Question 1

What makes a Nomination award different from a Spot Award?

Accepted Answer

Spot Awards are instant: no approval needed. Nominations are for higher-value awards that carry more weight and require human review before going out. A nominator submits with a message and evidence, an approver reviews it, and the award only goes live after sign-off. This makes the recognition more credible and the budget better governed.

Question 2

How does the approval workflow work?

Accepted Answer

When a nomination is submitted, it routes to the approver designated at submission time. That approver can approve (advancing to the next level if multi-level is configured), decline with a mandatory reason, or message the nominator directly to request a stronger message or more evidence. The final approver in the chain also selects which budget the award points draw from. Nominators can track status (Awaiting Review, Approved, or Declined) in real time from Recognition History.

Question 3

What does Empuls AI do for approvers?

Accepted Answer

Empuls AI surfaces smart insights alongside each pending nomination. It analyses contribution patterns, peer recognition signals, and recognition gaps, then indicates whether the nomination aligns with the nominee's recent impact. If someone has had no recognition in 8 weeks despite high output, Empuls AI flags it. This helps approvers make more confident, equitable decisions faster, without having to investigate independently.

Question 4

How does AI help nominators write better messages?

Accepted Answer

The nomination form includes an 'Improve with AI' button. The nominator writes a rough note, even just a sentence, and Empuls AI rewrites it into a substantive message that captures business impact, context, and appropriate tone. The nominator can edit it further. Alternatively, Empuls AI can generate a certificate message separately once the award is approved.

Question 5

Can nominations be configured differently for each award?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Each award is configured independently by HR admins. You set the nomination window, the number of approval levels, the approvers or approver roles, point values (fixed or variable), whether self-nominations are allowed, eligibility restrictions by department or level, and up to 20 custom questions specific to that award. Two awards can have entirely different workflows running in parallel.

Question 6

What supporting evidence can nominators attach?

Accepted Answer

Nominators can attach up to 5 files per nomination: PDFs, DOCs, PPTs, XLS/CSV spreadsheets, or PNG/JPG images. These appear alongside the message in the approver's review view. Attaching project reports, peer feedback, or data screenshots is a best practice that significantly improves approval rates.

Question 7

Can an approver edit the message before approving?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Approvers can edit the message provided by the nominator before approving and passing it to the next level. This is useful when the nominator has the right intent but the language needs to be more formal or specific. Any edits are logged for audit purposes.

Nomination programs, built to scale

How nomination-based awards work on Empuls

Eligible nominators submit, guided by Empuls AI

Eligible nominators submit, guided by Empuls AI

Approver gets full context with AI-powered insights

Points credited, certificate generated, company celebrates

Everything you need to run nomination programs at scale

Approve or decline nominations in seconds

Know exactly which nominations to prioritise

Design the approval chain your program needs

Full pipeline visibility for HR teams

Capture the context that makes nominations credible

Back every nomination with proof

Nominations reach approvers where they already are

Frequently asked questions