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Designing DailyPay’s Rewards Program

In 2021, I led the design of DailyPay’s Rewards Program, creating a tool that allowed HR teams to engage employees with real-time cash bonuses. Our goal was to empower managers to distribute rewards easily, shift control from payroll to HR, and create a new revenue stream by offering partners the flexibility to purchase rewards in packs.

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We discovered key pain points through early conversations with HR partners. Payroll teams owned the disbursement of rewards, which slowed down the process, leaving HR admins frustrated with little visibility or control. Rewards were often underutilized—purchased in bulk, but not distributed efficiently. Managers needed more autonomy to motivate their teams in real time, but without the right tools, recognition became inconsistent and manual.

Employees, on the other hand, were disconnected from traditional rewards programs. Most preferred cash bonuses, but only 28% reported receiving them, while others complained about delayed gift cards and inflexible reward options. We needed to build a system that was intuitive, instant, and aligned with employee needs—without overburdening HR teams with admin work.

At a high level, my goal was to:

Giving HR teams control and visibility over reward distribution.
Simplifying the process for managers to send and track bonuses.
Allowing employees to receive rewards instantly with the flexibility of cash.
Generating new revenue for DailyPay through reward packs that partners could purchase and distribute at their discretion.

The challenge was to design a solution that fit seamlessly into the busy workflows of HR teams, while being easy for managers and engaging for employees.

We kicked off with a pilot program with five partners to better understand their workflows. Conversations with HR admins revealed that they wanted:

Flexible budgets that could be set by dollar amount or reward count, depending on the team’s needs.
Delegation tools so that managers across different locations could distribute rewards independently, with HR retaining approval control.
Real-time tracking to ensure rewards were allocated efficiently and unused rewards could be reallocated easily.

With these insights, I designed the Rewards Management Dashboard to give HR teams the control they needed without adding unnecessary complexity. The dashboard featured:

Budget allocation tools that allowed admins to adjust limits by dollars or quantities.
A centralized approval system where rewards could be approved quickly, even if HR was out of the office.
Live tracking and reallocation to ensure that no rewards were left unused by the end of each month.
Instant cash rewards, redeemable on the spot by employees, removing the delays associated with physical gifts or cards.

We delivered the product in three months, leveraging existing DailyPay infrastructure to move fast while iterating on feedback from our pilot partners. This allowed us to launch with core features, validate assumptions, and refine the product based on real-world use.

At a high level, my goal was to:

Giving HR teams control and visibility over reward distribution.
Simplifying the process for managers to send and track bonuses.
Allowing employees to receive rewards instantly with the flexibility of cash.
Generating new revenue for DailyPay through reward packs that partners could purchase and distribute at their discretion.

The challenge was to design a solution that fit seamlessly into the busy workflows of HR teams, while being easy for managers and engaging for employees.

The Rewards Program was a major success for DailyPay and our partners:

Increased Partner Adoption: HR teams found the dashboard intuitive and quickly integrated it into their workflows.
New Revenue Stream: Partners purchased reward packs regularly, unlocking a new recurring revenue channel for DailyPay.
Reduced Admin Burden: Shifting responsibility from payroll to HR saved time and made rewards easier to manage.
Higher Employee Engagement: Employees responded positively to instant cash bonuses, increasing motivation and retention.

The DailyPay Rewards Program empowered HR teams to recognize employees meaningfully and efficiently, creating value for both partners and their employees. By focusing on instant recognition, operational efficiency, and flexibility, we built a product that resonated with users, drove higher engagement, and opened a new revenue stream. This project demonstrated the power of thoughtful design under tight timelines—delivering a product that met the needs of our partners and positioned DailyPay as a leader in employee recognition solutions.

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