How to set up your Values and qualities

Values and qualities are at the heart of your Kudos program. They shape how recognition is given and help reinforce the culture you want to build. Setting them up ensures every recognition moment is meaningful, aligned, and tied to what matters most in your organization.

Each value is paired with specific qualities: behavioral traits or actions that bring the value to life. Admins can customize these to reflect their unique culture and reorder values to prioritize visibility or support internal campaigns (e.g., spelling an acronym). Whether you're defining your culture for the first time or refining it, setting up values and qualities is a key step to driving purposeful recognition.

For more guidance, check out our blog post: Choosing Strategic Core Values and Assigning Qualities

• Launching your Kudos program and defining your core cultural pillars
• Refreshing your recognition framework after a rebrand or cultural shift
• Creating values-based campaigns (e.g., monthly focus on one value)
• Making recognition more specific and actionable by pairing it with behaviors
• Encouraging consistent alignment across teams and leaders

Adding values & qualities

Values and Qualities are used when giving recognition and appear as short labels on recognition posts. Because they are selected quickly and displayed on the recognition wall, they should be concise and easy to scan. Avoid using long phrases or full descriptions, rather use the Value statement field to provide additional context if needed.

1. In the Admin menu, go to Platform setup > Values & qualities
2. Click + Add value
3. Enter the Value name
4. Select a colour
5. Add a Value statement that describes the meaning behind the value
6. Add the related Qualities that represent the behaviors and actions bringing this value to life
   • Example: Pair a “Collaboration” value with qualities like “Supportive,” “Openness,” or “Teamwork.”
7. Click Save
8. Repeat for each core value your organization wants to recognize (max. 12 qualities per value)

Note: The character limitation for both value and quality names is 50, so stick to 1–3 words to keep them clear and easy to select when giving recognition and awards.

Managing values & qualities

1. To edit a value or quality, click the three dots beside it and select Edit or Delete.
2. To reorder values, click the Reorder button in the top-right corner, then drag and drop them into your preferred order. This is useful for grouping similar values, prioritizing based on importance, or creating an acronym.

• Not sure where to start? Aim for 3–6 core values to keep recognition focused and easy to remember.
• Think of qualities as real-life behaviors: what does it look like when someone lives this value?
• Use clear and concise wording to helps users confidently pick the right option without overthinking
• Revisit values annually to make sure they still reflect your evolving culture.
• Align values with broader company goals to strengthen their strategic impact.
  
  Need inspiration? Here’s a proven 4-step framework to help you define strategic core values:
  1. Discover what your team already values by surveying employees or reviewing recognition data.
  2. Define a short, memorable list of values that reflect who you are and what you stand for.
  3. Describe each value clearly and link it with observable qualities or behaviors.
  4. Deploy the values across your programs, from recognition to onboarding to performance reviews.

Q: What’s the difference between a value and a quality?
A: A value represents a core belief, while qualities describe the specific behaviors that bring that value to life in day-to-day work.

Q: How many values should we set up?
A: We recommend starting with 3–6. Too many can dilute focus, and too few may not capture your full culture.

Q: Where should we explain what a value means?
A: Use the Value statement field to describe the intent and expected behaviors behind the value.

Q: Can I order my values in a specific order to reflect our brand?
A: Absolutely. Use the Reorder button to drag and drop them into a new order, great for seasonal campaigns or internal themes.

Q: Are values visible to employees?
A: Yes. They’ll see them during the recognition process and in reporting, so keep names and descriptions clear and inspiring.

Problem: Values/qualities aren’t appearing when sending recognition

• Ensure values have been created and saved
• Consider reordering or reducing the selection to make it easier for users to navigate

Problem: A quality was deleted by mistake

• There’s no undo, but you can recreate it by clicking Add value and re-adding the qualities

Problem: Team doesn’t understand how to use qualities

• Share examples during onboarding or in team meetings
• Highlight a different value + quality combo each month to build familiarity