The ALDO Group is a renowned Canadian company specializing in the design, production, and distribution of shoes, handbags, and fashion accessories. With decades of experience, the company now employs thousands of people across its stores and headquarters.
For over ten years, ALDO has partnered with Altrum to offer Pyramid awards as part of its “Future” performance recognition program.
Until 2023, service awards were celebrated entirely manually: employees would receive a printed letter and a pamphlet offering a few gift options or a monetary reward, all delivered in person. The Future program followed a similar process, combining a award with a manually delivered gift card.
This approach required significant coordination, created a heavy administrative burden, and offered limited variety. As hybrid work became more common, it was increasingly out of step with how teams operated.
“Since COVID, not everyone is in the office all the time. That changed everything, now people want virtual options,” explains Cassandra Warren, Senior Manager, Corporate Creativity, Events & Recognition.
Given their established relationship with Altrum and the growing need for a turnkey solution, ALDO’s team saw the Celebration platform as a natural choice to modernize and streamline its employee gift programs.
In 2023, ALDO implemented the Celebration platform to manage its service awards program. The rollout was smooth and well organized, with close collaboration from Altrum’s team.
The biggest challenge was cleaning and validating the employee lists, which often included more than 1,000 names. A few technical issues came up early on, but they were quickly resolved thanks to close teamwork between ALDO and Altrum.
“It was a learning curve for both me and the Altrum team, but we worked through it together. Now we’re in the rhythm, everything runs really smoothly,” says Cassandra Warren.
Once that learning phase was over, annual updates became a simple routine. The platform was soon adopted for other recognition initiatives, including the Future program.
The platform’s automated features have made everyday recognition efforts simpler and more efficient for the ALDO team. Gift are managed automatically, and follow-ups are effortless thanks to the intuitive dashboard. Managers also receive automatic notifications when someone on their team is being celebrated, removing the risk of oversights.
“Before, everything was done manually. Now you get a code and choose your gift from a wide selection. It’s seamless and aligns with today’s reality,” says Cassandra, who leads the program.
The support from Altrum’s team has also been a key to the program’s success.
“Customer service is flawless. The team always replies quickly with real solutions. For me, a successful partnership is when your supplier becomes an extension of your team, and that’s exactly what we have with Altrum.”
Thanks to the flexibility of the platform, ALDO has been able to centralize and structure multiple recognition programs in a consistent way:
Service Awards: Celebrations begin at 2 years of service at headquarters, and then continue at 5, 10, 15, 20 years, and up to retirement. For retail employees, the program starts at 5 years. Each year, ALDO sends the list of recipients to Altrum, who manages the rest. Managers are notified when someone on their team is being recognized.
Future Program: An annual performance recognition initiative that highlights exceptional employee and manager contributions. It includes two categories:
The rollout of the Celebration platform marked a major shift in how ALDO celebrates its people:
“I’ve experienced the very manual process, and now the turnkey one, and honestly, I can’t see why anyone wouldn’t make the switch to a platform like this. It’s affordable, smooth, simple, and efficient. I love it. You want to recognize people, but it’s often complex, personal, and every situation is different. A solution like Altrum’s really simplifies everything while still offering employees a choice. It’s absolutely worth it.”
— Cassandra Warren, Senior Manager, Corporate Creativity, Events & Recognition
In the months ahead, the team plans to further strengthen its recognition program. They’re closely tracking how recognition expectations are evolving, especially among younger generations. The team is currently exploring peer-to-peer recognition platforms and investing in manager training to embed recognition into everyday practices.
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