Heineken is a leading global consumer goods company with a diverse workforce spread across the world. Its employees span a wide range of roles, from office-based support teams and field sales staff to frontline operators working in its breweries. This diversity means any recognition strategy needs to work for everyone, not just desk workers. Heineken had been running a recognition program called "My Recognition," but feedback from their annual engagement survey revealed a significant gap. With a People Cabinet made up of senior leaders across the business, Heineken was committed to creating a workplace where employees felt genuinely valued and appreciated for their contributions.
Heineken’s existing recognition program offered only 40 prizes of of total of ₹1.2 lakh to a workforce of 2,400. Do the math - that's less than 2% of employees getting formally recognised each year. The engagement survey results told the real story. When asked "I receive recognition when I do a good job," less than 20% of employees responded positively. Employees weren't shy about what they wanted either: recognition throughout the year, appreciation for going the extra mile, consistent and fair management of recognition, and a way to share and celebrate success across the company. The team needed to work within their existing budget to create a program that recognized more employees for the same amount of money. That's not easy. Add to that a diverse population spread across offices, fields, and breweries - they needed a strategy that offered something for everyone. They also had to gain consensus and support from a wide range of stakeholders in a large business. Their objectives were clear: move away from large awards for few to smaller awards for many, make recognition timely, provide recognition that could apply to all staff, protect localized recognition strategies, and maximize value from their existing budget. The challenge wasn't just about spending money differently - it was about fundamentally rethinking how recognition worked at Heineken.
Heineken didn't guess what employees wanted - they collected feedback from their engagement survey and their People Cabinet. Then they partnered with Edenred to build something new – adopting the Edenred Engagement Platform. The new strategy featured multiple levels of awards to recognise different levels of achievement, a variety of award "experiences," and linked everything to Heineken's values to drive the right behaviours. Edenred's platform brought it all together with seamless single sign-on access. The team settled on a budget of Rs. 6000 per reward, prorated by function, supporting their aim of managing regular and meaningful recognition fairly and consistently. They called it "BREWards" (a cheeky and fun take on Heineken Brews and Rewards)- and gave it imaginative, Heineken-relevant titles throughout. The platform enabled three tiers of recognition: eCards for peer-to-peer appreciation (non-monetary), Cheers! instant awards of Rs. 6k for quick wins, and Inspiring People Awards (IPAs) for standout contributions worth 10k to 1 Lakhs. Edenred's platform made it possible to support three distinct user groups - employees, People Managers, and Recognition Champions (ambassadors) - with guidelines, how-to videos, and training materials. The launch reached Heineken's diverse workforce through multiple channels: emails, social media posts, posters, screensavers, plasma screens, text messages, and monthly business updates.
At Edenred India, we blend innovation, trust, and impact to help organizations unlock value—one reward, one recognition, and one employee at a time.
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