At York IE, we talk a lot about value creation. Usually, that conversation centers on helping companies grow revenue or ship better products. But there’s another type of value creation that often gets overlooked: culture.
Recently, our India team showed off a new feature in the Hub that perfectly captures this. It’s called Kudos, and it’s one of those deceptively simple tools that ends up having a massive impact.
Recognition Without Red Tape
The concept is straightforward. Any team member can give a Kudos to anyone else for something they did well — helping with a project, mentoring a teammate, or living one of our core values. They select the reason, write a short note, and submit it for approval.
Once approved, the Kudos appear on a dashboard for everyone to see. Colleagues can react, celebrate, and even share the post on LinkedIn. The whole process takes less than a minute, but it’s amazing how meaningful that public recognition can feel. People rarely forget the moment someone noticed their effort.
Culture, Accountability, and Employer Brand in One Click
What’s smart about the way this feature was built is that it’s structured enough to stay intentional. Messages go through an approval step to maintain quality and tone. It’s easy to use, but not noisy.
That balance makes it powerful. It reinforces company values, keeps culture visible across teams and continents, and creates shareable moments that highlight the people behind the work. Every time someone shares a Kudos on LinkedIn, it not only celebrates an individual, it quietly strengthens our overall brand.
Why Founders Should Care
Startups often run lean and fast. In that chaos, it’s easy to overlook recognition. But recognition is what builds belonging, and belonging is what drives retention.
You can’t buy culture, but you can nurture it: one Kudos at a time.