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Mo Rewards Quick Guide For Reward Admins

Overview of the three-step setup process and reward programme structure

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

Understand how Mo Rewards works and the setup sequence for configuring your organisation's reward programme. This quick guide provides an overview - detailed instructions are available in the linked guides for each component.

⚠️ Note: You need Rewards Admin permissions in Mo to set up rewards.

Understanding the Rewards Structure

Mo Rewards uses a three-level hierarchy:

Level 1: Budgets

  • Overall budget containers for your organisations spending

  • Control total spending across multiple teams or regions

  • Set annual or ongoing budget limits

Level 2: Spending Pots

  • Subdivisions within budgets

  • Allocated to specific teams, managers, or departments

  • Control who can give rewards and how much they can spend

Level 3: Reward Types

  • Specific reward amounts and purposes

  • Defined within each spending pot

  • What colleagues can actually receive (e.g., £20 Great Work reward)

Important: Choose Your Reward System

Before setting up rewards, you must choose how rewards are valued in your organisation:

Currency Value System:

  • Rewards assigned as monetary amounts (e.g., £20, $25)

  • Colleagues redeem for actual currency value in store

  • Direct correlation to real money

  • Example: "Great Work" reward worth £20

Points System:

  • Rewards assigned as points (e.g., 100 points, 500 points)

  • Points can be redeemed in Mo store with point-to-currency conversion displayed

  • Flexible internal recognition currency

  • Example: "Great Work" reward worth 200 points

⚠️ Critical Decision: You must choose either currency or points for your entire Mo rewards programme. You cannot use both systems simultaneously.

Once configured (by your implementation coordinator at Mo), all reward types, budgets and spending pots will use your chosen system. Consider your organisation's recognition culture and preferences before deciding.


Setup Process Overview

Follow these three steps in order:

  1. Create Reward Types - Define specific reward amounts and purposes first

  2. Create Budgets - Set overall spending limits

  3. Create Spending Pots - Allocate budget to teams/managers and assign reward types

Why this order? You need reward types defined before creating spending pots, as you'll assign specific reward types to each spending pot during setup.


Step 1: Create Reward Types

What Reward Types Define

Reward Types are the specific rewards colleagues can receive:

  • Award name and purpose

  • Monetary value

  • When they should be used

Define these first as they'll be assigned to spending pots in Step 3.

Common Reward Type Examples

Recognition Rewards:

  • Employee of the Month - £50 credit

  • Team Player Award - £30 credit

  • Great Work - 500 points

Spot Rewards:

  • On the Spot Reward - £5 credit

  • Quick Thank You - £10 credit

  • Above and Beyond - 250 points

Achievement Rewards:

  • Project Completion - £40 credit

  • Sales Target Met - £35 credit

  • Innovation Award - 500 points

How to Create Reward Types

  1. Go to Rewards → Reward Types

  2. Click Create Reward Type

  3. Name the reward (e.g., "Employee of the Month")

  4. Set the value (e.g., £50, 500 points)

  5. Add description explaining when to use it

  6. Save the reward type

For detailed instructions, see Creating Reward Types.

Reward Type Strategy

Naming conventions:

  • Clear, descriptive names

  • Explain the purpose

  • Avoid internal jargon

  • Consistent across organisation

Value setting:

  • Range of amounts for different achievements

  • Balance between meaningful and affordable

  • Consider market rates for recognition

  • Review and adjust based on usage

Usage guidance:

  • Provide clear criteria for each reward type

  • Train managers on appropriate usage

  • Share examples of good recognition

  • Monitor for consistency


Step 2: Create Budgets

What Budgets Control

Budgets set the overall spending limits for your reward programme:

  • Total amount available for rewards

  • Time period (annual, ongoing, custom)

  • Which parts of the organisation can access funds

Common Budget Structures

By Geography:

  • UK Budget

  • US Budget

  • EMEA Budget

By Business Unit:

  • Retail Budget

  • Corporate Budget

  • Operations Budget

By Function:

  • Sales Budget

  • Customer Service Budget

  • All-Company Budget

How to Create a Budget

  1. Go to Rewards → Budgets

  2. Click Create Budget

  3. Name your budget (e.g., "UK Retail Budget")

  4. Set budget amount and time period

  5. Configure settings as needed

  6. Save the budget

For detailed instructions, see Creating a Budget.

Budget Planning Tips

Consider these factors:

  • Number of employees covered

  • Expected reward frequency

  • Average reward amounts (based on reward types created in Step 1)

  • Budget refresh cycle

  • Overall recognition programme goals


Step 3: Create Spending Pots

What Spending Pots Control

Spending Pots subdivide budgets and control:

  • Which employees can give rewards (e.g. managers)

  • How much each employee can spend

  • Which teams can receive rewards

  • Spending cycle timing

Common Spending Pot Structures

Regional Pots (within Geography Budget):

  • South East Region Spending Pot

  • South West Region Spending Pot

  • North Region Spending Pot

Departmental Pots (within Business Unit Budget):

  • Marketing Team Spending Pot

  • Sales Team Spending Pot

  • Operations Team Spending Pot

Manager Pots:

  • Individual pot for each team manager

  • Allows decentralised recognition

  • Manager controls their own budget

How to Create a Spending Pot

  1. Go to Rewards → Spending Pots

  2. Click Create Spending Pot

  3. Select parent budget (created in Step 2)

  4. Name the spending pot (e.g., "South East Region")

  5. Allocate budget amount from parent budget

  6. Assign reward types (created in Step 1) to this spending pot

  7. Add users who can give rewards from this pot

  8. Set cycle timing (monthly, quarterly, annual)

  9. Save the spending pot

Important: You'll select which reward types (from Step 1) are available in this spending pot during setup.

For detailed instructions, see Creating Spending Pots.

Spending Pot Best Practices

Allocation strategy:

  • Start with smaller amounts and increase based on usage

  • Consider team size and recognition culture

  • Balance between central control and manager (or employee) autonomy

  • Monitor spending patterns and adjust

User assignment:

  • Add team managers who should give rewards

  • Include HR for special recognition

  • Consider peer-to-peer reward capabilities

  • Review access quarterly


Mo Store Integration

How Colleagues Redeem Rewards

All rewards are redeemed through the Mo Store:

  • Partner brands like Amazon, ASOS, Deliveroo

  • Gift vouchers for popular retailers

  • Experience vouchers for activities

  • Custom rewards you create (optional)

No additional setup required - partner rewards are automatically available.

Custom Store (Optional)

Create organisation-specific rewards that reflect your company culture:

Custom reward examples:

  • Extra holiday day

  • Parking space for a month

  • Lunch with leadership

  • Company merchandise

  • Team event budget

Benefits of custom rewards:

  • Reflect company values and culture

  • Offer non-monetary benefits

  • Create unique recognition experiences

  • Increase programme appeal

For custom store setup, see Creating Custom Rewards.


After Setup: What Happens Next

For Colleagues with Spending Pot Access

Reward Issuers can:

  1. Create Moments recognising colleagues

  2. Attach monetary rewards to Moments

  3. Select from available reward types

  4. Track their spending against spending pot budget

For Colleagues Receiving Rewards

Recipients:

  1. Receive notification of reward

  2. View reward value in their account

  3. Browse Mo Store for redemption options

  4. Redeem rewards for vouchers or custom items

For Reward Admins

Reward Admins monitor:

  • Budget utilisation across organisation

  • Spending patterns by region/department

  • Reward type usage and popularity

  • Programme effectiveness and engagement


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