From Colleagues to a Community: How an EdTech Company Created 100+ Moments of Appreciation in 5 Days

A HiFives Employee Case Study

A strong workplace is built not only through shared goals, but also through the relationships employees develop while pursuing them.

A leading edtech company used HiFives to transform World Friendship Day into an opportunity for employees to appreciate the colleagues who make work more enjoyable, collaborative, and meaningful.

Its week-long “Friends @ Work” campaign generated more than 100 peer recognition badges and over 150 likes and comments in just five days.

About the Organization

The company is a leading edtech organization with more than 400 employees. Its multidisciplinary workforce includes researchers, designers, software engineers, and program managers who collaborate to develop and deliver innovative learning solutions.

With employees contributing across highly specialized roles, collaboration and strong interpersonal relationships are essential to the organization’s success.

Building a Comprehensive Recognition Program with HiFives

The company uses HiFives, a leading global employee rewards and recognition platform, to digitize and manage its employee rewards and recognition program.

The program includes:

• Instant spot recognition
• Quarterly employee awards
• Annual employee awards

Through HiFives, the company manages the complete recognition journey using:

• Digital recognition badges
• Personalized e-certificates
• Reward points
• Redemption through e-gift cards
• A company-wide digital Wall of Fame
• Recognition leaderboards
• Award nominations
• Multilevel approval workflows
• Jury-based evaluation

The platform enables the company to combine everyday appreciation with structured formal awards within a unified employee recognition experience.

The Opportunity: Celebrating the Friendships That Make Work Meaningful

Formal awards are important for recognizing exceptional performance. However, some of the most valuable workplace contributions happen informally.

• A colleague who is always available to help.
• A teammate who makes difficult days easier.
• A trusted coworker who has become a friend beyond the workplace.

On the occasion of World Friendship Day, the company wanted to celebrate these relationships and give employees a simple, engaging way to express their appreciation.

The result was “Friends @ Work”, a special peer-to-peer recognition campaign powered by HiFives.

How the “Friends @ Work” Campaign Worked

The campaign ran for five days and was open to employees across the organization.

Employees could visit the HiFives platform, select a themed digital badge, and share it with a colleague along with a personal message.

The campaign featured five relatable badge categories:

• Workplace Bestie for the colleague who makes every workday better
• Bond Beyond Work for a relationship that extends beyond professional responsibilities
• My Go-To Guy for the dependable colleague employees can always approach
• Always There for someone who consistently offers support
• Coffee Buddy for the colleague behind memorable conversations and refreshing breaks

These light-hearted but meaningful categories made appreciation easy, personal, and relevant to employees’ everyday experiences.

Each recognition appeared on the HiFives digital Wall of Fame, where colleagues could like and comment on the posts. This transformed individual appreciation into a visible, organization-wide celebration of workplace camaraderie.

The Results

The campaign generated strong participation within a short period:

• 100+ recognition badges shared in five days

Employees actively appreciated colleagues across the company through Friendship Day-themed digital badges.

• 150+ likes and comments

Recognition posts sparked conversations and social interactions on the digital Wall of Fame, extending the reach of each appreciation moment.

• Stronger interpersonal connections

The campaign encouraged employees to acknowledge the people who support, motivate, and positively influence their working lives.

• A greater sense of belonging

By making workplace relationships visible and valued, the initiative helped employees feel more connected to their colleagues and the organization.

Impact of the Campaign

The success of “Friends @ Work” came from combining thoughtful campaign design with an accessible digital experience.

1. It was timely

Connecting the campaign with World Friendship Day gave employees a natural reason to reflect on and celebrate their workplace relationships.

2. It was inclusive

Every employee could participate by recognizing a colleague, regardless of role, seniority, or function.

3. It was easy to understand

The familiar badge categories helped employees quickly identify the right form of appreciation for each colleague.

4. It made recognition visible

The Wall of Fame amplified individual messages and allowed the broader workforce to join each celebration.

5. It encouraged social interaction

Likes and comments turned recognition into a shared experience rather than a private exchange.

6. It focused on relationships, not rewards

The campaign demonstrated that meaningful recognition does not always require a monetary incentive. A thoughtful message delivered at the right moment can create a powerful emotional impact.

Key Takeaways

Employee engagement campaigns do not always need to be complex or expensive.

When organizations combine a relevant occasion, relatable recognition themes, peer participation, and social visibility, even a short campaign can generate meaningful engagement.

With “Friends @ Work”, the company went beyond celebrating Friendship Day. It created an opportunity for employees to acknowledge the relationships that make collaboration easier, work more enjoyable, and the organization more connected.

HiFives helped transform those everyday relationships into more than 100 visible moments of appreciation in just five days.

Because when employees appreciate not only what their colleagues accomplish, but also who they are, recognition becomes a powerful driver of connection, camaraderie, and belonging.