Great managers don't wait for performance reviews to lead. They coach in real time—celebrating what's working and guiding their teams toward what's next.
Bonusly is built to support exactly that. It turns everyday recognition into a continuous performance platform that transforms how managers connect with their teams. From peer recognition to 1:1s and goals, Bonusly helps managers stay connected to their teams and confident in their leadership.
Here's how we're helping managers become unstoppable: one piece of recognition and insight at a time.
It all starts with recognition
Employee recognition is your clearest performance signal—and with Bonusly, it becomes the starting point for better management. Our platform helps managers spot what's working in real time, so they can turn those moments into momentum for even better work ahead.
The recognition feed functions like a live dashboard of team success, showing exactly who's being recognized and why. Bonusly nudges managers to notice the behaviors and habits fueling success, celebrate them openly, and reinforce them in the moment. It's a simple but powerful way to set and raise the bar through positive reinforcement.
Because Bonusly's recognition is backed by points-based rewards, employees get something tangible to match the appreciation, too. Those points can be redeemed in a global reward catalog with thousands of options, ensuring every recognition feels meaningful to the person receiving it.
Here's where it gets strategic: Bonusly's incentives make it easy for managers to connect recognition to specific goals and priorities. Whether it's driving participation in a training program or boosting customer satisfaction scores, managers can create custom incentives that award points for actions that matter most.
By tying recognition to strategic objectives, managers reinforce the right behaviors and create a feedback loop where achievement drives recognition and recognition drives even more achievement.
It starts with recognition, but it doesn't stop there
As noted above, recognition is your earliest, clearest signal of success. With Bonusly, managers see their teams' wins—and are prompted to build on them.
Think about it like this: every shout-out, goal update, and values-aligned action becomes a data point. Bonusly collects those signals and, with the help of AI, uses it to surface what matters most:
- Recognition feeds are automatically included in manager 1:1s
- Top examples of values-driven behavior are highlighted for easy coaching
- Weekly snapshots summarize performance signals across recognition, check-ins, and goal progress
This kind of clarity is especially critical now. Gallup reports that only 32% of U.S. employees are currently engaged at work—a stagnation that reflects deeper breakdowns in connection and motivation. Recognition alone won't solve it, but when it's tied to growth and performance, it becomes a powerful lever for engagement.
No more guessing what to talk about in 1:1s
Most managers spend too little time preparing for 1:1s, if they prepare at all. Bonusly empowers managers to be more efficient with their time, transforming those meetings into high-impact touchpoints.
Each 1:1 in Bonusly comes pre-populated with everything a manager needs to lead with confidence:
- Recent recognition moments and peer feedback
- Weekly pulse check-in results (employee ratings plus context)
- Smart conversation starters powered by past meeting notes, goals, and recognition history
- A scrollable feed of each employee's updates, feedback, goals, and meeting transcripts
These meetings matter more than many leaders realize. Gallup research shows that employees who receive meaningful feedback are four times more likely to be engaged—and that 86% of highly engaged companies use regular 1:1s.
Too often, these meetings feel unstructured or unproductive. Bonusly helps managers deliver the kind of coaching employees actually want to show up for.
It gives managers visibility into what's working—and what's not
Managers can't support what they can't see. Bonusly brings performance visibility into the flow of daily work without the need for spreadsheets or complex systems.
Signals from across Bonusly—recognition, check-ins, feedback, goals—are unified into one continuous view of each team member. Weekly recaps help managers spot early issues and performance patterns without needing a full report.
That's a critical shift. Once- or twice-a-year reviews can't replace weekly feedback. Visibility is what makes real-time coaching and course correction possible.
Coaching becomes part of the daily workflow
Coaching doesn't have to be a siloed experience filled with long, arduous feedback sessions. In fact, the best managers guide in the moment—consistently and clearly.
The problem therein lies: most managers struggle with when and how to provide meaningful feedback. They either wait too long between touchpoints or lack the context to make their guidance actually helpful. Traditional performance management leaves managers flying blind between formal reviews.
Bonusly makes continuous coaching possible with:
- AI-powered coaching prompts linked to recent recognition or check-in results
- Contextual nudges that highlight recent wins, blockers, or goal activity
- Feedback tools that make it easy to request or give input anytime
Instead of guessing what to focus on, managers have real-time insights that help them coach with confidence and clarity.
Goals are finally seen and acted on
Setting goals is the easy part. Sticking with them week after week is where most managers (and employees!) struggle. Too often, managers “set ’em and forget ’em” instead of weaving in work that actively builds toward team objectives.
This reflects a common breakdown. According to McKinsey, many employees set goals at the start of the year and promptly forget them—only to realize during reviews that those goals are out of date or now irrelevant to their current work. Bonusly makes goals dynamic and deeply tied to the reality of the work happening now.
You can:
- Link goals to recognition, 1:1 notes, and company initiatives
- Track progress and blockers over time
- Get nudges to coach when someone's making progress or falling behind
When employees are engaged in their growth, they perform better. But many employees feel demotivated when their goals are simply assigned without context or connection to strategy. Bonusly helps bridge that gap, bringing ownership and purpose to every conversation.
Bonusly turns recognition into impact
The beauty of Bonusly is that it doesn't ask managers to overhaul their workflows. Rather, it enhances what they're already doing. Recognition becomes the connective tissue between feedback, goals, and performance.
Perks and prizes are nice, but the strongest motivation comes from being seen and set up to succeed. Bonusly links recognition to performance, with coaching and goal-setting happening alongside praise so employees see exactly how their work supports company priorities.
It's a single, engaging platform that keeps your teams aligned, your managers equipped to lead, and your employees driven by ownership and purpose.
When recognition drives performance—and performance is continuous—great results will always follow.
