Checklist · free
Recurring employee programme cycle checklist
A 34-point checklist for running an employee programme that repeats every year, quarter or month: set the cycle, open enrolment, run activities, review submissions and close. Use the same list each cycle and note what changed.
No sign-up needed.
Who it is for
- HR and L&D leads running a recurring programme
- Corporate event managers supporting an employee engagement calendar
- Programme owners who inherit last year’s setup
How to use it
- Copy the list at the start of each cycle and write the cycle dates at the top.
- Mark each line Same, Changed or New; changed lines show what you learnt last cycle.
- Run the review block weekly, not at the end, so submissions never pile up.
- At close, compare three numbers with last cycle: activation, repeat involvement and review turnaround.
The contents
Set the cycle
- Write the cycle dates and the theme
- Confirm the eligible population
- Review last cycle’s feedback and numbers
- Decide the rewards budget and reward list
- Update rules and the FAQ
Prepare
- Import or refresh the employee list
- Define groups: location, function, band
- Update branding for the cycle
- Draft the communication calendar
- Brief managers on how to encourage participation
- Test enrolment on two devices
Open enrolment
- Send the launch message
- Share a short how-to or demo
- Monitor sign-ups by group
- Reach out to low-participation groups
- Resolve login problems within a day
Run activities
- Publish activities on a fixed weekly day
- Review submissions within the agreed days
- Update leaderboards and share highlights
- Recognise contributors publicly
- Handle disputes with a written ruling
- Check for unusual points patterns
Rewards
- Confirm winners from the final data
- Approve reward fulfilment
- Notify winners and ship rewards
- Close unredeemed balances per the rules
- Record reward costs against budget
Close and learn
- Run a short feedback survey
- Export final participation and review data
- Report activation, repeat involvement and review turnaround
- Archive the configuration for reuse
- Hold a retrospective with three changes for next cycle
- Delete data past its retention date
Where it has been used
Modelled on recurring employee programmes that ran contests and recognition across weeks with reviewed submissions and a rewards catalogue.
Questions people ask
What should change between cycles?
Change the theme and one or two mechanics, but keep the rules and the schedule steady. Employees return when they know what to expect and also see something new.
How do we keep review times short?
Set a service level, such as three working days, name two reviewers per category and send a weekly summary to the programme owner. Slow reviews are the quickest way to lose participants.
How do we measure repeat involvement?
Count employees who took part in at least two cycles divided by those who took part in the earlier one. State the denominator in your report, so the number means the same each time.
Want this running inside your event app?
Sociana turns lists like this into live screens, requests and reminders for your guests and your desk. A 20-minute walkthrough shows how.