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Group Options for Reward Automation

Target automated rewards to specific employee groups

Tahera Barok McArthur avatar
Written by Tahera Barok McArthur
Updated this week

Configure automated occasion rewards to send to specific departments, locations, or custom groups rather than your entire organisation. Use group options to create targeted, relevant recognition programmes.

Purpose: Enable precise control over who receives automated rewards based on organisational structure and employee data.

⚠️ Note: You need Rewards Admin permissions to configure group options for automated rewards.

Understanding Group Options

What Are Group Options?

When setting up automated rewards, you can choose recipients:

Everyone:

  • All colleagues with occasion dates in Mo

  • Organisation-wide recognition

  • Single automation covers entire workforce

Customise by Groups:

  • Specific departments, locations, or teams

  • Targeted based on your Mo group structure

  • Multiple automations for different populations

Why Use Group Options?

Benefits of group-based automation:

  • Different rewards by seniority or role - Higher values for leadership

  • Regional variations - Different currencies or values by location

  • Department-specific recognition - Tailored messages for different teams

  • Budget control - Separate budgets for different groups

  • Cultural relevance - Location-appropriate rewards

  • Pilot programmes - Test with specific groups before organisation-wide rollout

How Group Options Work

Group Data in Mo

Group options use your organisation's Mo group structure:

  • Departments - Sales, Marketing, Engineering, HR

  • Locations - London, New York, Remote, Regional offices

  • Job Titles - Manager, Director, Individual Contributor

  • Custom Groups - Any groups you've configured in Mo

For setting up groups, see Managing User Groups.

Matching Logic

Mo matches colleagues to automations based on their group assignments:

  • Colleague must have the occasion (birthday or work anniversary)

  • Colleague must belong to the specified group(s)

  • If matches both criteria, automated reward is sent

  • If doesn't match, no reward sent from that automation

Example:

  • Automation: Birthday rewards for "London" location

  • Colleague A: Birthday today, assigned to "London" → Receives reward

  • Colleague B: Birthday today, assigned to "New York" → Doesn't receive this reward

Configuring Group Options

Accessing Group Options

When creating or editing an automated reward:

  1. Go to Rewards AdminReward Automation

  2. Click Set up an automation (or edit existing)

  3. Navigate to Section 1: Automation Settings

  4. Find "Who should receive it?" option

Selecting Recipients

Option 1: Everyone

  • Select "Everyone" radio button

  • All colleagues with occasion dates receive the reward

  • Simplest configuration

  • Single automation for entire organisation

Option 2: Customise

  • Select "Customise" option

  • Additional fields appear for group selection

  • Choose specific groups to target

  • Can select multiple criteria

Selecting Groups

When customise is selected:

Choose Group Category: Select which type of group to filter by:

  • Department

  • Location

  • Job Title

  • Any custom group categories in your Mo

Select Specific Groups: Choose which groups within that category:

  • Select one or multiple groups

  • Use checkboxes or dropdown (depending on interface)

  • Can combine multiple groups

Example configurations:

Single group:

  • Category: Location

  • Selection: "London"

  • Result: Only London office colleagues

Multiple groups:

  • Category: Department

  • Selection: "Sales", "Marketing"

  • Result: Sales and Marketing department colleagues

Combination (if supported):

  • Category 1: Location = "UK"

  • Category 2: Department = "Sales"

  • Result: UK-based Sales colleagues only

Setting Up Group-Based Automations

Strategy for Multiple Groups

Approach 1: Separate Automations per Group

Create individual automations for each group:

  • Birthday Automation - London Office

  • Birthday Automation - New York Office

  • Birthday Automation - Remote Team

Benefits:

  • Different budgets per group

  • Different reward values

  • Customised messages

  • Clear separation and reporting

Example:

Automation 1:
- Name: "Birthday Rewards - London"
- Occasion: Birthdays - Group: Location = London
- Reward: £25 Birthday Reward
- Budget: UK Office Budget

Automation 2:
- Name: "Birthday Rewards
- New York" - Occasion: Birthdays
- Group: Location = New York
- Reward: $30 Birthday Reward
- Budget: US Office Budget

Approach 2: Combined Groups in One Automation

Include multiple groups in single automation:

  • Select multiple groups from same category

  • Same reward and budget for all selected groups

  • Simpler management with fewer automations

When to use:

  • Same reward value appropriate for all groups

  • Consistent recognition approach

  • Smaller organisation

  • Simplified administration

Department-Based Automation

Common use case: Different rewards by department

Setup example:

Sales Team Birthdays:

  • Group: Department = "Sales"

  • Reward: £30 (or 300 points)

  • Message: "Happy Birthday! Thanks for driving our revenue. Celebrate!"

  • Budget: Sales Department Budget

Engineering Team Birthdays:

  • Group: Department = "Engineering"

  • Reward: £25 (or 250 points)

  • Message: "Happy Birthday! Keep building amazing things. Enjoy!"

  • Budget: Engineering Budget

Location-Based Automation

Common use case: Regional recognition programmes

Setup example:

UK Offices:

  • Group: Location = "London", "Manchester", "Birmingham"

  • Reward: £25 Birthday Reward

  • Budget: UK Recognition Budget

  • Currency: GBP

US Offices:

  • Group: Location = "New York", "San Francisco", "Chicago"

  • Reward: $30 Birthday Reward

  • Budget: US Recognition Budget

  • Currency: USD

Remote Employees:

  • Group: Location = "Remote"

  • Reward: £25 or equivalent in their currency

  • Budget: Remote Team Budget

Seniority-Based Automation

Common use case: Tiered anniversary rewards

Setup example:

5-Year Work Anniversaries - All Employees:

  • Group: Everyone

  • Occasion: Work Anniversary (year 5)

  • Reward: £50 (or 500 points)

10-Year Work Anniversaries - All Employees:

  • Group: Everyone

  • Occasion: Work Anniversary (year 10)

  • Reward: £100 (or 1000 points)


Best Practices for Group Options

Planning Your Group Strategy

Before setting up automations:

  1. Audit your groups - Ensure all colleagues assigned correctly

  2. Define recognition philosophy - Who gets what and why

  3. Budget by group - Allocate funds appropriately

  4. Test with pilot group - Validate before full rollout

  5. Document your approach - Record decisions for consistency

Group Data Accuracy

Critical for success:

  • Keep group assignments current

  • Update when colleagues change roles or locations

  • Regular audits of group data

  • Process for new hires to be assigned groups

  • Review before launching automations

Consequences of inaccurate data:

  • Colleagues miss rewards they should receive

  • Wrong colleagues receive rewards

  • Budget allocated incorrectly

  • Recognition programme credibility damaged

Automation Naming Conventions

Clear, descriptive names:

  • Include occasion type: "Birthday" or "Work Anniversary"

  • Include group: "London Office" or "Sales Team"

  • Include year if relevant: "2025 Birthday Programme"

Good examples:

  • "Birthday Rewards - London Office"

  • "Work Anniversary - Sales Department"

  • "5 Year Anniversary - All Staff"

  • "Birthday Rewards - Remote Team"

Avoid:

  • "Automation 1"

  • "Test"

  • "Rewards"

  • Generic names without context

Budget Allocation

Strategic considerations:

Separate budgets per group:

  • Clearer cost tracking

  • Different funding sources possible

  • Independent budget management

  • Easier financial reporting

Example structure:

Budget: UK Birthday Programme
├── Spending Pot: London Birthday Rewards
├── Spending Pot: Manchester Birthday Rewards
└── Spending Pot: Remote UK Birthday Rewards


Budget: US Birthday Programme
├── Spending Pot: New York Birthday Rewards
├── Spending Pot: SF Birthday Rewards
└── Spending Pot: Remote US Birthday Rewards

Message Personalisation

Tailor messages to groups:

By department:

  • Sales: Reference targets, deals, customer impact

  • Engineering: Reference building, innovation, technical work

  • HR: Reference people, culture, team support

By location:

  • Include location-specific references

  • Consider cultural norms and preferences

  • Use appropriate language and tone

By seniority:

  • Junior: Encourage growth and development

  • Senior: Acknowledge leadership and experience

Executive: Recognise strategic impact



Managing Multiple Group-Based Automations

Organisation and Tracking

Automation inventory:

  • Maintain list of all active automations

  • Document which groups covered

  • Track budget allocation per automation

  • Note any gaps in coverage

Ensure complete coverage:

  • Every colleague should be in at least one automation

  • No groups accidentally excluded

  • Overlap intentional if it exists

  • Regular review of coverage

Avoiding Duplication

Colleague in multiple groups:

Scenario: Colleague is in both "London" and "Sales" groups

If you have:

  • Birthday Automation 1: Location = London

  • Birthday Automation 2: Department = Sales

Result: Colleague could receive two birthday rewards

Solutions:

  • Design mutually exclusive automations

  • Prioritise one automation over another

  • Accept duplication if intentional

  • Use more specific group combinations

Monitoring and Adjustment

Regular reviews:

  • Monthly: Check automation log for sends

  • Quarterly: Review group membership accuracy

  • Annually: Assess overall programme effectiveness

  • As needed: Adjust based on organisational changes

Key metrics to track:

  • Rewards sent per group

  • Budget utilisation by automation

  • Coverage percentage by group

  • Colleague feedback by group


Troubleshooting Group Options

Colleagues Not Receiving Automated Rewards

Check group assignment:

  • Verify colleague is assigned to the target group

  • Check if group name matches exactly

  • Confirm group assignment is active

Review colleague's profile in Mo

Check automation configuration:

  • Verify correct group selected in automation

  • Ensure automation is toggled ON

  • Check budget hasn't been exhausted

  • Review automation log for errors

Solutions:

  • Update colleague's group assignment

  • Correct automation group selection

  • Ensure data synchronisation complete

  • Contact support if issues persist

Wrong Colleagues Receiving Rewards

Possible causes:

  • Incorrect group assignments in Mo

  • Automation targeting wrong group

  • Multiple automations with overlap

  • Data import or sync errors

Resolution:

  • Audit group assignments for accuracy

  • Review automation configuration

  • Check for unintended automation overlaps

  • Correct data and adjust settings

Groups Not Appearing in Dropdown

Common issues:

  • Groups not configured in Mo

  • Group category not set up

  • User doesn't have permission to see groups

  • System sync delay

Solutions:

  • Verify groups exist in Mo user management

  • Check group configuration settings

  • Confirm Rewards Admin permissions

  • Wait for system sync and retry

Automation Sending to Wrong Group

Verification steps:

  • Check automation configuration details

  • Review which group is actually selected

  • Verify colleague group assignments

  • Check automation log for details

Correction:

  • Edit automation to select correct group

  • Update and save changes

  • Monitor next execution to confirm fix

  • Review past sends if need

Related Guides:

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