Stadium first came to RiverWoods through Marketing, which introduced the platform for the company’s holiday gifting program. Employees received points to spend in a curated holiday shop, giving them a selection of branded items to choose from rather than the same gift for everyone.
As HR became familiar with Stadium, the team began seeing opportunities to use the platform beyond the holidays–and build recognition into more moments throughout the employee experience.
RiverWoods Group started with Stadium for holiday gifting. Then the team saw an opportunity to give employees more choice at other moments across the employee journey.
New hires were a natural next step. They had traditionally received a bag filled with branded items–a notebook, hat, water bottle, luggage tag, and more. Employees liked getting something, but with such a varied workforce, the same collection wasn’t meaningful to everyone.
RiverWoods Group kept a branded water bottle for day one, then introduced a Stadium award after a new hire’s first 90 days. Instead of receiving another collection of predetermined items, employees can choose something for themselves.
“I love that we can give employees choice when we want to, while still having branded options when that’s important to us.”
From there, RiverWoods Group expanded Stadium into another recognition moment: annual work anniversaries.
“We didn’t have an annual gift before Stadium. Once we saw how easy it could be, we decided to create one.”
By connecting Stadium with ADP, RiverWoods Group can automate new-hire and anniversary gifting using employee information already in its HRIS. And when awards go unused, the team can reclaim those points rather than leaving program funds sitting unredeemed.
“Being able to reclaim unredeemed points gives us more control over our budget and peace of mind that unused funds aren’t going to waste.”
The annual anniversary award has become one of RiverWoods Group’s biggest wins. Before Stadium, the organization didn’t have an annual gift for every employee. Now, employees receive a $30 Stadium award each year, creating a consistent recognition moment for everyone.
As recognition has expanded, the day-to-day work for HR hasn’t. New hire and anniversary programs can keep running without managing every send individually. “Connecting Stadium with our HR system was simple, and once everything is set up, the gifts just go out automatically.”
Recognition is also spreading beyond the programs HR initially planned. Managers now reach out when they want to recognize their teams, and some RiverWoods Group communities use Stadium awards as raffle prizes at quarterly all-staff meetings.
“Stadium started with our marketing team, and over time, other teams have found their own ways to use it. Turning to Stadium has become an organic process.”
RiverWoods Group
Kathryn Mears-Limric
Director of HR Ops & Risk Management
