How Horizon Farm Credit Embedded Recognition Into Culture With Nectar

The Challenge

The old program was manual, slow, and confusing—awards often arrived without explanation, leaving employees unsure of why they had received them. Recognition was inconsistent, largely top-down, and lacked visibility across t he organization. This not only created extra work for HR but also left many employees feeling overlooked. HFC needed a platform that could reduce administrative headaches, make peer-to-peer recognition easy and engaging, and still meet the company’s strict vendor security requirements.

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The Solution

HFC selected Nectar for its ease of use and flexibility. The platform gave every employee the ability to recognize peers instantly through a public social feed, wit h each recognition tied to one of the organization’s core values. Nectar was integrated into company culture through initiatives like automated challenges for blood drives, public sales contests, and an annual Core Value Awards program presented at the all-staff meeting.

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The Results

Nectar is now deeply embedded in HFC’s culture, wit h 97% of employees recognized and 97% giving recognition, thus far in 2025. Managers are actively engaged, with 94% participating in giving recognition, and the company has recorded 5,998 shoutouts over the same period. Employee surveys and unsolicited comments consistently highlight Nectar as one of the most impactful parts of the employee experience—transforming recognition from an after thought into a cornerstone of HFC’s culture.

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About Horizon Farm Credit

Horizon Farm Credit (HFC), a financial cooperative serving five states, created an Employee Experience department after a 2022 merger. The team’s first priority was replacing a clunky, payroll-based award program with a recognition system that was easier to manage and more engaging for employees.

Location: TBD

Industry: Financial Services

Company Size: 500 Employees

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