As a platform admin, setting up birthday award automation is an easy way to automate a recurring task. Whether you provide a monetary award or simply send a celebratory email, the automation handles it for you. You can also schedule a manager notification to be sent on or before the employee's birthday, ensuring the manager is aware of the upcoming event.
Note: If employees wish to opt out of birthday recognitions, they must follow the instructions in the "Opting Out of Birthday Recognitions" article. Once an employee opts out, administrators and managers cannot see the employee's birthdate in their account. This action can be reversed by the employee if desired.
- Creating a Birthday Awards Recognition Program
- Accessing Birthday Awards Automation
- Default Settings
- Adding/Editing Rules
- Launching Birthday Awards Automation
- Upload CSV
Creating a Birthday Awards Recognition Program
Before you begin, create a "placeholder" recognition program. This ensures clean reporting that accurately reflects recognitions sent through the birthday awards automation. To set up a Birthday recognition program:
- Select the “Admin” button at the bottom of the left navigation menu.
- From the left navigation menu, select “Recognition,” "Programs," then "Recognition Programs.”
- Select "Create Automated Program" on the Recognition Program settings page.
- Enter the program name (e.g., "Birthdays"), program type ("Birthday"), and Award Network (the network of redemption options available for points earned through birthdays).
- Click "Create Program."
You are now ready to set up the birthday automation.
Accessing Birthday Awards Automation
To access Birthday Awards Automation settings:
- Select the “Admin” button at the bottom of the left navigation menu.
- From the left navigation menu, select “Recognition,” "Programs," then "Birthday Awards.”
Default Settings
Before adding new rules, adjust the default settings. To configure default settings, click the "Default Settings" button. These settings apply to all birthday award rules unless overridden by the CSV upload feature.
General
- From: Select the user from which the recognition will come (usually a general recognition account) or check the "From Supervisor" option to have the recognition come from each award recipient's direct supervisor.
- Note: Enter a message to be displayed with the recognition. Depending on your email template configuration, this note may be sent directly to the employee's inbox. While notes are typically short, you can include a longer message (up to 1000 characters).
- Visibility: Choose whether the recognition is visible on the social feed or private using this dropdown menu. We recommend making recognitions public so all birthdays can be acknowledged.
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Program Name: Designate the program under which the award is submitted using this dropdown menu. Selecting a program is optional but provides consistent reporting and can restrict awards to specific award networks. To create an automated recognition program:
- Go to Recognition Program Settings.
- Click "Create Automated Program."
- Name the program, select the program type and Award Network, and click "Submit."
- Budget: Select the budget from which points will be drawn using the dropdown menu.
Click "Save."
Notifications
- Send Notification Time: Select the time the birthday notification is sent to the recipient. The timezone for each employee is based on their associated country code in the user file. Refer to the country code spreadsheet to determine the appropriate timezone. Check the box if you want notifications sent on Saturdays and Sundays. If selected and the birth date falls on a weekend, the notification will be sent on the preceding weekday.
- Send Based on: Choose to send the award on the user's birthday, the Monday before the birthday, or the first day of the birthday month.
- Send Employee Notification: Enable this option to send a notification to the birthday award recipient. Then, select the email template used to notify the recipient from the dropdown menu. Verify the desired email template by selecting the "Manage Email Templates" option.
- Send Manager Notification: Enable this option to send a notification to the birthday award recipient's manager. Then, select the email template used to notify the manager from the dropdown menu. Verify the desired email template by selecting the "Manage Email Templates" option. Next, set the notification timing for the manager using the "Notification Timing" field. Entering "0" sends the manager notification email on the recipient's birthday.
Click "Save.”
Exclusions
Enable the "Exclusions" setting to make specific groups or individuals ineligible for birthday awards. Then, enter the individuals or metadata values to exclude.
Click "Save."
Adding/Editing Rules
To add a birthday award rule, click the "Add Rule" button. Enter the award amount. If applicable, enter a metadata value in the "Eligible Metadata" field to specify who is eligible for the award. Click "Save."
The saved rule appears on the Birthday Awards automation page. Click the pencil icon to edit the rule, the pages icon to copy the rule, and the trash can icon to delete the rule.
Launching Birthday Awards Automation
To launch the Birthday Awards automation, click the "Launch Now" button. To schedule the launch for a future date, click the "Schedule Launch" link and select a start date.
To deactivate the Birthday Awards automation, click "Show Advanced Settings" on the Birthday Awards automation page and select "Deactivate Birthday Awards."
Upload CSV
You can configure birthday award automation using a CSV file. To do this, click "Upload CSV" and download the provided template. Reference this support article to assist you with filling out and uploading the file.
Configuring birthday award automation with a CSV file is helpful when you need Default Settings to vary for each birthday recognition. For example, you can assign different senders for different meta groups, customize messages, adjust visibility, and set unique budgets.
If you have any questions, please contact Awardco Admin Support.