Reward-program rules employees can understand
An editable one-page policy for coins and rewards, covering allowances, earned balances, approvals, delivery, and what happens when someone leaves, in plain words.
On this page
Reward programs lose trust in small ways. Someone's coins seem to vanish at the end of the month, a request sits for three weeks, or a leaver's balance disappears without explanation. Nearly all of it comes down to rules nobody wrote down. This template is the page to write before launch. It's short, because people only read short rules.
Copy the block below, fill in the brackets, and publish it wherever people will look: your intranet, a pinned post in the kudos channel, or the onboarding checklist. The notes after it map each section to a Pulsido setting, so the page and the product say the same thing.
The template
How [coins] and rewards work at [Company]
Giving. Everyone gets [100] [coins] to give each [month]. Add them to a kudos to say thanks for something specific. Coins you don't give away don't carry over: you get a fresh [100] at the start of each [month]. You can give one person up to [50] [coins] a [month].
Earning. [Coins] you receive are yours to keep and never expire. You can also earn them from [spot awards, challenges, birthdays and work anniversaries, and finishing the pulse].
What they're worth. 10 [coins] = [$1]. You can redeem once you have [50].
Spending. Choose a reward on the Rewards page: [gift cards, donations, company rewards such as a day off, and swag]. Requests [up to 100 coins are approved automatically / are approved by the People team] within [2 working days]. If we decline a request, we'll say why, and your [coins] come back.
Gift cards are sent by email from our provider once your request is approved. Company rewards are arranged by [the People team] within [two weeks]. Swag ships to the address you give us, and you'll see when it's on its way.
Taxes. Rewards may count as taxable income where you live. [Say how your company handles this, or that you'll confirm before the program starts.]
Leaving. If you leave [Company], your earned [coins] are [kept for 12 months in case you come back / set to zero on your last day]. Redeem them before your last day. Kudos you gave and received stay in the company's history.
Fair use. [Coins] are for genuine thanks. Trading [coins] back and forth, or pressuring anyone for them, isn't. If something looks off, [the People team] may reverse it and talk to the people involved.
Questions? Ask [name or channel].
What each section matches in Pulsido
| Section | Setting | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Giving: allowance and reset | Default allowance (100) and how often it resets (monthly by default) | Manage → Recognition → Coins |
| Giving: per-person limit | Per-person limit (on, 50 by default). Owners and admins aren't limited. | Manage → Recognition → Coins |
| Earning | Spot awards, challenges, celebration coins, round MVP prize, pulse and survey rewards | Each feature's own settings |
| What they're worth | 10 coins = 1 unit of the base currency, which you choose | Manage → Rewards & fulfillment → Settings |
| Redemption minimum | Earned coins needed before redeeming (50 by default) | Manage → Rewards & fulfillment → Settings |
| Approvals | Approve every request, auto-approve small ones (100 coins or less by default), or auto-approve all | Manage → Rewards & fulfillment → Settings → Approvals |
| Declines | A reason of at least 3 characters is required; the person sees it and gets their coins back | Manage → Rewards & fulfillment → Approvals |
| Leaving | Freeze (default) or forfeit earned coins | Manage → Rewards & fulfillment → Settings → When someone leaves |
| People who don't take part | Don't give coins, or don't receive coins, for example contractors | Manage → Rewards & fulfillment → Settings → Who gives and receives |
Pulsido's freeze keeps a leaver's earned coins as they were, and they come back if the person rejoins. It doesn't expire them after a set time. If your policy says "12 months", someone needs to forfeit them by hand after that, so write the policy you'll follow.
Write down the decisions, not only the numbers
The numbers are easy to change later. These are harder, so decide them before launch:
- Who can approve, and how fast? Name a team, and a target time. If you auto-approve small requests, say so: people like knowing.
- Can someone decline coins? Some leaders prefer not to receive them. "Don't receive coins" handles it without awkwardness; the sender keeps their coins.
- Are there rewards you won't offer? Cash equivalents, alcohol, or anything that's awkward to tax. Say so up front.
- What if the budget runs out? The gift card balance can run low. Pulsido keeps approved requests waiting and alerts the reward admins; tell people that a delay is possible, rather than leaving them to wonder.
Sources and limits
The defaults in this template are Pulsido's, as of 7 November 2026. Tax treatment of employee rewards varies by country and is not covered here; check with your accountant or payroll provider before launch. For the budget side, see What does an employee rewards program cost?