Values-based recognition in Slack
Make company values visible in the work your team is already doing
Turn values from statements on a wall into specific examples people can notice, share, and learn from. Karl connects everyday Slack kudos to the behaviors your team wants to repeat.
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Values become useful when people can see them in action
A value is easier to remember when a teammate can point to a real decision, handoff, customer moment, or act of support that demonstrates it. Slack already contains that context. The recognition workflow simply makes the example easier to notice and share.
Keep the language concrete and the participation voluntary. Recognition should teach the behavior without turning a value into a quota or a popularity contest.
A simple values workflow
- 1. Choose the signal. Define what each value looks like in day-to-day work.
- 2. Recognize the behavior. Name what happened and why it mattered.
- 3. Tag the value. Give the example a shared language without forcing a script.
- 4. Review the stories. Use patterns to improve onboarding, prompts, and team rituals.
What Karl adds to a values program
Specific kudos
Keep the contribution and its impact attached to the recognition so the example is useful to everyone who sees it.
Values tagging
Give teammates a lightweight way to connect a kudos to the value or behavior it demonstrates.
Slack context
Recognize work in the channel where the launch, customer save, review, or handoff happened.
Participation signals
Review who is giving and receiving recognition without treating activity as a performance score.
Leaderboards with context
Use a time window or theme to create a ritual while keeping the underlying stories visible.
Custom language
Adapt recognition names, emojis, categories, and workflows to the program your team already understands.
Illustrative examples
Translate values into behaviors people can recognize
These are templates, not customer quotes. Adapt the wording to your own values and invite teammates to improve the examples after the first pilot.
Customer focus
Recognize the decision that made a customer handoff clearer or more helpful.
“Thanks for customer focus—you made the next step easier for the team.”
Ownership
Celebrate someone who noticed a gap, took responsibility, and closed the loop.
“Thanks for ownership—you made the next step easier for the team.”
Belonging
Notice the action that helped a new teammate contribute or made space for another voice.
“Thanks for belonging—you made the next step easier for the team.”
Launch a values pilot without making it a campaign
- Week 1: choose one channel, three values, and five example messages.
- Week 2: ask managers and champions to model specific recognition.
- After the pilot: review stories and participation before expanding.
Read the practical guide to launching recognition in Slack, then explore the older guidance on using company values to inspire a team.
Need a branded values program?
Karl can support custom recognition names, values, emojis, channels, and reporting when a standard workflow is not enough.
Frequently asked questions
How do you use company values in Slack?+
Choose a small set of observable behaviors for each value, then let teammates connect specific kudos to those examples in the Slack channels where work already happens. Review the stories periodically and refine the prompts.
How many company values should we start with?+
Start with the few values your team can explain with real examples. Three to five values is usually easier to teach and recognize than a long list, and you can expand after the first pilot.
Can we customize the values and recognition language?+
Yes. Karl supports values, categories, recognition wording, and custom Slack recognition programs so the workflow can match the language your team already uses.
Make recognition part of the workday.
Start with the Slack workflow your team already uses, then measure the habits that grow from it.