[yndoendo]

I was in Kindergarten and watching my fellow classmates get gold star stickers on their work. They were excited when it happened to them. I saw it as being given nothing of real value and person could just go to the store and buy them for $1 or $2.

It is a social engineering technique to exploit more work without increasing wages. Just like "Employee of the Month" or a "Pizza Party."

Company I work for does this with gift cards as rewards. I was reprimanded because I sent an email to HR that this " gift" is as useful as a wet rage in the rain. I don't eat at restaurants that are franchises or have a ticker on Wall Street. Prefer local brick and mortar over Walmart and will never financial support Amazon.

If you want to truly honor my accomplishments, give me a raise or more PTO. Anything else is futile. That gift card to Walmart has 0 value towards a quality purchase like a RADAR or LiDAR development kit to learn more or such.

[perryizgr8]

At a previous company I worked at, peer bonuses literally resulted in a small bonus at the end of the pay period. No gift card, just an email notification and money credited to your account. Most motivating form of peer appreciation I've seen.

[latentsea]

They weren't getting a sticker. They were getting a dopamine hit.