How DaVinci Keeps Its Culture-First Approach Alive in a Remote Environment with Nectar

Challenges

Maintaining Culture in a Remote Environment

“When we went fully remote in 2022, we lost those spontaneous celebrations and in-person interactions that made our culture special. We were known as the ‘culture fairies’ and we needed to find a way to keep that magic alive virtually.”

Lack of Daily Recognition Opportunities

“In the office, we could celebrate wins immediately and show appreciation in real-time. When everyone went remote, those moments disappeared. We needed a way to make recognition visible and meaningful again.”

Onboarding New Hires Without Physical Presence

“Bringing new people into our culture was challenging when they’d never stepped foot in our office. We wanted them to feel connected to the team from day one, but it was hard to create that sense of belonging remotely.”

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Solutions

Daily Recognition Became Part of Company Culture

“Nectar gave us a platform where recognition happens naturally. Every day, team members are giving shoutouts, celebrating wins, and acknowledging each other’s hard work. It’s visible to everyone, which creates this ripple effect of positivity throughout the company.”

Integrated Onboarding Creates Immediate Connection

“We’ve integrated Nectar into our onboarding process from day one. New hires immediately start receiving recognition and can participate in challenges. It helps them feel like part of the team right away, even though they’re remote. The 30-day onboarding milestone is particularly meaningful—it’s a celebration that everyone can see and join in on.”

Company-Wide Visibility Amplifies Impact

“When someone gets recognized, it’s not just between two people—the whole company sees it. This creates a culture of appreciation where good work is celebrated publicly. It’s motivated people to not only do great work but to recognize others more frequently.”

Challenges Feature Drives Team Engagement

“We use the Challenges feature to create fun, engaging activities that get everyone involved. Whether it’s fitness challenges, creative competitions, or team-building exercises, these challenges have brought back that fun, collaborative spirit we had in the office. People love participating and competing in a friendly way.”

Real Rewards Drive Meaningful Participation

“The fact that employees can redeem their points for real rewards—gift cards, company swag, Amazon purchases—makes the recognition tangible. It’s not just virtual praise; it translates into something they actually value. This has driven incredible adoption across the company.”

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How DaVinci Uses Nectar: Real Examples

Custom Reward: Incentive PTO

“The Custom Rewards feature has been a game-changer for us. We created Incentive PTO rewards in 2, 4, and 8-hour increments so employees—especially new hires with limited PTO—can earn additional time off through recognition. In 2025 alone, employees have already redeemed 3,378 hours of PTO. That’s real time off that employees have earned through their hard work and peer recognition.”

Managers Recognizing Excellence

“We see a lot of managers giving shoutouts to employees who earn perfect attendance or perfect call monitoring scores. It’s nice to see that extra recognition and incentive points when employees are working hard to exceed our expectations. This visible appreciation from leadership makes a huge difference in employee morale.”

Wellness Challenges Drive Healthy Habits

“We have the most participation on our two wellness challenges: ‘Exercise 30 minutes a day’ and ‘Walking 10K steps in a day.’ These challenges not only promote healthy habits but also create friendly competition and camaraderie among team members, even when we’re all working remotely.”

Celebrating Work Anniversaries Company-Wide

“Employee work anniversaries are one of the most common reasons for recognition in Nectar. We send out an email when someone has an anniversary, and then it’s fun to see the Nectar feed fill up with shoutouts to that person. I also personally send a shoutout to everyone on their work anniversary. It creates this beautiful moment where the whole company comes together to celebrate someone’s contribution and tenure.”

Monthly Manager Challenge: Cross-Department Recognition

“We recently started a manager challenge that is ongoing each month. Managers earn points for having an ongoing shoutout streak, and we encourage them to send a shoutout to someone different every week. We’ve received really good feedback on this challenge and it’s improved morale and overall recognition between all departments. It’s nice to see managers recognizing employees from other departments. It makes those employees feel seen and valued.”

“Without looking into exact numbers, I truly believe implementing Nectar has been a good investment for the company. It allows us to still keep culture and recognition top of mind in our virtual work environment. It’s made a huge difference in our employees’ overall work experience as we’ve seen improved morale and employee satisfaction.”

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About DaVinci

DaVinci is a software development company specializing in custom business solutions. With a strong emphasis on culture and employee engagement, DaVinci has maintained a reputation for creating positive work environments that foster innovation and collaboration. The company transitioned to fully remote work in 2022, presenting new challenges in maintaining their signature culture-first approach. Recognized as a Top Workplaces award winner, DaVinci continues to prioritize employee satisfaction and meaningful recognition.

Location: Utah

Industry: Software Development

Company Size: 111

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