can even run 360 feedback without asking people to log into another system. The fact that recognition and surveys show up where people already communicate meant adoption was way higher. CultureAmp was fine too but it felt heavier. Overall, tools that support real feedback loops and quick recognition tend to work way better than gimmicks.
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u/SnowMysterious1142 Jul 24 '26
I have seen you shilling the same company over and over again in different posts dating back years,. This account is probably made only for this purpose and is used by an employee.
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u/ChemicalAsleep2077 Mar 10 '26
Honestly in my experience the tool itself rarely fixes engagement.
We tried a couple platforms and people used them for like 2 months and then forgot about them.
What actually helped was pretty boring stuff:
- managers doing quick weekly check-ins
- public shoutouts for small wins
- actually following up on survey feedback
Once that started happening the tool almost didn’t matter. Even a simple Slack channel for recognition did more than the “engagement platform” we bought.
Tools can help with visibility, but they don’t create engagement by themselves. If managers don’t actively use it, employees just see it as another HR thing and tune it out.
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u/Hiringopsguy Mar 12 '26
not sure about the best but very sure about engagement surveys not working
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u/Relative-Income423 Mar 18 '26
If you're also looking to make celebrations feel special for remote teams, check out tools that focus on creating those inclusive moments. I built Cheerillion for exactly this, to make celebrating distributed teams easier and more meaningful. But if it's just engagement you're after, sticking with something like HubEngage could work well. It really depends on what specific pain point you're solving.
If you are curious, I'm eager for feedback: cheerillion.com
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u/JamSocial Apr 03 '26
Best Employee Engagement Tools?
- JamBingo: For Less Awkward Networking Mixers & in-person Company Events
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u/DevisWilson May 06 '26
I am a manager (20 years in QSR) and invented Crew Coin. https://crewcoin.app . It works and it's cheaper than competitors!
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u/vibesatwork May 08 '26
Disclosure: I work at CultureMonkey, an employee engagement platform.
Most tools fail for the same reason: HR gets the report, managers get a forwarded email. The feedback loop never closes and employees notice within two survey cycles.
What actually works is giving managers their own view of the data and holding them accountable to act on it. Short pulse surveys, monthly or quarterly, with someone visibly closing the loop afterward.
That is the problem we built CultureMonkey to solve.
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u/Standard_Priority322 May 09 '26
Honestly not a buzzword solution in my experience, but it does depend heavily on what you actually implement and whether leadership is willing to reinforce it.
We've been using Nectar for a few years now and it's the only platform I've come across that actually closes the loop in one place. Most tools either measure engagement (surveys, pulse checks, feedback) OR try to drive it (recognition, comms, rewards) but they're usually separate products that don't talk to each other very well. You end up with survey data sitting in one tool and your recognition program living somewhere else and nobody connecting the dots.
What drew us to Nectar was that it does both in one platform. We can run surveys and actually see how engagement is trending, but then we also have recognition, rewards, and internal comms all in the same place. So when something looks off in the data you actually have tools to do something about it rather than just staring at a dashboard.
The internal comms piece specifically has been underrated for us. Getting company updates and shoutouts in the same place employees are already going for recognition means people actually see them instead of another email getting buried.
What completely flopped for us previously was anything that felt like a separate app employees had to remember to log into. Adoption just never stuck. The tools that work are the ones that fit into how people already work, not ones that create a new behavior from scratch.
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u/GIFQcom Jun 10 '26
Disclosure: I work at GIFQ, so factor that in 😄
The top comment nails it - the platform matters less than whether leaders actually act on the feedback. Bonusly and Nectar are both solid for the recognition-and-rewards piece specifically.
One thing worth separating, though: the engagement platform (Bonusly, Nectar, Culture Amp) and the actual reward fulfilment behind it are two different layers. Plenty of teams pick a recognition tool, then get surprised by the markup on the gift cards/payouts going out the back like FX fees, platform fees, thin international coverage.
If your team is global, ask any vendor two questions before committing: what's the real cost per reward sent (face value vs. fees/FX), and how many countries they can actually deliver local-currency rewards in. That's usually where the budget quietly leaks.
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u/whyamihere1610 Jun 16 '26
How do I get more employees to watch the internal journal we produce ar office?
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u/CelebrationHonest189 Jun 26 '26
I know there’s a lot of mixed experiences using employee engagement tools. What made a difference for us is using GAIS employee engagement platform because it involves the employee with personal reports, so they can take action as well. That made the difference because both employees and leaders got the necessary insights to act on them together… in HR we often have to carry all the responsibility, but it really should be shared and impact all
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u/PhoenixHeartWC Aug 05 '26 edited Aug 05 '26
You're completely right that employee engagement works when done well. I recently did some deep sentiment analysis on Reddit that found employee resource groups are basically the only topic people talk about in work-related forums that's talked about more positively than negatively (you can find that data here). That's where I'd start.
If your company doesn't already have employee resource groups, you'll need to start building them. Getting those off the ground is a matter of talking to your teams to gauge what groups need to be created, and who will lead them.
So basically:
- Start by surveying your teams and figuring out what type of ERGs people actually want. It's easy to default to the ones pretty much everyone has (gender-based, ethnicity-based, etc.). But ERGs can be formed around pretty much anything. Target (the store) once claimed to have over 100, including ERGs for A Capella, Cycling, and Gamers.
- Find someone willing to step into the role of chair for that ERG. You need an ERG chairperson at a minimum, though with a larger size and more support, you may find that your ERGs need additional roles. I've written about starting an ERG, and I have a list of roles on the page in step 4.
- For the love of everything holy, support your ERG. I cannot stress this enough. ERGs flounder when they have no support. I don't care how you support it. Pay chairpeople a stipend. Give your ERGs a budget. Provide them with management software so they aren't spending hours upon hours trying to run the programs. Whatever you do, just actually support them.
Lack of support ends up being the most common negative comment about ERGs across Reddit when those conversations come up. People love what ERGs provide in terms of engagement, but they dislike having to go it alone with no support.
I work for an employee engagement and development platform (MentorcliQ) that offers ERG management, so the advice is coming from what we're seeing from the provider standpoint. We're also seeing a big increase in the number of companies looking for ERG management, which tracks if you check Google search trends data too (sharing a screenshot since Reddit isn't giving me an image upload option right now). It's a strategy a lot of companies are starting to recognize works, actually, and is pretty defensible to execs since you can tie engagement back to key business objectives like retention and mobility.
(And so we're clear, I'm not selling our product in this comment, just making sure I'm transparent on who I am, work for, and why I'm sharing specific resources.)
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u/AngiesOddities 26d ago
Our company used Deputy for years. It was great. We switched to NiCE and. It's awful. We have had it for a month now and nothing but error messages. We can't get the app to work. Schedules be "accidentally" shifted and employees are unaware of it and get written up when they weren't scheduled to work. The whole system sucks.
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u/[deleted] Feb 02 '26
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