Overview

About Hertz

Hertz, one of the world’s leading car rental and mobility solutions providers is headquartered in the United States and operates over 11,000 corporate and franchise locations in 160 countries. As one of the world’s most recognized brands in travel, Hertz also operates Dollar and Thrifty car rentals. Hertz’s 26,000 employees drive its success, with frontline team members delivering millions of exceptional customer experiences every year.

The Challenge

Recognizing a global, always-on workforce

With 80% of employees working in rental lots, airports, and customer-facing roles, traditional recognition methods like emails, phone calls, and the occasional shoutout were too slow, siloed, or invisible to the broader Hertz team.

“We strive to create a high performance culture. If we're looking for certain actions and mindsets, we should celebrate them when they happen and find creative and frequent ways to recognize and appreciate the hard work behind them.”
Chris Berg, Executive Vice President, Fleet Management

Hertz needed a recognition solution that was:

• Mobile-first, simple, and intuitive
• Able to connect their global teams
• Scalable with centralized reporting and visibility
• Built for frontline and deskless roles to deliver real-time impact
• Aligned with corporate values and performance expectations
• Capable of automating workflows
• Ready to support three distinct brands

While Hertz had service milestones, birthdays, and regional celebrations, they needed a unified employee recognition system capable of uniting fragmented programs. This set the stage for a modernized, enterprise-ready recognition approach.

“I'd like for others to look at Hertz and say ‘they're doing something right’. They're listening to employees, taking that feedback and continuing to build upon their recognition programs. Just to let them know that it is part of our culture and it's not just a platform."
Jessica Mollica, Vice President, Human Resources Field

The Solution

Hertz’s global employee rewards and recognition platform

Hertz selected Awardco for its ability to scale globally, support a complex multi-brand organization, and deliver real-time recognition, a capability that was essential for their predominantly deskless workforce.

Hertz’s Awardco platform and program includes:

• High-accessibility and mobile-friendly features to support its 80% deskless and frontline employees
• A modern, intuitive, and fun employee recognition experience that’s easy for everyone to use
• Support for peer-to-peer, manager, and automated recognition
• Charitable giving and donation management
• Enterprise-grade reporting and insights
• Customizable catalogs and a custom swag store to support multiple brands and strengthen team identity for Hertz, Dollar, and Thrifty

“One of the great things about Awardco is it's simple and it's easy to use. So having that intuitive platform allows our employees to quickly hop online and recognize each other in a way that's meaningful and fun.
Jessica Mollica, Vice President, Human Resources Field

“It’s super easy to use and very intuitive.”
Mark Nelson, Senior Human Resources Business Partner

Recognition for a deskless workforce

Hertz makes great use of AwardCodes™, secure physical cards redeemable for monetary points. These are perfect for recognizing field staff in the moment, since they can be handed out when a manager sees activity worth recognizing. It’s a highly impactful way for manager-to-peer recognition to occur in the flow of work.

The Microsoft Teams integration brought Awardco’s recognition feed directly to employees’ mobile devices. Employees can now recognize peers directly through mobile and inside Microsoft Teams. Recognition can be given and seen the moment great work happens, anywhere it happens — at rental counters, lots, and customer-service stations.

“Our frontline workers are the core of what we do and the core of our customer experience. We launched Microsoft Teams for all employees. We have the Awardco interface added to the platform, so our employees can now recognize each other directly from their phones on their app while they're working. If they see a great job, they can do an immediate shout out and make that difference.”
Jessica Mollica, Vice President, Human Resources Field

“Once [Microsoft] Teams became more accessible and we could use Awardco directly through that platform, everything changed. Recognition started happening in real time, right when great work was done, which made it feel truly authentic and helped strengthen our culture."
Trish Concepcion, Revenue Management Team Lead

Real-time, values-based recognition

Every recognition can be linked to Hertz’s values:

• Safety First. ​No Compromise.
• Do the Right Thing. Always.
• Debate with Respect. Commit with Conviction.
• Own It. ​Drive Results.
• One Team.

Leaders highlight these recognitions in town halls, giving the platform executive visibility across all regions.

“When you can point to exactly what someone did well, and their peers can see it too, it creates an incredibly authentic and meaningful recognition experience."
Trish Concepcion, Revenue Management Team Lead

Seasonal and strategic engagement campaigns

Hertz uses Awardco to power high-energy and high-impact recognition campaigns, including:

• “Win the Summer” weekly contests and themed recognition catalogs
• Employee Appreciation Day 
• #Safety recognition initiatives that align with their strategic roadmap
• Employee Voice Survey participation boosts via AwardCodes™
• A physical, rotating recognition wall
• Seasonal campaigns to boost morale during busier seasons
• Thanking employees who step up during difficult events like inclement weather

Making recognition meaningful and personal has had a positive impact on Hertz’s Awardco utilization and, ultimately, their culture.

“It's a fun platform. We love to celebrate our wins. Whether we've completed a great project and I want to give them a shout out, or I want to award points for a job well done… It really does help boost my morale and the morale of our employees here at Hertz.”
Mark Nelson, Senior Human Resources Business Partner

The Results

Stronger engagement and participation

Hertz’s global recognition program has contributed to:

• +7.6% YOY increase in eNPS
• Higher survey participation
• Higher recognition utilization
• More cross-team appreciation
• A sense of visibility and belonging for frontline employees who historically missed out on digital recognition through the Awardco + Microsoft Teams integration
• Stronger culture across three brands while allowing each to maintain its unique identity through customized swag stores and tailored engagement campaigns
• 1,300 recognitions on Employee Appreciation day
• Integrated the Employee Relief Fund program for colleagues affected by natural disasters, bereavement, and financial hardship through Awardco Giving

“Everybody wants to come to work every day and feel as though they're making a meaningful contribution to the business. So, when you finally get to hear that what you've been working so hard on has made an impact, it's incredibly rewarding.”
Chris Berg, Executive Vice President, Fleet Management

Hertz not only transformed employee appreciation into a strategic driver of engagement, they created a scalable, deeply intentional, and values-driven system that reaches employees where they work, when it matters most.

Recognition at Hertz doesn’t just feel good. It drives performance, builds community, and moves people forward.

Get a demo today to see how recognition can transform your own organization.